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Polish · Insults & Idiots

dupek

DOO-pek · /ˈdu.pɛk/

Asshole / jerk — an unpleasant, self-important man.

3/5 Watch your audience

genuinely rude; friends only, never at work

Literally

"little ass"

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

How to use it

From dupa (ass) with a diminutive that makes it worse, not cuter: a dupek is the petty boss, the queue-jumper, the guy who's rude to waiters. Precisely the coverage of English "asshole" and used just as often. Watch-your-audience 3, friends-only aimed. Dupa itself is the mildly vulgar all-purpose "butt" and a building block of a dozen idioms you'll meet elsewhere in this book (do dupy, w dupie mam) — Polish gets remarkable mileage out of it.

Heard in the wild

Nowy kierownik to straszny dupek.

The new manager is a colossal asshole.

Where it lands

Poland (universal)

Quick answers

What does "dupek" mean?
In Polish, "dupek" means "Asshole / jerk — an unpleasant, self-important man.". Literally it's "little ass". From dupa (ass) with a diminutive that makes it worse, not cuter: a dupek is the petty boss, the queue-jumper, the guy who's rude to waiters. Precisely the coverage of English "asshole" and used just as often. Watch-your-audience 3, friends-only aimed. Dupa itself is the mildly vulgar all-purpose "butt" and a building block of a dozen idioms you'll meet elsewhere in this book (do dupy, w dupie mam) — Polish gets remarkable mileage out of it.
Is "dupek" 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 "dupek"?
Say it "DOO-pek" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ˈdu.pɛk.

Related in Polish

skurwysyn skoor-VIH-sin Son of a bitch — a hard, aimed insult with the kurwa root inside. ty kurwo tih KOOR-voh You whore / you bitch — the aimed kurwa, a different animal entirely. debil DEH-beel Moron / idiot — the standard hard 'you idiot.' baran BAH-rahn Idiot / blockhead — the barnyard 'you idiot.' chuj KHOOY Dick / prick — the anatomical heavy hitter, and a productive root of its own. chuj ci w dupę KHOOY chee v DOO-peh Fuck you / shove it — the classic anatomical dismissal.

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