You ANIMAL!

[Lynx]

...I'm just starting to realize that our bird names for people are mostly derrogatory: Dodo, chicken, turkey, vulture, peacock, goose, etc...

That started me thinking. Most animal names in general are derogatory. Women say men are dogs. Men say women... uh... never mind. A snide person is being catty. A mentally slow person is dumb as an ox, though I don't hear it much anymore because we don't use oxen much. A person who has a hard time is living a dog's life (though I don't understand that one... I WISH I had my dog's life, with free food and nothing to do except bark at stuff all day.) Oh, and that family has so many kids they must be part rabbit. Now that's a catty thing to say!

There are a few positive ones. He's as wise as an owl, she runs like a deer and their careers are soaring like eagles. But precious few animal appellations are positive.

What can you think of? I'm curious whether the balance will be positive or negative.

 

[Tinkerbell725]

Lazy as a sloth
Fast and healthy as a horse
Gluttonous pig
An ugly cockroach who acted like a pretty butterfly
Shrewd like serpent
Vigilant like a hawk
Fat hippo
Fierce as a dragon
Meek as a lamb
Lion heart

 

[17Bees]

Lazy as a sloth
Gluttonous pig
An ugly cockroach who acted like a pretty butterfly
Fat hippo

Did someone call me?

Then there's Tinkerbell - floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee.

 

[Tinkerbell725]

Did someone call me?

Then there's Tinkerbell - floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee.

That was not directed to you at all.
Is Butterfly bee a compliment, an insult or both?
You remind me of the most inappropriate duck ever. Lol!

 

[17Bees]

That was not directed to you at all.
Is Butterfly bee a compliment, an insult or both?
You remind me of the most inappropriate duck ever. Lol!

A compliment, of course! But too, I imagine you break a lot of hearts, no? And yes, I'm an inappropriate duck so, duck already.

 

[Tinkerbell725]

A compliment, of course! But too, I imagine you break a lot of hearts, no? And yes, I'm an inappropriate duck so, duck already.

Thank you for the compliment. But i am not a heartbreaker because I was born in the year of the sheep and that makes me meek as a lamb. And infact I wanted to become a heart surgeon to fix hearts.

 

[Tinkerbell725]

Hungry as a bear
Bear hug
Sitting duck
Monkey business
Early bird
Bloodhound
Eagle eye
Bookworm

 

[Tinkerbell725]

Copycat
Old hag
Bloodsucking leech
Wolves in sheep's clothing
Gentle dove
Cunning snake
Laughing hyena
Crocodile tears

English is such a creative language but totally judgemental to a lot of innocent animals.

 

[GaryA]

Old hag

Old hagfish?

 

[GaryA]

Old hagfish?

Otherwise, what kind of animal is a 'hag'?

And, is this a dangerous question to ask a bunch of people with really good imaginations?

 

[Tinkerbell725]

Otherwise, what kind of animal is a 'hag'?

And, is this a dangerous question to ask a bunch of people with really good imaginations?

Hag as in short for hagfish?

 

[GaryA]

Hag as in short for hagfish?

Is it?

 

[Tinkerbell725]

Is it?

I am not really sure. Maybe I messed up.

 

[GaryA]

I am not really sure. Maybe I messed up.

It's okay -- we know you meant well...

More than any of us, you have come up with many common animal phrases.

I would say you have done very well!

 

[laughingheart]

Busy as a bee, a snake in the grass, silly old goose, a silver fox, a cougar, a turkey vulture (like a cougar but too old to catch its prey), dog in the manger, a jack rabbit (nervous energy), a whale (not nice), an otter (very playful), a magpie (attracted to shiny things like expensive jewelry), and a pack rat.

 

[Lynx]

Yeah, we use "pack rat" as a mild insult now... just wait until the apocalypse. We'll all WISH we had been pack rats.

Which apocalypse? I dunno... pick one. We seem to be very good at imagining dire situations. There's a lot of apocalypseses we have come up with.

 

[Lynx]

There's one nobody has yet mentioned - cow. Depending on the person being gossiped about... er, discussed, it could mean either fat or stupid.

Then there's the guy who's a real beast! Type of beast not specified, but it generally means he has unmatched and unbridled ferocity.

 

[laughingheart]

There's one nobody has yet mentioned - cow. Depending on the person being gossiped about... er, discussed, it could mean either fat or stupid.

Then there's the guy who's a real beast! Type of beast not specified, but it generally means he has unmatched and unbridled ferocity.

When I was in Turkey I was sitting with a woman and her husband stopped by, gave her a little hug and called her his little cow. I sat back and waited for the fireworks. Instead she blushed and smiled. She explained that it was a term of affection. When I was in Mexico with my mom our waiter told me I had a little chicken heart. He saw that I wasn't taking it as a compliment and he quickly said that no, no a chicken was nice and a little bird heart was strong and brave. He then invited me to a birthday party and proudly announced that there would be a pinata, but I declined. I know that last detail wasn't needed but I just couldn't leave it out of the story, lol

 

[Lynx]

What I have learned from this story is that using animal appellations primarily as insults is mostly an english thing. People in other countries with other languages are much kinder.

 

[laughingheart]

What I have learned from this story is that using animal appellations primarily as insults is mostly an english thing. People in other countries with other languages are much kinder.

That sounds about right. Mind you, as far as I know, during my travels I didn't annoy anyone badly enough to have them call me a maladapted mongoose, or a persnickety panda (at least to my face,... in English. Hhm). Sometimes it is just best to smile, nod and move along, lol.