What does the insult "cow" mean?

[Tirnaldo]

I know it sounds like a really stupid question, but I'm not originally from here. And I know in the US it's an insult to refer to someone who's overweight.

Is it the same here?

I think it just means someone is unpleasant, not weight based.

I would interpret it more as “bitch” or someone who has done something nasty to someone else. I would not see it as a slur on weight.

Well...

It's always used towards women and the implication is that the person is moody or difficult.

Nothing to do with weight in the UK. Always about a woman, yes, and implies they’ve done something seen as thoroughly unreasonable and mean. To me it’s a term used by teenagers about teachers who punish them for doing something the teenager deems not to be a problem!

It’s not about weight. Otherwise people wouldn’t say ‘you fat cow’. It’s saying someone is mean and unpleasant or was/is horrible to you. It can be used in a jokey way between friends or in a more serious way. It’s always aimed at women/girls.

Might be generalising a bit here but in the UK it's more associated with mean or grumpy women but in the US I've seen it used more for large women of whatever temperament.

It means mean or nasty.

Agree with cow meaning horrible/unreasonable/mean or whatever. But around here I also hear “being a cow/being a cowbag” in relation to a little girl being naughty. And “fat cow” which I assume is same as cow but also a dig at their weight too.

Thank you everyone!

I don't think it implies fat, mean or anything in particular other than that the person is female.

In my experience "cow" is usually preceded with an adjective: so fat cow, mean cow, or stupid cow. It doesn't necessarily have to be offensive. Daft cow or silly cow can be used almost affectionately in the same way that some people would say "mare" or "bint".

I see it as much milder than bitch. When I was young, people often called each other cows, but bitch would have been considered extremely rude.

I'm in my 60s so usage might have changed since then.

I think it means unpleasant, not nice - but its more specific when prefixed with something else like stuck-up, moody, fat etc