If "pussies" is a bit too much for you I guess you could go halfway with "pansies". No reason was given, and besides I like this answer :-). I've picked out some words that I am hopeful are authentic for that time period (but I can't swear to it): milksop "effeminate spiritless man," late 14c. lacking force or effectiveness. A daily challenge for crossword fanatics. Although it is not a direct synonym, the work pathetic would work quite well in that instance. @llanysong: Actually "precious" works really well here - a native speaker will understand perfectly from the context. I need something more mainstream. "the flaccid leadership campaign was causing concern", synonyms: lackluster, lifeless, listless, uninspiring, unanimated, tame, dull, vapid. Accessed 22 Jul. The code for attribution links is required. I don't think too many people would know what "nesh" is. Delivered to your inbox! By the way, "I call bull" is the sort of phrase that tends not to go over big on StackEchange. Perhaps verging towards being "girly" and cowardly then the noun sissy could well work. Learn a new word every day. Or, use the German "kultiviert." This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. In the US, how do we make tax withholding less if we lost our job for a few months? I'm not sure. Not my downvote - but "tender" tends(!) The abbreviation for sister, sis (n), was first recorded in the 1650s. Now his speech fits with how he's telling the other person to be. It implies a deep level of disdain, which it looks like you are trying to convey in your sentence. Literally, soft egg.). The Interleaving Effect: How widely is this used? To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. Are you looking for an insult, as in 'mealy-mouthed' (see Josh61) or do you want a neutral (or even complimentary) term? https://www.freethesaurus.com/Soft-hearted. Given your context, wimpy or wimpish would be anachronistic, but theyd work in post-1965ish dialogues. I don't know - it doesn't imply excessive softness, tenderness, etc. Perhaps this is too gendered. Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz! All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. All rights reserved. It has been deemed fit to deserve its own Wikipedia page. having or marked by sympathy and consideration for others, Post more words for softhearted to Facebook, Share more words for softhearted on Twitter, 'Dunderhead' and Other Nicer Ways to Say Stupid, 'Pride': The Word That Went From Vice to Strength. technically yes, but in this context ? Lord, transform us from being hard-headed to becoming more, As when I was first handed the wrinkly, pink, screaming thing that was my daughter, I understood what it was I loved about the, The Magic Sign are betting to a feather-plucking 126 per cent too, the, Sheppard is settling into the Centre's high-vaulting acoustic, playing tricks on the ears with his diamond soprano, or nuzzling his reed up to the lobes when on, Lam reportedly admitted that she occasionally treated sick cats and dogs before taking them to the animal society, adding she was '', As choreographer, New York City Ballet Artistic Director Peter Martins shifts between austerity bordering on coldness, as in much of his full-length Swan Lake, and a, Malacanang does not feel alluded to by Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle's tirades against 'cocky and violent kings,' insisting President Duterte is 'very humble' and ', Award-winning actor Mark Rylance is magic his role as Roald Dahl's. foot \pu-s-fut\ @aparente001 - The example he gave, which was exactly as "soft" as the shopkeeper was supposedly telling the other person not to be. There were crass people in every period of history. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced searchad free! What are the purpose of the extra diodes in this peak detector circuit (LM1815)? they just talk that way to make you turn milky. A shopkeeper who'd say "French people are so euphemistic". Show that involves a character cloning his colleagues and making them into videogame characters? ; literal sense "piece of bread soaked in milk" attested late 15c. Let the crude-ass shopkeeper be a crude-ass shopkeeper and call the person a pussy. mv fails with "No space left on device" when the destination has 31 GB of space remaining. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/effete, Weak and compliant: How about "effete"? An answer without any supporting explanation or references is simply an opinion; I encourage you to edit your post to explain. How to help player quickly make a decision when they have no way of knowing which option is best. to have a positive, or at least neutral, connotation (but the question asks for a negative one). Is there a difference between truing a bike wheel and balancing it? Dictionary.com: mince [mins] verb Thanks @PapaPoule as you have found such a good definition for, Thanks, you're too kind, but I wasn't even sure of its meaning until looking it up after seeing it in your nice answer! Single word request for new romantic interest. 6. Which of the following Q-without-U words means the number five in cards or dice. Archaic. I think that sqeamish is also a good possibility. ', Reference: Is there any synonym for "abyss" with a non-negative connotation? What purpose are these openings on the roof? Now whether or not there's a German word for squeamish might create a problem, but if you're writing in English, you'll get your point across appropriately. I also looked at the all-English thesaurus for synonyms for wimp. If it were a loutish American shopkeeper, he might say: "Oh, you French people are such pussies, just say that you're looking for something to kill the mouse with. Search soft person and thousands of other words in English definition and synonym dictionary from Reverso. Site design / logo 2022 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. Ah apologies; you were in fact first to answer; I just got confused! ", Definition of mushy in English: 'All Intensive Purposes' or 'All Intents and Purposes'? I can't say offhand whether it fits the period setting, though. mealy-mouthed excuses. to avoid making a definite decision or stating a definite opinion because of fear, doubt, etc. Is it against the law to sell Bitcoin at a flea market? 