Is calling women ' birds ' or duck rude ?

[YogaRebel]

I was brought up to believe referring to a woman as a ' bird' is quite rude and belittling. Eg I saw him with his bird the other day.
What his new birds name ?

My husband disagrees - he thinks it's a term of endearment / description and just a colloquialism in certain parts of the country.

I'd say that's true of duck eg ' Ay up me duck ' but not convinced about bird. I don't want my teenage son referring to girls as birds but I'm told I'm being OTT.

Duck is fine, doesn’t bother me at all.

Bird is offensive and I wouldn’t let my sons use it.

My grandfather used ‘me duck’ all the time. It was a term of endearment in Leicestershire where he grew up.

‘Bird’ on the other hand sounds like something Jim Davison would use in the darkest 1970s.

@RobotValkyrie

Yes - as a primary school teacher I have been called all sorts to my face by the children I teach. It's a reflection of how their parents speak to others - that's what the head teacher told me anyway 🤣 when I asked what the school's stance was on this.

There seems to be less respect now than there was when I was a student. We didn't dare call a teacher an offensive term - there would be consequences, which would involve sending for the student with the largest feet, as his plimsolls would be used across our backsides.

Now the consequences appear to be parents storming up to teachers demanding to know why you took the football away from the yr 6 child (when it was the yr 4 children's turn to play football in the playground ).

@MyOtherCarIsAPorsche

I think you know very well what is being referred to within recent generations.

I do. The point I was making is that bird didn’t originate from dolly bird. Bird came first, even in modern usage. According to Merion-Webster, first known use of “dolly bird” was in 1964. Bird on its own had been in modern use since at least the start of the 20th Century.

How cute is that?

@etulosba

Doubt there are many people from1900s using that term today.

It was 1980s when I experienced that language.

Language has now moved on and my children and grandchildren are unaware of those terms.

They have their own terms to describe certain things that I have no knowledge of.

Again, you will be aware I was not referring to the beginning of the 20th century.

Too cute.

I hate being referred to as a bird, it really pisses me off. I also hate ‘missus’. I don’t mind love because it’s very common here in Yorkshire and I’m used to it, men and women are called love here. I just find bird and missus really degrading.

I’d definitely judge a man who referred to a woman as bird. Definitely a type - misogynistic, lad, would rather be at the pub than with family, expects the cooking and cleaning to be done for them.

It can't always have been offensive though - surely the name Birdie is related (or at least would have been known to the parents naming their daughter Birdie!). I can't imagine that name ever having caught on with negative connotations.

@ClaudiaWankleman can’t say I’ve ever come across the name Birdie personally.

Again, you will be aware I was not referring to the beginning of the 20th century.

Like or lump it, the use of bird is alive and well and still common parlance amongst males. Less so amongst the younger generation I agree.

@MyOtherCarIsAPorsche

Out of interest I looked up “Too cute”

A discriminatory term used towards transgender people who don't feel gender dysphoria, or transgender people who don't fit in a gender binary. It's a shortened version of "too cute to be cis" which is also a phrase used to bully these people.

[quote etulosba]@MyOtherCarIsAPorsche

Out of interest I looked up “Too cute”

A discriminatory term used towards transgender people who don't feel gender dysphoria, or transgender people who don't fit in a gender binary. It's a shortened version of "too cute to be cis" which is also a phrase used to bully these people.[/quote]
Are you kidding????

Step away from the online dictionary.

Sadly cute - look that one up.

Duck is affectionate and bird is quite rude in my opinion.

I'd hate if anyone referred to me as being my husbands bird

I put men who use the term "bird" in reference to women in the same box as those who say "the missus" or "the wife". Awful and derogatory.

Me Duck....The first time I took DH out shopping in my local area he whispered to me that someone had called him a fuck, I said no, they said duck!

Duck is gender neutral here and used regardless of relationship. I like it, especially the unexpected gentleness of burly old men referring to each other as “duck”. Bird is definitely only for women where I am so feels uncomfy.

@Belledan1

Duck is used in east midlands and leicester area.

Not only there. Stoke too.

@etulosba

My meaning of the word 'cute'.

As applies to you.

Are you kidding????

No. Terrible isn’t it. You really do have to watch what you say these days.

‘Me duck’is mostly used by old people in the East Midlands towards young people of either sex. It isn’t offensive.

‘Bird’ is mostly used by men who consider themselves ‘lads’ discussing women they’d like to shag but don’t respect. Because of this, it is generally considered offensive.

I live in the East Midlands and "duck" is very much used for both sexes. I've also heard the word "cot" as well used in a similar way in some parts. I've heard apocryphal tales that "Duck" comes from "Dux" (i.e. Duke) a bit like "chief" or "guv'ner" or similar, but not sure if there is any really truth to that.

I see "bird" as very much a southern thing like TOWIE or similar. Depends on how it is used as to whether it would rude or not I guess. Don't here it that much round here and seems to generally be used by men to refer to a woman or women in the third person.

To me, ‘duck’ is similar to ‘love’, and used in an endearing way to people of both sexes and all ages.
‘Bird’ is a crude and lazy way of referring to women and girls, and I hate it. I’d pull anyone up who called a female a bird.

My Yorkshire based relations say duck a lot. And Bird is said a lot in Cornwall. Neither bother me

I'm from the North East and we call people all sorts!

Hinny, chick, pet, wifey/hubsta (eg saw this wifey/hubsta at the bus stop) me lad, me lass, mate, man, fella....

I don't mind most of the time but I hate it during a business transaction to be referred to by a pet name unless it's in a pub (don't know why!).

Tried to book an event not long ago and the venue manager kept calling me darling which drove me mad.

[quote etulosba]@MyOtherCarIsAPorsche

Out of interest I looked up “Too cute”

A discriminatory term used towards transgender people who don't feel gender dysphoria, or transgender people who don't fit in a gender binary. It's a shortened version of "too cute to be cis" which is also a phrase used to bully these people.[/quote]
Which ‘dictionary’ did this fall out of????

@Soontobe60

Etulosba - an antagonistic poster who obviously wants the last word. Thinks they're clever because they like to contradict people and back up their waffle from obscure sources which suits their agenda in order to make innocent contributors look bad.
🤣🙄