[thechat] English Language Terms

Erika Meyer erika at seastorm.com
Fri Nov 1 16:18:01 CST 2002


>....but aren't all those extra meanings derived from the original
>metaphor of calling a whore 'bitch'?

Javier, if you want to know for sure I would look it up in the Oxford
English Dictionary and check out the etymology.

But I will bet that "bitch" and "whore" were never equivalent.  You
might be thinking about "slut" (also the older word, "strumpet,"
implies whoredom or at least very loose sexuality).

Bitch has more to do with a domination/submission thing, more female
genderwise, but not necessarily sexual.  It can be a verb, for
example: "to bitch at (someone)".  This implies loud, obnoxious,
shrewish, scolding or complaining.

We also do call men "dogs" but usually that means a man who cheats on
his woman  or who behaves dishonestly and in an underhanded manner,
or both.  When used to refer to a woman it usually means an ugly
woman.

(OTOH an attractive woman is a fox... at least in the 70's she was --
Foxy Lady!)

So females who are "bitches" and men who are "dogs" have in common
the fact that they behave badly.

This is very important, because I have been known to confess (at
times) "I am a bitch." Because sometimes I am a bitch.  But I do not
mean I'm a whore.  I'm not a whore.

And one more thing... whore is a nasty (as in degrading) word.  Most
prostitutes call themselves prostitutes or (more general term) sex
workers.

>aardvark wrote:
>  > ahh, bitch, the myriad of meanings...

E

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