Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Turkish term or phrase:
A wolf whistle
English translation:
Does not translate
Added to glossary by
Hellinas
Aug 20, 2013 17:37
11 yrs ago
Turkish term
A wolf whistle
Non-PRO
Turkish to English
Other
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
Technical term
For a good article on the subject, see:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf-whistling
Briefly, the term means 'A sound made with pursed lips in appreciation of superior beauty. It is in two parts; the first a rising note and the second a falling note..'
Is there a neat Turkish colloquialism? I know customs widely differ & that Islamic countries are far more strict than Western societies, but I presume that in the major cities there are different customs & behaviour. Tureng's 'güzel bir kadının arkasından çalınan ıslık' is a definition not a convenient equivalent.
Briefly, the term means 'A sound made with pursed lips in appreciation of superior beauty. It is in two parts; the first a rising note and the second a falling note..'
Is there a neat Turkish colloquialism? I know customs widely differ & that Islamic countries are far more strict than Western societies, but I presume that in the major cities there are different customs & behaviour. Tureng's 'güzel bir kadının arkasından çalınan ıslık' is a definition not a convenient equivalent.
Proposed translations
(English)
4 | Does not translate | CJR |
4 | laf atmak | Ahmet Tunca |
3 | oooooooohhhhh | Salih YILDIRIM |
3 | ıslıkla taciz | Raffi Jamgocyan |
Proposed translations
1 hr
Selected
Does not translate
It is one of those things that is hard to translate because it's very cultural. Some people might be offended by a wolf whistle, while someone else might not. There isn't really a term for it in Turkish. In English if you say wolf whistle everyone knows what it sounds like, in Turkish you would have to explain it.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "This is the fullest answer even if it gives no suggestion. Atunac's laf atmak is a very useful expression & one which beginners do well to learn. It refers to verbal innuendo not a whistle of admiration by an anonymous male or set of males when a very attractive woman passes. I have even heard women use it when an attractive man passes. Our culture is here very different, but not necessarily better. An extra point: what do Turkish men
do in these circumstances? Make comments to each other or loud enough to be overheard?"
5 mins
oooooooohhhhh
might be
12 mins
laf atmak
It is not a literal translation though
www.zargan.com/tr#!q=wolf whistle
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Note added at 14 mins (2013-08-20 17:51:19 GMT)
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http://goo.gl/2jUpDB
www.zargan.com/tr#!q=wolf whistle
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Note added at 14 mins (2013-08-20 17:51:19 GMT)
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http://goo.gl/2jUpDB
37 mins
ıslıkla taciz
In Turkish we do not specify types of whistle and they are all called "ıslık", but from a woman's point of view any whistle blown whether for appreciation or otherwise is a harrassment, so you could classify a wolf whistle as a harrassment by whistling
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