Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Swearing around the world: From tapeworm to soft egg, here are the worst insults in 11 countries

Video rounded up the worst - and weirdest - insults from Ethiopia to Italy

Rose Troup Buchanan
Friday 11 September 2015 22:57 BST
Comments
Can swearing be good for you?
Can swearing be good for you? (Rex)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

What’s your worst insult?

Warning: this article contains language some readers may find offensive

A viral video asked participants from around the world to share their country’s worst insults and swear words with hilarious results.

Among the gems unearthed from the eleven participants from Berlin, Bangkok, Adelaide, Dubai, Bogota, Shanghai, Paris, Seattle, Tokyo, Rome and New Delhi were the following:

Berlin: Du Weichei – literal meaning ‘you soft egg’, or taken to mean someone who can’t hold their drink.

Shanghai: 绿茶婊 – literal meaning ‘Green Tea Bitch’. Apparently a “very ironic and offensive expression,” referring to a girl “who is manipulative and two faced.” The Chinese city also boasted the excellent insult, 肌肉,但无脑, meaning ‘muscle but no brain’ and 宅男, literally meaning ‘indoorsman’.

Bangkok: ทุกอย่างเป็น ตาย – literal meaning ‘Everything is dead’. Fairly bleak, no?

Addis Ababa: ሹጥ - literal meaning ‘tapeworm’. Have you seen an Ethiopian tapeworm? Google it at your own peril. Not a pleasant thing to be called.

New Delhi: अपने गधे के बाल – literal meaning ‘hair of your ass’.

But apparently, all this swearing can be good for us. A theory presented last year by scientists at Birmingham university suggested profanities can help to relieve stress and are an emotional coping mechanism. Something to consider when you next watch a Malcolm Tucker diatribe.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in