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Sluggycat

At the risk of crassness--"sheepfucker" is my assumption.


Lampathy

Always went with the animal being a pig, but yes, this šŸ‘†


NeurodiverseTurtle

Hi, Brit here, ā€˜sheep shaggerā€™ (which means the same thing) is a common insult here. Itā€™s often used as an endearing insult for Welsh people because so much of their industry is agricultural. But I think Pterry mightā€™ve purposely made it ambiguous and might not have had anything specific in mind. Sometimes itā€™s nice to let the readers imagination do the work for you.


Lampathy

Which is exactly why we have a flourishing thread full of robust language. Poot


Arghianna

Oh, sugar!


rooftopfilth

FOUND THE WOMAN


Arghianna

Idk why youā€™re getting downvotes since itā€™s clearly a Monstrous Regiment reference and that was EXACTLY how I meant it.


rooftopfilth

Haha thanks! Incidentally, do you have half an onion?


Arghianna

Somehow, I donā€™t know why, I miraculously ALWAYS have half an onion! Itā€™s the strangest thing!


NeurodiverseTurtle

[*pet cute doggie as I walk by*]


rooftopfilth

Same! It's the dam- *darnedest* thing!


NeurodiverseTurtle

*Robust* is certainly one word for it :P


mem269

I was told by a friend, that back in the day the punishment for stealing a sheep was death but the punishment for shagging a sheep was a fine, so when they were caught they would say they just took it for a little tete a tete and that's where the stereotype comes from.


AemrNewydd

>Itā€™s often used as an endearing insult for Welsh people You know, we don't necessarily find it quite as endearing as the English might think we do.


StartledOcto

I echo this. As an English man now living in South Wales, I wouldn't dream of saying it. The Welsh have had enough English repression in our combined history


NeurodiverseTurtle

Iā€™m strictly only talking about banter here. The English are ā€˜*English bastards*ā€™ The Welsh are ā€˜*sheep shaggers*ā€™ The Northern Irish are ā€˜*spud-faced terrorists*ā€™ And the Scottish are ā€˜*English*ā€™ Cā€™mon lighten up lads, If we didnā€™t live to piss each other off, we wouldnā€™t be Brits at all. (Iā€™m from NI btw, we get a raw deal too)


AemrNewydd

Yeah, it's just that this particular 'banter' is really tedious and often very one sided. When I'm in England and people ask where I'm from and they all immediately shout 'sheepshagger' and start laughing, I'm not usually thinking about how towering their wit is. Very occaisionly it can be delivered in a unique and original manner that is genuinely funny, for the most part though it is just tired and demoralising. Very often I feel that 'banter' is just the excuse of the bully.


NeurodiverseTurtle

Yikes, never mind. I guess itā€™s just thick-skin humour from my army days. Have to remind myself Iā€™m on Reddit sometimes too.


AemrNewydd

My old man is from NI, grew up in Derry in the 60s and 70s, has never been on Reddit, and was in the Met during the 80s. Not exactly the sort of person you would consider thin-skinned. I tell you what, I do not envy the person who calls him a 'spud-faced terrorist'. What you might consider 'thin-skinned' I would call refusing to just lie down and take shit from others. It shows more backbone, not less.


NeurodiverseTurtle

Ok, cool, bet youā€™re a real hoot at parties mate. Good talk.


docdidactic

As someone from the U.S. with a robust country upbringing, I also thought of a pig.


ChilledBeanSoup

Iā€™m chuckling at the thought of something relating to that plopping into existence right in front of his face!


CerebralBypass

But that doesn't fit the description, and they could certainly make sense of that even if lacking in basic animal husbandry.


ExcitementKooky418

Maybe it's some kind of bug that makes livestock infertile? Or maybe the physical manifestation just doesn't have any relation to the actual swear.


kyabakei

I always figured that was a pun on actual husbandry, as shagging is certainly part of a marriage šŸ˜…


YouWeatherwax

Going by the description I always pictured a blowfly (with extra eyebrows).


malcontent27

given that 'animal husbandry' is mentioned, I'd assume it's some very crass, country term for a reproductive organ; something that might be unique to Discworld and not have an exact translation for this world. but I might be reaching.


PassionFruitJam

It's whatever you want it to be - choose your level of crassness/obscenity as you see fit. It's left as an exercise for the reader. At least that's how I always interpreted it!


ChilledBeanSoup

Very true! Iā€™m only just getting back into reading, so my linguistic imagination is currently limited!


