My friend from Cypress is trying to understand our American Culture, and has asked me why the term "suck" has such a negative conotation. I didn't have an answer for him. Anybody here who can explain this?

TIA

 

I guess because any word that resembles a sex activity to a fat old lady is bad.

 

cuz it sux to suck, look at a vacuum

 

"Yeah Moe, that team sure did suck. They just plained sucked! I've seen teams that sucked but they were the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked." - Homer Simpson

Haha, sorry this came to mind when thinking about the word 'suck'.

 

wait till he asks you why we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway.....?...

 

I always thought it was suck as in "suck cock". So "you suck" means you suck cock.

So, you are in a subservient position. Or woman. Or gay. All "bad" things.

Although I would think that most straight guys would agree that a woman who "sucks" is a good thing.

Of course, when I complain about my crappy vaccuum cleaner, I say "this thing doesn't suck!". One may complain about a prudish girlfriend in the same way.

American english is full of "bad" or negative words that are sex related. "you just got f--cked" meaning you got ripped off. Usually I would think getting f--cked is a good thing, but there you go.

"Blow me" when you are telling someone to piss off. Why are we making this sound bad? Don't we want to encouage blowing? I wish I could say "blow me" and have it sound like an affectionate, fun request.

Ah, language. Such a mystery.

-geekd

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by geekd

So, you are in a subservient position.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by tokyo_james

 

It is called an idiom. It makes no sense translated literally. Just about every language has them. There is no rational explanation that lets you "figure" it out. I can think of only one case where something or someone sucking on me is a good thing, but pretty much every other case of things sucking on people are bad, i.e. leeches, mosquitoes, vampires, etc.

The term "blow job" is another idiom, and it doesn't adequately describe the act, so I don't think it is the basis for the negative uses of the word blow. When you vomit, it is called "blowing chunks," and I can clearly recall usage similar to "That team blows chunks, they are so bad." Most people consider vomiting a bad thing, and suggesting a team is vomiting is basically saying they are sick, and losing badly as a result. One could shorten the phrase to, "That team blows." Some people might hear you say this, and they go home and start using the word "blows" as a negative verb, without even understanding what they are saying.

Take "raining cats and dogs." Means nothing literal, really, and there likely is no rational explanation for it, but every American knows what you mean.

 

This all began with a discussion about how the only thing Microsoft could make that wouldn't suck would be a vacuum cleaner. Then he began to wonder about the origin of "suck". Seemed like a pleasurable thing in his Mediteranean mind- how did it get to be so negative?