OK, please enlighten me about the word 'chick'

I think it's about time I ask. Could someone please explain to me the exact connotations of the word 'chick'. I want to know everything I need to know to integrate that word into my active vocabulary without frequently making a fool out of myself. Thanks. MSB

English slang for "girl" or "woman". Considered somewhat derogatory by the radical feminist crowd, but coming back into fashion now. It's only really acceptable used jocularly towards friends .. I wouldn't address a strange girl as "chick".

Sincerely Yours, Jordan

"Man is a god in ruins" (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

the

really

strange girl

Miss Manners says that 'chick' is the proper form of address when conversing with immature poultry of the 'fryer' set.

Jon Armstrong said:

Well, yes. But it can be used (jokingly) about girls too. Back in the 1960's, it used to be used more seriously about girls, but the feminists got annoyed at the usage.

Sincerely Yours, Jordan

"Man is a god in ruins" (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

On the mountaintop, [email] (Jordan S. Bassior) spake thusly:

It's sort of a term of respect among some of my friends. If you can get everybody in my social group to call you "chick" if you're a chick or "dude" if you are such, we all more or less like you. Then there's the "Grand High Chick" and "Tubularly Awesome Dude," but I won't get into that out of respect for The Kenosha Group. Secrecy is important, man, among criminales such as ourselves. (Yeah, we walk on the edge, we stay up and watch Daria on tape at 2 AM! TWO!!)

-Mindy

"Well bust my legs and call me shorty." -Daria Morgendorffer, "Daria"

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On Fri, 23 Jul 1999 22:33:30 GMT, some letters randomly coalesced from individual pixels, claiming to be from [email] (Matthias Benkmann), and it said:

In my case, it's the word I use when I'm being vocally lazy, perhaps because my brain isn't working properly at the moment, and I feel like a hyperactive hamster. I think of it as the female counterpart of the word, "Dude," though "chick" is never used as an all-purpose exclamitory as "dude" occasionaly is.

In other words, it's a colloquialism. You saying, "chick" makes as much sense as me saying, say, "Arse." Which is to say I do, but only when trying to sound like a cinematic Scott.

On Sat, 24 Jul 1999 18:44:33 GMT, [email] (Tarvok) wrote:

Then I guess you'll not be pleased to hear that while looking through some old stuff I wrote, I noticed that I actually _have_ used that word before. It was in a play I wrote in 1994. Now you're probably thinking: "How could this insolent German brat dare write a play in a language that's not his own using colloquialisms he doesn't understand."

Well, as a gesture of apology, I give you the opportunity to laugh at and make fun of my bad English writing skills and my total misuse of colloquialisms. No need to show any mercy. Just tear it to pieces. Don't expect me to make any changes, though. Once I've finished something, it's sacrosanct to me. MSB

BTW, please excuse the obscenities. These guys are the villains. The other persons in the play are much nicer and more polite. I want to add that, looking at it now, I do think this scene is very silly. I am more mature now. I guess at the time of writing I just thought it'd be cool to put together every piece of English slang I ever encountered and form it into a dialogue.

<snip scenes 1 and 2> scene 3

A small hut and a shack in the forest. Turner is sharpening his knife, Mick cuts meaningless figures into the trunk of a tree and Toadie is throwing stones at a bird's nest in a tree.

TURNER(laughing): And all them honourable fools,
                  Herdin' sheep, spinnin' wools,
                  Sewin', huntin', sellin', plantin'
                  They work, so hard, the whole damn day,
                  For only part of our pay,
                  We're gettin' for a simple lay.
MICK: Not so simple I s'ppose,
      there's danger in the bitch he chose.
TOADIE: But payin' well he is, aye, aye !
        A pouch o' gold straight 'way, up front,
        And thrice the sum, when we kill the cunt.
TURNER: Right, you are. The payment's good,
        almost too well for evil brood,
        as our kind.
(Abraxas comes flying)
MICK: Too much for the doers but not for the deed.
      'Tis hard to touch such noble breed,
      not speakin' even of to kill.
ABRAXAS: What hear I ? Makes my feathers chill.
(lands on a branch and listens)
MICK: I'd have refused, if you'd asked me.
TOADIE: Damn you, Mick, goddam shut up !
        Refuse ? When someone's comin' up,
        With more gold 'an you've ever seen ?
TURNER: Yeah, really, Mick, have you forgotten,
        The boots you wore, were half-down rotten,
        And trousers wi' so many holes in 'em,
        That even moths wouldn't give a damn.
        And what money, you thinkin', paid that knife,
        You're usin' to shorten that veg'table's life ?
        Now, guys, we better stop that quarrel,
        'Cause we got a job to do. I wanna hear suggestions, boys.
        How will we send her down to hell,
        This heavy-guarded princess gal ?
MICK: First of all I think we should,
      Find out as much as any could.
      I mean, we mixin' with the people,
      Askin', snoopin' what they know,
      About this noble so-and-so.
TURNER: Then let's be off.
TOADIE: When d' we meet again ?
TURNER: Tomorrow evenin' as soon as can.
MICK: The sooner the chick's under the earth,
      The sooner we can cash our worth.
(exeunt all three in different directions)

<snip scenes 4 to 16>

On Sun, 01 Aug 1999 00:58:58 GMT, some letters randomly coalesced from individual pixels, claiming to be from [email] (Matthias Benkmann), and it said:

Huh? Oh, I remember this thread. Perhaps I was wrong with the example I used. I was hopelessly fishing around for an example that would relate to what I was talking about. I came up with a rather inane example that produced no responses. I now have a better one. It's like Jake trying to use the word, "Dude." ;)