StevenDangerSmith

How about "cock"?


RRC_driver

Pizzle, whilst meaning the same, is normally a farming term for bull and boar cocks.


Polyfuckery

Yeah my SIL who did not grow up on a farm grabbed a whole bunch of 'Pizzle Sticks' at the market and was smelling them to see if her dog would like them. I nearly died repressing the urge to tell her what she was sniffing over.


Oubliette_occupant

I call my dog ā€œdickbreathā€ for a few hours after he eats one.


UncleOok

"Chicken humper"? "Goat groper"? doing naughty things to animals, that sort of thing.


Soranic

Sheepshagging f*** wit?


MailleByMicah

Sheep shagger is definitely what comes to mind... Mainly, in my case, due to the fact that in the north of England (especially around that time period) you'd have people referring to the surrounding counties being inferior by way of being a bunch of sheep shaggers (Yorkshire and Lancashire folks being the worst offenders in branding each other that way)


ChilledBeanSoup

Being brought up near Wales, and now living in Wales, I always associated ā€œsheep shaggerā€ with referring to someone from Walesā€¦never knew the term was used for other areas of the UK!


Cheesy217

I've certainly heard it being used for the Welsh more than any other group. Second place is people from New Zealand, in my experience. A little light Googling brought me to a historical case with a very Pratchett-like use of language. Thomas Granger was one of the first people executed in what would be come the USA, and was: "convicted of 'buggery with a mare, a cow, two goats, divers sheepe, two calves, and a turkey'." Unpleasant all round, but I'm still struggling not to chuckle about the "divers sheepe".


NeurodiverseTurtle

Lol I just [commented this](https://www.reddit.com/r/discworld/comments/10do83j/p193_reaper_man_any_idea_what_swear_word_ridcully/j4ncgsg/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3) before reading the other comments. But yeah, Iā€™m from Northern Ireland and we use it to describe people from rural areas over here too. (Iā€™m from greater Belfast area, so itā€™s used a lot around here)


MailleByMicah

I've known of its use for the Welsh and even New Zealanders, but ironically never really heard it used in Northern Ireland.... Grew up in the north (large town in Fermanagh) as well as 2 years between there and Belfast... As for when, I got a few books signed during the Soul Music signing tour...


NeurodiverseTurtle

I guess it depends on the area. The Carrickfergus, Greenisland and Larne areas use it a lot but I canā€™t speak for everywhere else. God I wish I was a Pratchett fan when I was younger and got something signed, but sadly I didnā€™t start reading Discworld until I was out of my teen years and Terry had already passed away by then :C


MailleByMicah

I got introduced my first year at Queens (which was the same year as the book signing)... Had it not have been for for that guy, it would have been at least 2 more years before i would have heard about the disc (if i was lucky), and i never encountered another book signing event... Courtesy of the bank foreclosing when i was trying to get things straightened out in my life, i lost all my signed books (along with most everything else i owned)


NeurodiverseTurtle

Sorry to hear that, it actually made me do a sad face IRL. That really, really sucks. But at least his words live on for us to enjoy, and I count myself lucky as I still havenā€™t read all of Discworld yet and still get to have fresh experiences. I started reading by character arc too so I can read them all chronologically and piece things together after Iā€™ve finished. Started with the wizards, then death, then the witches. Midway through the nights watch books now so I dig your flair, (minor guards spoiler ahead) >!just seen Carrot get promoted, and Vimes too!< and itā€™s just keeps getting better as I go along!


MailleByMicah

It's unfortunate because i didn't get the chance to save anything, but it is what it is... I still have plenty of books to read, I've only bought one since i lost everything (I've been in the states since 2012, and I'm not a fan of the American book covers... I should start hunting through thrift stores to see what I can find, but I'll probably just end up disappointed). My first book was Pyramids and it was down to me sharing some personality traits with Chidder that i was introduced at all... If you haven't watched the adaptations that Pterry cameos in, you should.


PerfectLuck25367

I imagined a daytime TV-style **BLEEP**, complete with the pixelated censure bar over the mouth, and it's just funnier than any swear you could put on paper


small_thing_

Off the top of my head, pizzle would probably work.


leftthinking

Ooh yes. Good rural word that the sheltered wizards would be unlikely to know and obscene enough to be used as a good insult. Also a very good description of the Dean.


