Greek · 7 phrases
Romance & Rejection
Greeks are lavish with endearments and blunt with brush-offs. From "μωρό μου" to the retro art of καμάκι (now used with an eye-roll) to the firm rejection lines every traveler should know, this is the vocabulary of flirting, cooling off, and getting left alone.
μωρό μου moró mou moh-ROH moo Babe / sweetheart — the standard term of endearment. άσε με ήσυχη áse me ísychi AH-seh meh EE-see-khee Leave me alone / back off — the standard brush-off for unwanted attention. γκόμενα gkómena GOH-meh-nah Chick / girlfriend / a woman one's seeing — slangy and informal. καμάκι kamáki kah-MAH-kee Hitting on / chatting up (esp. tourists) — the retro art of the pickup. ξενέρωσα xenérosa kseh-NEH-roh-sah I lost the mood / I'm let down / that killed my vibe. καύλα kávla KAHV-lah Horniness / turn-on — and, by extension, a burning enthusiasm for anything. πουτάνα poutána poo-TAH-nah Whore — a heavy gendered insult; also 'πουτάνας γιος,' son of a bitch.