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French · Insults (Aimed at a Person)

Pétasse !

pay-TASS · /pe.tas/

Trashy/bitchy woman / skank

3/5 Watch your audience

genuinely rude; friends only, never at work

Literally

"(no clean literal) — trashy woman"

Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.

How to use it

A gendered dig at a woman perceived as vulgar, showy, or nasty — closer to "skank"/"cow" than to the harder "salope." Common among younger speakers and in reality-TV land. Rude and contemptuous; keep it for comprehension unless you fancy a scene.

Heard in the wild

Elle m'a poussée dans la queue, cette pétasse.

She shoved past me in the queue, that cow.

Where it lands

France (universal); very common in youth slang

Quick answers

What does "Pétasse !" mean?
In French, "Pétasse !" means "Trashy/bitchy woman / skank". Literally it's "(no clean literal) — trashy woman". A gendered dig at a woman perceived as vulgar, showy, or nasty — closer to "skank"/"cow" than to the harder "salope." Common among younger speakers and in reality-TV land. Rude and contemptuous; keep it for comprehension unless you fancy a scene.
Is "Pétasse !" offensive?
It's genuinely rude — a 3/5 (Watch your audience) on the Punch-o-Meter. Fine among friends, never at work or with people you've just met.
How do you pronounce "Pétasse !"?
Say it "pay-TASS" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: pe.tas.

Related in French

Con KOHN Idiot / dumbass — the single most useful insult in French Ta gueule ! ta GUHL Shut up! / Shut your mouth! Connard ! kon-AR Asshole / bastard Enculé ! ahn-koo-LAY Motherf***er / bastard (one of the hardest personal insults) Salope ! sa-LOP Bitch / slut (aimed at a woman) Fils de pute ! fees duh POOT Son of a bitch

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "You idiot".

how to say "You idiot" →

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