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
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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.
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