Words for Women

March 27, 2004 4:39 AM

Words for women. I’m trying to compose a huge list of descriptive words which are mainly applied to women. This is for a feminism project for a friend. Everything from chick, babe, angel, etc to dog, nag, mare, cow to lush, slut and slag. Can MeFites help me out by streaming words for about a minute, then postfixing it with age, nationality and sex. Don’t worry about repeating words other people have chosen. I’ll start with…

Tart, babe, girl, lush, mare, hen, chick, whore, angel, pet, love, nag, slut, slag, cow, petal, flower, peach, babe, witch. English; 34; Male.

posted by seanyboy to Writing & Language (32 answers total)

girl, chick, dude (I know), babe, honey, baby, darling, gorgeous, slut, sow, cow, barker, dog, cunt, hoochie, chickenhead, pigeon, skank, skeezer, tart, floozy, wench, bitch, tramp, whore, wifey (when not married), sugar, sweetie, love, female (with scorn), ho, bird, lesbian/lesbo (derogatory connotation), man-hater, ball-buster, feminist. American; 25; Boomchicka.
posted by precocious at 5:15 AM on March 27, 2004

hussy. (31, Canadian M)
posted by pooligan at 5:30 AM on March 27, 2004

sheila, dolly, bint
posted by bifter at 5:45 AM on March 27, 2004

lady, girl, chick, princess, bimbo, girly, missy, miss, ma'am, bitty, yenta, female, whore, bitch, hag, dyke, woman (said in a high school about a 15-16 year old strong young woman, but with a negative tone), ho, ho-bag, slut, cum-dumpster, cocktease, honey, sweetie, dearie, chica, miss pretty. 25, American, Female
posted by ferociouskitty at 5:54 AM on March 27, 2004

babe, baby, girl, bitch, sweetheart, lover, slut, dyke, carpetmuncher, whore, ho, woman, lady, sister, sistah, missy, darling, chick, chica, bimbo, slut, doll
(American male, 29)
posted by emelenjr at 6:07 AM on March 27, 2004

Princess, queen, honeylamb, sweetcakes, darlin, lover, sweetiepie, cupcake, hootchie, love, sweetmeat, precious, beautiful, turtledove, mommy, sweetheart, dear, pet (American male, 30-ish)
posted by ColdChef at 6:30 AM on March 27, 2004

the fairer sex (American 30's male)
posted by vito90 at 6:40 AM on March 27, 2004

Maybe unrelated, but if you speak Spanish you might find this e-mail amusing (received from a 44-year-old Spanish woman):

DEMOSTRACIÓN DE QUE LA LENGUA ESPAÑOLA NO ES MACHISTA EN ABSOLUTO

ZORRO: Espadachín Justiciero.
ZORRA: Puta.

PERRO: Mejor amigo del hombre.
PERRA: Puta.

AVENTURERO: Osado, valiente, arriesgado, hombre de mundo.
AVENTURERA: Puta.

AMBICIOSO: Visionario, enérgico, con metas.
AMBICIOSA: Puta

CUALQUIER: Fulanito, Mengano, Zutano.
CUALQUIERA: Puta

BICHO: Insecto; animal.
BICHA: Puta.

CALLEJERO: De la calle, urbano.
CALLEJERA: Puta

HOMBREZUELO: Hombrecillo, varón, mínimo, pequeñito.
MUJERZUELA: Puta

HOMBRE PÚBLICO: Personaje prominente.
MUJER PÚBLICA: Puta

GOLFO: Masa de agua marina parcialmente rodeada de tierra.
GOLFA: Puta

LOBO: Mamífero predador rapaz y feroz. Hombre experimentado y agresivo.
LOBA: Puta

LIGERO: Hombre débil y/o sencillo
LIGERA: Puta

ADÚLTERO: Infiel
ADÚLTERA: Puta

"QUE HIJO PUTA": Expresión de "menuda suerte"
"QUE HIJA PUTA": Expresión de "menuda Zorra, ojalá se muera"

PUTIN: Honorable jefe de Estado Ruso.
PUTINA: Putilla.

Mujer que vende sus servicios: Puta
Hombre que vende sus servicios: Consultor financiero
posted by fuzz at 6:58 AM on March 27, 2004 [1 favorite]

chick, sheila, bird, tart, woman, girl, bit of fluff, her inside, the boss, she who must be obeyed.