3. to perform or utter with affected elegance. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/genteel. If I said "you French are so precious" - that could sound positive. animal lover ordered to lower number of pets to 13, Filter tips: more ways to smoke the tobacco companies, 'Violent, cocky kings? 2022 Reverso-Softissimo. ", Not sure if these are what you are looking for but "Limp", and "Shush" are what popped into my mind after first reading? namby-pamby "weakly sentimental, insipidly pretty," 1745. cream puff In figurative sense of "weakling, sissy," it is recorded from 1935. sissy Meaning "effeminate man" is recorded from 1887; the adjective in this sense is from 1891. It sounds snooty and refined, but that's not what it means at all. Thanks for your suggestion. 5. to walk or move with short, affectedly dainty steps. @JimboJonny - What gave you the impression the OP is looking for a soft way to give the message? Why are you looking for a "soft" way for a person to tell people to not talk in "soft" ways? Copy the code below and paste it where you want the visualization of this word to be shown on your page: Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary, the webmaster's page for free fun content, AT HOME WITH THE WALTONS: Healing art of the Scientists, Reflection with compulsive quality; Andy Sheppard & John Parricelli Cleveland Watkiss & Tunde Jegede CBSO Centre, H.K. Is there a PRNG that visits every number exactly once, in a non-trivial bitspace, without repetition, without large memory usage, before it cycles? @ewormuth You should add "timid" as an proper answer, A synonym for "soft" with a negative connotation, http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/genteel, oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/genteel, http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/mushy. Was there a Russian safe haven city for politicians and scientists? From 1887 it became a derogatory expression, and as an adjective, sissy first appeared in print in 1891. It can a negative connotation if it sounds like mockery. rev2022.7.21.42639. @JimboJonny - I agree, the guy should express himself rather crassly -- but I really don't see that the OP was looking with intention for soft expression. Synonym for rare occurrence but with negative connotation, Synonym for "worse" with no negative connotation, A synonym for "total" with a negative connotation, A synonym for "simple" with positive connotation. genteel is also what I would have used but I prefer the [US oxford][1] definition - Polite, refined, or respectable, often in an affected or ostentatious way [1]: Hi Jimbo.. Essentially, this would work, but I don't think that this was how people talked in the 1940s. 
Oh, you French people are sissies, just say that you're looking for something to kill the mouse with. thesubstitutionofamild,indirect,orvagueexpressionforonethoughttobeoffensive,harsh,orblunt. It's not an exact synonym for soft, but it strongly suggests weakness and irresoluteness. OP is looking for a pejorative term that would say the French are, basically, too timid to discuss killing a mouse. Softhearted. Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/softhearted. I think squeamish is the adjective you're looking for, as in: "Oh, you French people are so squeamish, just say that you're looking for something to kill the mouse with.". What I like about cream puff is that it goes with French cuisine. Is there a synonym for 'fake' that has good connotations? If the speaker wants to imply that the listener is overly docile and caring. I agree with @Anonym - in contemporary English, "you people are so soft" absolutely reads as negative or insulting. Announcing the Stacks Editor Beta release! Make your characters individuals. Squeamish seems to be the best word, at least to my ear. I'm not sure this fits what the OP was looking for. creamy, cushioned, cushiony, doughy, elastic, gelatinous, pulpy, quaggy, spongy, squashy, swampy, yielding, elastic, flexible, impressible, malleable, mouldable, plastic, pliable, supple, tensile, downy, feathery, fleecy, flowing, fluid, furry, like a baby's bottom, balmy, bland, caressing, delicate, diffuse, dim, dimmed, dulcet, faint, gentle, light, low, mellifluous, mellow, melodious, mild, murmured, muted, pale, pastel, pleasing, quiet, restful, shaded, soft-toned, soothing, subdued, sweet, temperate, twilight, understated, whispered, compassionate, gentle, kind, pitying, sensitive, sentimental, sympathetic, tender, tenderhearted, touchy-feely, boneless, easy-going, indulgent, lax, lenient, liberal, overindulgent, permissive, spineless, weak, effeminate, flabby, flaccid, limp, namby-pamby, out of condition, out of training, overindulged, pampered, podgy, weak, feeble-minded, foolish, silly, simple, soft in the head, firm, hard, inflexible, rigid, solid, stiff, tough, unyielding, bright, garish, gaudy, glaring, hard, harsh, loud, noisy, strident, unpleasant, austere, harsh, no-nonsense, stern, strict, English Collins Dictionary - English synonyms & Thesaurus, Collaborative Dictionary English Thesaurus, well-known, intelligent and highly respected, You want to reject this entry: please give us your comments (bad translation/definition, duplicate entries), English Portuguese translation in context, Free: Learn English, French and other languages, Reverso Documents: translate your documents online, Learn English watching your favourite videos. Why is the US residential model untouchable and unquestionable? How can I use parentheses when there are math parentheses inside? The Germans occupied France between 1940 and 1944, so it's important to use a derogatory term that would have been widely known and understood in that period. @Ilanysong - I call bull. Probably not quite negative enough, but you [] people are so vague, just say [what you mean and mean what you say] that you're looking for something to kill the mouse with" could work. Vague/adjective/#5: (of persons) not clear or definite in thought, understanding, or expression: (Dictionary[dot]com). 