Musikbx

[Deleted User]

A follow up on the Schnecke thing.  BF asked a couple of Germans at work if Schnecke could possibly be slang for c*** and they said that it could not.  Schnecke is only used to refer to snails or used as a petname.

I am relieved because you had me freaked out for a bit   Maybe somewhere along the way it got mixed up in a translation.

musikbx

Haha, I was hoping you guys would ask them!

I just asked FI again, and he insisted on the following meanings:

snail
Attractive woman
C*** (when said meanly)

I showed him our conversation, he says perhaps it is a regional thing.

He explains that it is a term of endearment oftentimes used between women, or two men talking about an attractive woman. He said to me "If I were you, I would 100% never call a man a schnecke."  He explains that it is a female term, so there it shouldn't be used referring to a man. I asked him where the c*** part comes into play. Specifically, what I would say if I really wanted to be rude? He suggested "Die blöde Schnecke!" (his first suggestion contained a few more profanities, lol)

This is definitely an interesting conversation!  I agree with him that it may be a regional thing (he's from East Germany.) You guys just use it between the two of you, so I don't see any way that it would cause problems while abroad. It's just interesting how a simple word could be considered offensive by some Germans, and not by others. From that standpoint alone, I personally would be hesitant to use it out of the "between two girlfriends' context.

Edit: or if I'm actually talking about a snail ;-)

[Deleted User]

It could very well be a regional thing, and connotation means a lot.  Pretty much any word in the english language can be used in poor connotation.  I think it is safe to use, seeing as we never insult each other with word. 

I wonder if snail trail and the bad connotation of Schnecke could somehow be related.

musikbx

Good point. I remember an episode of Friends where Joey was saying that he can make anything sound dirty (for example Grandma's chicken salad).

I think in general, the word snail can be manipulated in some way to refer to lady parts. I guess this transcends languages.