Turkish · The Terraces
Hakem şerefsiz!
hah-KEM sheh-ref-SEEZ · /haˈkem ʃeɾefˈsiz/
The ref's a cheat! / Dishonorable referee!
aimed at a person, will start something
Literally
"Referee (is) honorless"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The definitive terrace chant. Turkish football is tribal — Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, Beşiktaş, Trabzonspor — and the referee is the eternal villain, so a whole stadium roaring "hakem şerefsiz!" in rhythm is a weekly ritual. In the stands it's expected release; say it to an actual official's face and it's a serious insult ("şerefsiz" is genuinely heavy). The chant edits down to "şereeeef-siz!" clapped in threes.
Heard in the wild
Penaltı vermedi! Hakem şerefsiz!
He didn't give the penalty! The ref's a cheat!
Where it lands
Turkey-wide; stadium context
Quick answers
- What does "Hakem şerefsiz!" mean?
- In Turkish, "Hakem şerefsiz!" means "The ref's a cheat! / Dishonorable referee!". Literally it's "Referee (is) honorless". The definitive terrace chant. Turkish football is tribal — Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, Beşiktaş, Trabzonspor — and the referee is the eternal villain, so a whole stadium roaring "hakem şerefsiz!" in rhythm is a weekly ritual. In the stands it's expected release; say it to an actual official's face and it's a serious insult ("şerefsiz" is genuinely heavy). The chant edits down to "şereeeef-siz!" clapped in threes.
- Is "Hakem şerefsiz!" offensive?
- Yes — very. It rates 4/5 on the Punch-o-Meter (Fighting words). aimed at a person, will start something. Read the usage note before you even think about it.
- How do you pronounce "Hakem şerefsiz!"?
- Say it "hah-KEM sheh-ref-SEEZ" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: haˈkem ʃeɾefˈsiz.
Related in Turkish
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Screw you".
- French Enculé ! Motherf***er / bastard (one of the hardest personal insults)
- German Verpiss dich! Piss off! / Clear off (with force)!
- Greek άντε γαμήσου Go fuck yourself / get lost / piss off.
- Italian Vaffanculo! Fuck off! / Go to hell!
- Japanese クソ野郎 Piece of shit / shitty bastard
- Korean 개새끼 Son of a bitch / bastard — a real insult with no soft reading.
- Polish ty kurwo You whore / you bitch — the aimed kurwa, a different animal entirely.
- Portuguese Filho da puta Son of a bitch / bastard
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