What does "pussy" mean in your country?



  • In my country it could mean "scared person" or "kitty-cat".



  • Same in the US.  Also a woman's genitals.

     



  • @lpope187 said:

    Same in the US.  Also a woman's genitals.

     

    Why not use four letter word begin with "c" and not confuse foreigners?



  • Because the "c" word that rhymes with bunt has a negative connotation like bitch.  Pussy is somewhat positive or neutral. 

    Welcome to English, the mutt of languages.  Where the same word means ten different things and some words are spelled differently, but yet are pronounced the same.

    Rules are for pussies.

     



  • @lpope187 said:

    Because the "c" word that rhymes with bunt has a negative connotation like bitch.  Pussy is somewhat positive or neutral. 

    Welcome to English, the mutt of languages.  Where the same word means ten different things and some words are spelled differently, but yet are pronounced the same.

    Rules are for pussies.

     

    Thanks for clearity and explaination!



  • @Nagesh said:

    In my country it could mean "scared person" or "kitty-cat".
    It's a word to be avoided in formal contexts, and in order to avoid innuendo, 'kitty' is preferred when talking about cats to, say, your girlfriend's parents. See also: rooster. In an informal context, you could call someone a pussy without being particularly offensive - it just means soft, wimpy, cowardly. Call someone the four letter word starting with 'c' and that's about the most offensive thing you can say, for some reason.



  •  In my country it can mean "filled with a creamy discharge", and describes an abcess or similar swelling.



  • @intertravel said:

    @Nagesh said:
    In my country it could mean "scared person" or "kitty-cat".
    It's a word to be avoided in formal contexts, and in order to avoid innuendo, 'kitty' is preferred when talking about cats to, say, your girlfriend's parents. See also: rooster. In an informal context, you could call someone a pussy without being particularly offensive - it just means soft, wimpy, cowardly. Call someone the four letter word starting with 'c' and that's about the most offensive thing you can say, for some reason.

    Reason I asked is that in one email someone here in our team write to our team-member at onsite telling him not to be pussy. He is finding that very offensive wording. I am puzzled by his finding it offensive. All it mean is don't be scared or coward in approach to client.



  • @Nagesh said:

    Reason I asked is that in one email someone here in our team write to our team-member at onsite telling him not to be pussy.
    He is finding that very offensive wording.
    I am puzzled by his finding it offensive. All it mean is don't be scared or coward in approach to client.

    I agree with you, it's not that offensive at all. It's more of a taunt than an insult.



  • @blakeyrat said:

    @Nagesh said:
    Reason I asked is that in one email someone here in our team write to our team-member at onsite telling him not to be pussy. He is finding that very offensive wording. I am puzzled by his finding it offensive. All it mean is don't be scared or coward in approach to client.

    I agree with you, it's not that offensive at all. It's more of a taunt than an insult.

     

    I'd even add that the advice was apparently well deserved.


  • 🚽 Regular

    @lpope187 said:

    Because the "c" word that rhymes with bunt has a negative connotation like bitch.
     

    It's actually far more offensive and negative than bitch. As far as I'm concerned it is almost at the level of the three-letter f-word or the 6-letter n-word in degrees of hatred. Might be a regional thing, though. It's very well possible that in other areas it's more accepted. Nevertheless, you will hear bitch on primetime TV all the time, but I doubt you'd ever hear the c-word uttered except on HBO or Showtime.



  •  What's the 3-letter F word? Fag? Yes, I hate people who smoke cigarettes around me.


  • Discourse touched me in a no-no place

    @Zemm said:

     What's the 3-letter F word? Fag? Yes, I hate people who smoke cigarettes around me.

    Nothing wrong about teaching the upper classes about life from the point of view of servants though.



  • @Nagesh said:

    Reason I asked is that in one email someone here in our team write to our team-member at onsite telling him not to be pussy.
    He is finding that very offensive wording.
    I am puzzled by his finding it offensive.
    Yeah, sounds like he's a real pussy...



  • @RHuckster said:

    As far as I'm concerned it is almost at the level of the three-letter f-word or the 6-letter n-word in degrees of hatred.

    As well as the 9-letter C-word followed by the 6-letter S-word.


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