Glossary entry

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.

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.
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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
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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
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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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