42, Australia, male.
posted by dg at 7:58 AM on March 27, 2004

Skirt. XX. Femme.
posted by yoga at 8:25 AM on March 27, 2004

Womanords is an impressive volume on this very issue. It also goes into detail about how words and phrases came to have negative connotations for women.

My list:

cheesecake, tart, honey, dish, meat, bush, babe, beaver, coochie, hoochie, ho, mama, hag, bag, banshee, siren, muse, vamp, wanton, cunt, hussy, harlot, bulldagger, girly, pussy, piece, floozy, doll, sweetcheeks, cupcake, tramp, sugar, darling, dyke, troll, baby, chickie, ball and chain, courtesan, pro, scarlet woman, strumpet, moll, babydoll, slattern, hooker, whore, broad, chicken, fox, chippie, nympho, tomato, trollop, jezebel, nymphet, slut, toots, dame, vixen, skirt, biddy, minx, pig, sexpot, filly, deb, jailbait, spinster, tail, prig, prude, frump, bunny, diva, plum, pumpkin, bat, shiksa, and finally shrew. (34, American, female)
posted by answergrape at 8:32 AM on March 27, 2004

hoyden, pet, tart, muffin, crone, biddy, old maid, trollope, honey-pie, pumpkin, chickadee, kitten, filly, lady, gal, girl, miss, missus, miz, madame, skank, petal, bitch, [american lady 35]
posted by jessamyn at 8:35 AM on March 27, 2004

Dame, dish, skirt, legs, broad, honey, gal, fem, broad.

American, Male, 37.
posted by davidmsc at 8:39 AM on March 27, 2004

winch
posted by thomcatspike at 9:06 AM on March 27, 2004

like a bar "winch"...did I spell that right?
posted by thomcatspike at 9:08 AM on March 27, 2004

wench, thom
posted by goneill at 9:12 AM on March 27, 2004

"she-bitch from hell"
posted by found missing at 9:23 AM on March 27, 2004

cow, bitch, tart, slut, cunt, whore, hole, floozy, chippie, slag, piece, piece of ass, ride

chica, chick, babe, gal, mama, hottie, cutie, biscuit, trixie, grlz, honey, chickie, doll

girl, woman, lady, ma'am

(me, i'm female, 33, american)
posted by crush-onastick at 9:31 AM on March 27, 2004

girl, lady, woman, miss, lil' miss, charlot, shirley, bird, tomato, doll, (riot)grrll, skank, squirrel, twist, broad, dame, skizz, lez, puta, pet, bitch, ma'am, tart, baby (babies), old lady (my old lady), (my) girl, hag, meatholes, ball buster, castrater, whore, bitch, cunt, gold digger, bimbo, floozy, lush, apple eater, sheila, feminazi, lady of the night, streetwalker, slut, chicky, ball and chain, skirt, looker, hooker, who - ore, love, cum rag, bleeder, shrew, seductress, lolita, tramp, badger ("because she's always badgering"), femme fatale, fist puppet, witch, darlin', honey, honeypot, slit, hairdo, (how's) trix (?), manhater, death, temptress, hussy, model, pussy, nag, dead weight. canadian, 35, m.
posted by dobbs at 9:40 AM on March 27, 2004

Lass, girl, babe, bitch, whore, cow, slag, slut, slapper, minger, trollop, woman, lady, tart, pussy, *wow*. 33 m UK.
posted by Blue Stone at 9:54 AM on March 27, 2004

split tail, psycho bitch from hell, pneumatic,vamp,slut, sexy duck, Dolores, american male,57.
posted by JohnR at 10:12 AM on March 27, 2004

strumpet, harlot, wench, priss, prude, lolita, slut, whore, tramp, skank, dame, lady, babe, chick, bitch, harpy, nag, crone, hag, lass, miss, skirt, madam, girl, princess, senorita, muffin, broad, floozy, mama, piece, ma'am, jezebel, hussy, she-devil, vamp, cunt, femme fatale, matron, gal, sheila, goddess, angel, sugar, ho, shrew, chica, honey, bimbo, woman, witch, old maid, biddy, dish, cow, female, cocktease, pet, bird, lesbo, trollop, beaut(y), belle, sweetness/sweet/sweetie/sweetiecakes, sugardoll, (glamour)puss.

