I got in trouble today for calling my friend this as a nickname,it was said over a walkie talkie we use at work, I only know it as a funny name, as in, funny to hear and pronounce, but my manager said other people might hear it and get offended as it means bad things is some languages!!!!!!!!! Just wanna know if this is true, checked it out on Wikipedia but it didn't mention anything.
2007-12-20 13:18:35 · 9 answers · asked by annabel d 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
Thanks guys, I actually got told off seriously! So I'm trying to find out if she is right or not! She could be mistaken, in which case I'm owed an apology.
2007-12-20 13:32:36 · update #1
I grew up w/ Polaks (SE side Chicago) who used the term regularly to mean a head scarf, tied at the chin like the ones worn by older women in the Slavic countries---it has come to mean that and is most often a term implying kindness such as that of a Grandmother, but also means old woman.
I was about 16 years old when I learned that it was not an English word !
2007-12-20 20:06:16 · answer #1 · answered by klby 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, in Russian it means "grandma", and I would imagine that in other Slavic languages it either stands for nothing or has a similar meaning to Russian.
Two questions arise:
1) Is your manager Slavic?
2) Could you maybe jave mispronounced it somehow?
2007-12-20 14:02:48 · answer #2 · answered by Misanthropist 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I believe it's Russian for an old woman. Could have come from the hat that old ladies wear. That's not such a big deal.
What your boss is freaking over is fear- whoever heard you use that term *might* be fearing that there's a lawsuit on the corporate horizon.
Your boss has his PC head up his linguistic anal orfice. But that's his prerogative as a boss.
2007-12-20 13:35:54 · answer #3 · answered by going_for_baroque 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Babushka means "grandma" in Russian. Maybe your manager got offended because you called her an old lady...? I think it is a cute nickname.
2007-12-20 13:24:21 · answer #4 · answered by Elkiebear 1 · 5⤊ 1⤋
According to my Polish friend, it is the head scarf worn by a (generally) older woman. It's often used for grandmothers, in reference to their scarves. I have never heard of it as a derogatory term.
2007-12-20 13:23:36 · answer #5 · answered by zayneb 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
i once had a cat and we named her Babushka, I hear it is russian for grandmother. It sounds like a cute word but maybe your manager thought it sounded like something?
2007-12-20 14:01:06 · answer #6 · answered by bel4niko 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The only meaning I know is "hat". I think it's Russian.
2007-12-20 13:23:01 · answer #7 · answered by poorsias 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Means grandmama. I have not heard of anyone being offended by it though.
2007-12-20 13:59:09 · answer #8 · answered by chach 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
well i know that in russian it can mean grandma/old lady but thats about it. hope that helps
2007-12-20 14:17:15 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