แมง

[Briggsy]

The term แมงดา meaning 'pimp' in English is derogatory. (Despite 'pimp' having become a badge of honour in latter-day Western pop culture.)

Is this term often shortened to just แมง? And can แมง carry any other derogatory meanings?

[bhoydy]

I've never heard it shortened, but that doesn't mean to say that it isn't.

Could it have been มึง that you heard, which is a rude swear word to call someone?

[Briggsy]

I've never heard it shortened, but that doesn't mean to say that it isn't.

Could it have been มึง that you heard, which is a rude swear word to call someone?

Clearly แมง.

Thanks for the reply. Often these things/terms/registers/slang usages are limited to a particular group of language users. It is as interesting to find this out as it is to find out the meaning.

[mikenyork]

I have often heard young Thai men (high schoolers) say to each other " แม่ง." Don't think they were saying a short form of แมงดา Also, I have a problem with interpreting แมงดา to be "pimp" because my understanding of pimp implies a lot more control over the working girl than I have ever observed among แมงดา. Their role here seems to be pretty much limited to living off the woman and not controlling her the way pimps are portrayed in movies and TV (never became acquainted with a pimp in the West, must be said, not certain I ever even saw one in the flesh). In addition, I think the term แมงดา applies to any man taking his living from a woman, regardless of her occupation. But pimp is much narrower than that.

[krading]

According to my dictionary แม่ง means 'sh!t, dam_n, or <deleted>'.

[kriswillems]

แม่ง

comes from แม่ มึง which means "your mother". It's said when you don't like the words and/or action of someone (for instance if someone cuts you of while driving a car).

It's very rude. Better avoid it.

[GarryP]

แม่ง I beleive is an abbreviated form of mae meung แม่มึง.

I see I was beaten to it. Not very polite, but I have been known to use it, especially when talking under my breath.

Edited September 13, 2010 by GarryP

[Gaccha]

I saw on the day of the US-England footy match, two very inebriated Hulk-like tatooed Englishman, while fighting in apparent slow motion, swear and shout at each other in Thai for the whole duration. They both quite favoured this word.

[Briggsy]

Thank you for your replies. I never knew แม่ง as a vulgar interjection. I am enlightened.

The term in question appeared to apply to a prostitute's customers, a 'john' in English, not a man sponging financially off a woman. However I can find no confirmation that แมง can be used to describe a 'john' so I am beginning to assume I did not fully understand.

[sarahsbloke]

Bpai haa mare mung lery

Is apparently very bad.

[Benchamas]

You must have heard about แมง and แมลง ... don't get confused

แมง = Arachnids / 8 legs เช่น แมลงปอ แมลงสาบ (หยี...)

แมลง = Insects / 6 legs เช่น แมงป่อง แมงมุม

ฺBut Thai people have lazy tongue, they always say แมง for both แมง & แมลง as well as they say ล for ร

Unfortunately, there are existing แมงดา and แมลงดา

แมงดา ===> salt water

แมลงดา ===> fresh water

Now let's talk about "แมงดา"

The reason why แมงดา is called as a pimp is "male แมงดา" go everywhere by sticking on "female แมงดา" 's back without doing anything, apparently "pimp"

So... Pimp = male แมงดา

[mikenyork]

But a man who lives off a woman can be a แมงดา and not be a pimp. I would argue that most แมงดา are not pimps at all. Below, the definition of a pimp. It is much more specific than just living off of a woman. To put it another way. All pimps are แมงดา but not all แมงดา are pimps.

pimp

   [/url][pimp] –noun1.a person, esp. a man, who solicits customers for a prostituteor a brothel, usually in return for a share of the earnings;pander; procurer.2.a despicable person.3.Australia and New Zealand . an informer; stool pigeon.

[SoftWater]

​​I could be wrong (i'm kind of outside of my expertise here... ) but I suspect that there isn't a word in Thai for this because men here don't really do the soliciting do they?

I can only think of the gang bosses that run various operations/ brothels, but they are normally just known as 'mafia' aren't they? (sorry, don't know the Thai spelling, but just a phonetic version of the English word).

Edited September 20, 2010 by SoftWater

[Benchamas]

IMO ...Historically แมงดา is used to call men who work in bars and get men for bargirls, and get commission from them. Now some of men become lazy and use women to work for them, so we call those men "แมงดา" even though they don't work in bars.

Correct me if I am wrong.

[mikenyork]

As to whether แมงดา originally refered exclusively to men who made their living from prostitutes, but has come to have a broader meaning to refer to 'lay-arounds' as a general category, I would point out that this word was common 45 years ago, when the sex industry as we know it was a brand-new phenomenon (as distinct from brothels, which had existed from time immemorial), and totally outside the experience of most Thais. And the word was then and is now commonly used for men who don't work and who take their living from their wives, irrespective of their wife's occupation. There is a Thai word for someone who makes their living from controlling prostitutes. It is แม่เล้า or พ่อเล้า (female and male, respectively, of course).

[kriswillems]

And the word was then and is now commonly used for men who don't work and who take their living from their wives, irrespective of their wife's occupation.

I agree with that.

แมงดา is an insect of the family of water striders. The male insect is smaller than the female and can often be found on the back of the female which carries him around.

http://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%94%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%B2

So, that's the reason why a guy who doesn't work and lives from the support of his wife is called แมงดา.

[RickBradford]

In the UK, the police indictment of pimps was the crime of 'living off immoral earnings' which fits nicely with the แมงดา concept.

On forums, I have sometimes seen the word เมิง written, and it seems to be an offensive pronoun. Can anybody shed light on this? Is it misspelt มึง?

[Rikker]

Yes, เมิง is a slang (i.e. intentional) misspelling of มึง.