'Unfortunately, it seems as if he has a compulsion to negate those brilliant pieces by introducing ill advised mushy sentimentality. Etymonline will give you dates on these terms. 2022. Afraid to speak frankly or straightforwardly: Considering he's specifically telling the woman not to talk "soft", make him not a soft talker either. (anyway, I've already given one 'great' answer and I certainly wouldn't want to attract all the positive attention it's getting away from it by adding another one!). "Genteel: Characterized by exaggerated or affected politeness, refinement, or respectability". Bikini, bourbon, and badminton were places first. The fact that the German shopkeeper is saying this to a young French woman would make it, in my view, slightly less insulting than if the receiver were a male adult. The distance between two continuous functions is a continuous function. adjective (mushier, mushiest), 2 informal Excessively sentimental: Agree that "nesh" is a bit, well. 'a mushy film' However, it does also have a use in terms of being timid or generally weak. What I don't like about it is that it doesn't seem to fit with the coarseness you're after. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/mushy. My spouse, who is German, offered Weichei (soft-boiled egg). +1 for mealy-mouthed; you weren't first to mention it but you gave a definition and citation. What's the idiomatic word for something that keeps you sane/grounded? Duterte is humble, soft-hearted', ON DEMAND; TALES TO INSPIRE AND ENTERTAIN THE WHOLE FAMILY, Soft-Decision Differential Phase Detector, Soft-Decision Directed Least Mean Squares, Soft-Decision Directed Reduced-Complexity Kalman Filter, Soft-Decision Directed Reduced-Complexity Kalman Smoother, Soft-Decision Parallel Interference Cancellation, Soft-Decision-Directed Iterative Phase Estimation, Soft-Detection Iterative Block Decision-Feedback Equalizer, Soft-Input Soft-Output Discrete Universal Denoiser, Soft-Input/Soft-Output Delayed Decision-Feedback Sequence Estimator, Soft-Input/Soft-Output Parallel Decision-Feedback Decoder. I like this one. Maybe I missed something. The shopkeeper may be telling the person to not talk "softly", but he's sure not fitting the part himself. "Oh, you French people are so soft, just say that you're looking for something to kill the mouse with. Fit the character's speech to his persona. I also checked some dictionaries and it seems milksop is indeed too gendered, but sissy is okay. Reversed the drive-by downvote. You can complete the list of synonyms of soft person given by the English Thesaurus dictionary with other English dictionaries: Wikipedia, Lexilogos, Oxford, Cambridge, Chambers Harrap, Wordreference, Collins Lexibase dictionaries, Merriam Webster English-Synonyms dictionary : translate English words into Synonyms with online dictionaries. What a boring read it would be to have a book where each character's speech patterns match the exact same preconceived notion of how people talked in a particular period. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site, Learn more about Stack Overflow the company. Its main current meaning is "sensitive to cold", i.e. Though I agree that the dictionary definition works, "Precious" on its own would have too many other connotations and would confuse my readers. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. theexpressionsosubstituted:Topassawayisaeuphemismfortodie.. not sufficiently hardy to cope with the English weather. "Oh, you French people are such pussies, just say that you're looking for something to kill the mouse with.". 'Soft' seems perfect here, but let me mention the relatively obscure/ dialect word 'nesh'. It sounds about right for a Nazi talking to the enemy, and non-German speakers would probably guess "cultivated" as a translation. What happens if I accidentally ground the output of an LDO regulator? How to use a word that (literally) drives some pe Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference. 2. to soften, moderate, or weaken (one's words), especially for the sake of decorum or courtesy. How would electric weapons used by mermaids function, if feasible? Or, the German could use the French equivalent "gentil", which a non-French-speaking reader would probably understand. Probably more suited when addressing a male though, since one of the connotations is effeminacy. I usually think of "squeamish" in the context of my wife whenever she sees an insect :). Finally minced as in mince words (mincing?). (Note, if you don't speak German, it might look a little less weird if we pretend there's a hyphen: Weich-ei. Can a timeseries with a clear trend be considered stationary? :). to act or speak with affected elegance. The idea is that "you guys need to be tougher". -- Edit -- Added what I found at the site recommended by Mari-Lou. (ODO). It depends on intonation. Originally "genteel" was used in a good sense, but in the 20th century it became ironic or deprecating.
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