Nicknames I Could Never Have Used
I remember Mommy always taught me that words hurt. Calling someone stupid or idiot or dumb is not tolerable. If I was caught calling Phebe anything derogatory, I got the blow of my Mom's fury. Maybe it's a Chinese thing, maybe it's a Ko thing...but it certainly doesn't extend to Jordanian families.
Because I'm now considered my neighbors' daughter, sister, aunt, and granddaughter, I see the real familial relations – no cover-ups so that Miss Mindy will think we are the holy family. I'm shocked to hear the names that all members of the family use to call their sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, parents, cousins, and friends. Only grandparents are always referred to with a term of respect, such as Haj, in reference to the trip to Mecca all Muslims are expected to make. But for anybody younger than 60 years, it's fair game for name-calling. A translated list of the names I've heard used to refer to family members:
When you're mad at someone: كلب (dog), حيوان (animal), حمار (donkey), غبي (stupid), and a list of others unprintable on this blog
When someone is obese: دب (bear)
When someone is rude or disrespectful: قلبه اسود (black heart), وجه بارد (cold face)
When you pity someone: مسكين (pathetic soul)...PS: I have been referred to as this, since I live alone and, at 25, am still single.
When someone is cheap and frugal: بخيل (closed fist)
When a woman doesn’t cook well: طعمه مو زاكي (her taste sucks)
And the following aren't necessarily intended to be offensive, but give a hint to the culture here:
When a woman drives, doesn't wear a head scarf, or walks in the street alone: حرام عليها (shame on her), مو محترم (disrespectful)
When a woman is infertile: مكسور (broken)
When a man smokes a lot: مدخنه (chimney)
When boys throw rocks at me in the street: عادي (normal)
When you see a baby learning to walk: بطه (duck)
When someone does any good task: الله يحبك (God loves you)
When someone wants something and needs a reason: عشان الله (because of God)
When boys play soccer, run, walk in the street, or hang out at the mosque at night: نشيط (active)
When girls run or walk in the street (there is no girls' soccer or womens' mosque in my village): حرام (shameful)
When someone plays five hours of Spider Solitaire on the computer: مهندس (engineer)
When someone has white skin: حلو (beautiful)
When someone has tanned skin: مو حلو (not beautiful)
When someone works with animals (sheep, goats, or camels): بدو (Bedouin)
When someone works in an office: من لمدينه (city person)
And this one is probably specific to my village:
When any foreigner (white, Asian, Hispanic…just a non-Arab) under 25 years visits my village: اكت Mindy (Mindy's sister), اخو Mindy (Mindy's brother)
When any foreigner (white, Asian, Hispanic…just a non-Arab) over 25 years visits my village: ام Mindy (Mindy's mom), ابو Mindy (Mindy's dad)
The only exception is when they see an Asian man about 40-50 years old, which leads to cries of "Jackie Chan! Jackie Chan!" at a decibel level loud enough to cause permanent ear damage.
Because I'm now considered my neighbors' daughter, sister, aunt, and granddaughter, I see the real familial relations – no cover-ups so that Miss Mindy will think we are the holy family. I'm shocked to hear the names that all members of the family use to call their sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, parents, cousins, and friends. Only grandparents are always referred to with a term of respect, such as Haj, in reference to the trip to Mecca all Muslims are expected to make. But for anybody younger than 60 years, it's fair game for name-calling. A translated list of the names I've heard used to refer to family members:
When you're mad at someone: كلب (dog), حيوان (animal), حمار (donkey), غبي (stupid), and a list of others unprintable on this blog
When someone is obese: دب (bear)
When someone is rude or disrespectful: قلبه اسود (black heart), وجه بارد (cold face)
When you pity someone: مسكين (pathetic soul)...PS: I have been referred to as this, since I live alone and, at 25, am still single.
When someone is cheap and frugal: بخيل (closed fist)
When a woman doesn’t cook well: طعمه مو زاكي (her taste sucks)
And the following aren't necessarily intended to be offensive, but give a hint to the culture here:
When a woman drives, doesn't wear a head scarf, or walks in the street alone: حرام عليها (shame on her), مو محترم (disrespectful)
When a woman is infertile: مكسور (broken)
When a man smokes a lot: مدخنه (chimney)
When boys throw rocks at me in the street: عادي (normal)
When you see a baby learning to walk: بطه (duck)
When someone does any good task: الله يحبك (God loves you)
When someone wants something and needs a reason: عشان الله (because of God)
When boys play soccer, run, walk in the street, or hang out at the mosque at night: نشيط (active)
When girls run or walk in the street (there is no girls' soccer or womens' mosque in my village): حرام (shameful)
When someone plays five hours of Spider Solitaire on the computer: مهندس (engineer)
When someone has white skin: حلو (beautiful)
When someone has tanned skin: مو حلو (not beautiful)
When someone works with animals (sheep, goats, or camels): بدو (Bedouin)
When someone works in an office: من لمدينه (city person)
And this one is probably specific to my village:
When any foreigner (white, Asian, Hispanic…just a non-Arab) under 25 years visits my village: اكت Mindy (Mindy's sister), اخو Mindy (Mindy's brother)
When any foreigner (white, Asian, Hispanic…just a non-Arab) over 25 years visits my village: ام Mindy (Mindy's mom), ابو Mindy (Mindy's dad)
The only exception is when they see an Asian man about 40-50 years old, which leads to cries of "Jackie Chan! Jackie Chan!" at a decibel level loud enough to cause permanent ear damage.