Asian American, 21, female.
posted by ifjuly at 10:27 AM on March 27, 2004

Grimalkin, succubus.

Apparently about 330, American, male.
posted by nicwolff at 11:07 AM on March 27, 2004 [1 favorite]

The wife, the boss., her indoors, my better half, she who must be obeyed, bird, tart, bit of skirt, willywarmer, the missus, slapper, slag, slut, sheila, judy, eve, tart, wench, lass, lassie, fairer sex, darling, sweetheart, fox, floozie, bimbo, ladyfriend (mock-gentility)

UK 37, Male
posted by Pericles at 11:23 AM on March 27, 2004

lady, girl, gal, gel, honey, skirt, femme, hottie, sheila, babe, looker, ho, whore, sweet thang, betty, slit, cunt, bitch, damsel, princess, filly, wahini, senorita, old bag, old hag, witch, crone, bobby-soxer, barbie, muffin, fish wife, tootsie, old maid, maiden, bachlorette, femme fatale, doll, doll-face, coed, bimbo, bimbette, hooker, street walker, tramp, ballbuster, working girl, bit of fluff, dame, eye candy, sweater girl, ponytail, smurfette, hot stuff, earth mother, grannie, ding-a-ling, lu lu, airhead, piece of tail, piece of ass, sister, dyke, femnazi, lesbo, lesbian, man hater, man eater, bit of cooze, jail bait, jane.

American F 46
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 3:21 PM on March 27, 2004

she, her, mom, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, niece, aviatrix, dominatrix.

Interestingly, 'blonde'/'blond' is the only gender-differentiated adjective in the English language, taking a different form for male and female use. You can try to figure which is which.

American, 22, male (and self-described feminist).
posted by kaibutsu at 6:45 PM on March 27, 2004

I suppose to do this right, I have to make an entry before reading the rest, so here goes:
chick, lady, cunt, slut, cow, broad, slitch, bitch. 47 yr gay male.

A "cow" sometimes is a cunt-on-wheels.

In the right situation, any of these except 'chick' might be applied to a male.

I never approved of those who considered 'chick' to be a negative label. At the height of this word's use, it was very clear that a 'chick' held the highest value to those who sought one, and seeking one was top priority of life.
posted by Goofyy at 10:07 PM on March 27, 2004

oops, American.
posted by Goofyy at 10:08 PM on March 27, 2004

woman, chick, chica, girl, grrl, girlie, honey, babe, dude, man, mecha, mom, mommy, mama, momma, mother, mami, mamasita, lady, femme, butch, ma'am, miss, Ms., Miz, missy, Old Miss, Young Miss, Little Miss, Mrs., missus, Mzz. (like Granny Weatherwax re: Pratchett). madam, madame, Mme., Mlle., love, sweetie, cutie, chickie, grandma, granny, nan, nana, auntie, aunt, sis, sister, tia, abuela, hermana, ella, niña, she, her, I, female, girly-girl, dolly, smoochie, chi-chi, señora, señorita, Sra., Srta., the fairer sex, angel in the house, lesbian, lezzie, virago, wench, domina, dominatrix, actress, duchess, countess, baroness, marchioness, princess, queen, queenie, flapper, starlet, sorority girl, bimbo, bimbette, lolita, jailbait, tart, slut, whore, bitch, cunt, hooker, prostitute, gal, gel, Jane Doe, witch, hag, brazen hussy, ballbreaker. 26 - American - female.
posted by Melinika at 10:18 PM on March 27, 2004

no-one has mentioned "bonita", which i would have expected to enter american slang with "chica".
posted by andrew cooke at 6:19 AM on March 28, 2004

cherry pie, ho, sheila, fox, sweetie, bitch, girl, chick, woman, female, bird, dame, peach, danger, angel, crumpet, muffin, shag, bleeder, meggie, hag, princess, jap (jewish-american princess), hoochie-momma-chickenhead, hussy, strumpet, wench, diabla, madame, chica, sistah, miss, lady, hija, nu-er, aiyi, amah, hsiao-jie, meimei, sorority girl, fratchick/fratslut, pimpette, cow, heifer, hon, dude[tte], jane, Boss.
21, asian-american, female.
posted by casarkos at 9:28 AM on March 28, 2004

blart

Probably not on thread: Roger's Profanisaurus
posted by asok at 9:50 AM on March 28, 2004