this post was submitted on 08 Jul 2023
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Memes

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[–] karbonkel@beehaw.org 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

In Dutch we curse and insult with diseases. For example "kankerzooi" = "cancerous mess" and "tyfuslijer" = "typhoid sufferer". That first one is a bit frowned upon, but using "kanker" is becoming more common. There's an established word "kankeren" which means "to grumble", though.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that this meme works very well for Dutch

Some more examples:

  • Teringlijer = tuberculosis sufferer
  • Pestpokken = something with the plague and pox
  • Krijg de kolere = get cholera
  • Zich de tyfus werken = literally "to work so hard you get typhoid" (wtf), but really just "to work very hard"

Funny one also is "kut" which means "vagina" and is used in the same way as cursing with "shit". Also, something like "kanker" (cancer) can be used in a positive way to emphasize something, like "kankerlekker" meaning "extremely good tasting" (although still frowned upon by most people)

Actually, just read the Wikipedia page: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_profanity