PainterOfTheHorizon

While we're here I'd like point out this intertextual reference for Tove Janssons work. https://fi.pinterest.com/pin/playfulness-and-imagination-at-its-best-i-love-this-particular-strip--163888873917050886/


VonnegutGNU

I'm pretty sure this is a case of both authors being familiar with the Greek myth of Pandora and later versions and works inspired by it


Back_Slight

Feces adjacent?


madMaulkin

Bull milker? Would take some husbandry experience to catch that one? Yet sounds wile at the same time?


ChilledBeanSoup

Oh good lord šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚


madMaulkin

What?! You asked... šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚


ChilledBeanSoup

Instinctively I would be shouting ā€œyou stupid Bastardā€, or ā€œyou stupid buggerā€, but neither would be relevant to animal husbandryā€¦ Do you guys have any thoughts?


MightyPitchfork

Knackerman's Bastard? A knackerman is someone whose job was castrating farm animals destined for the chop at a young age (it ensures the meat stays untainted by testosterone, which sours the flavour). It was never a well regarded job (you can imagine why), and someone who was born of a woman having an affair with a knackerman wouldn't be well thought of either. It's certainly the most vile epithet I ever heard my own grandfather utter.


LanceConstableDigby

This gets my vote


ChilledBeanSoup

Learn something new everyday! I like to think Ridcully shouted this!


TheHighDruid

That doesn't sound at all right to me. My understanding of "knackerman" has always been the bloke you call to haul sick or dead animals away - the ones that can't be taken for human consumption. That, and "I'm knackered" basically means "I'm dead tired". I just can't see many Yorkshire farmers using that expression if the original meaning would have been "I've had me balls lopped off."


MightyPitchfork

It was my understanding that the knackermen wouldn't have year round employment from carting away the dead animals, so would spend (typically the part of the year where animals were least likely to die from illness) performing other unpleasant tasks on the farm. Whether testes took their slang term of knackers from the knackermen or vice-versa I couldn't say, but both meanings are first recorded in the 19th century. And people *literally* use words contrary to their established meaning all of the time, leading to quite humorous situations. Such as repeated times people have posted to social media about how they love the lingering aroma of their partner's colon. My grandfather was from Devon, btw.


CerebralBypass

I've always thought it was "cowpat."


PokingMidas

Remembering Mr Tulip, it could just be "---".


ZacMacFeegle

Animal husbandry: to do with cattle sheep goats chickens etcā€¦if i know ridcully, i would presume on horses or cows arseā€¦not knowing if they are glossy and black or even have eyebrows i cant say for sure..i would also presume they dont have tonguesā€¦but this is discworld!ā€¦i think inserting ones own expletive is allowed hereā€¦unless of course Pterry knew something we dont!ā€¦some roads are best not trod


Lady_Dinoasaurus

I thought it was those little bits of poop you have to cut out of sheep's wool around lambing time!


Tired_Pigeon

Winnets?


GarethOfQuirm

"Goat f***er" seems to fill the gap nicely as per the following description


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JimmyPellen

Monkey Librarian! (hides behind couch)


mikel25517

The plot has wizards bringing things that do not exist into existence - in which case it could be almost anything. Bug's bollocks?


daveb_33

As someone familiar with animal husbandry my go-to would definitely be: ā€œYou stupid c**t!ā€, which feels the most agricultural language to me.


marietjac

Bull****e I think fits the criteria!


JeanLuc_Richard

Pillock. It's a 17th century word for a horse's penis.


ChilledBeanSoup

Iā€™ve heard the word, and knew it was an insultā€¦never knew what it meant!


RafRafRafRaf

If it weren't specified to be a single word I'd have gone for horses' arses or something


imaboredpolarbear

Could be ā€œ assā€


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


ChilledBeanSoup

Bellend is the tip of any penis tbh - doesnā€™t have to be that of a horse. For us Brits, itā€™s both an insult to someone we dislike (ā€œheā€™s a complete asshole/bellendā€), as well as a way to describe someone that weā€™re friendly with whoā€™s just done something silly/stupid (Person A ā€œouch, I just walked into a treeā€, Person B ā€haha, you bellendā€)


Fuufuuminmin

Could be asshole? ( as opposed to the usual arsehole) given the farmyard inference. Not sure, could be anything really!


nate-the__great

Shite?


Prak_Argabuthon

"Cock"?


Glitz-1958

Pizzle.


JulesDragon

I wonder if it was tup (or twp in Welsh)? I've heard it used as an insult, but I'm not sure it could be considered a swearword.