User:John Reid

This article is about the word "bitch." For the 1997 song by Meredith Brooks, see Bitch (song). For the Magazine see Bitch (magazine)

A bitch is a female dog or other member of the canidae family. In colloquial use, the word bitch is often employed in a metaphorical sense to either insult a woman, or to describe a woman who is malicious, spiteful, domineering, intrusive, and/or unpleasant. It may also be used to refer to an effeminate male. The former specialised meaning is retained and in widespread use among dog aficionados and breeders, but derogatory usage has become so prevalent in the last century that the term has acquired a profane connotation and is often considered unacceptable by broadcasting regulations and Standards & Practices tentions — are also used, although they are widely considered less offensive than the noun. The verb "to bitch" also has a slang definition: to humiliate or subjugate another, as in "Ali totally bitched Foreman during the Rumble in the Jungle". Neither the adjective or the verb are normally used in formal language.

Women reclaiming "bitch"

Under the impulse of second-wave feminism, some women began to reclaim the word bitch, subverting its original, derisive meaning by instead using "bitch" to celebrate the qualities of strong, capable women. The 1968 BITCH Manifesto by Joreen is a perfect example of reclamation; in the words of Joreen, "Bitch is Beautiful."

This trend continued through the 1990s. A good example is the 1997 one-hit wonder "Bitch" by Meredith Brooks, in which Brooks celebrates being a "bitch" as one of many aspects of herself:

I'm a bitch, I'm a lover

I'm a child, I'm a mother

I'm a sinner, I'm a saint

I do not feel ashamed

Integral recognition of the female character, with its inherent ambiguities, is expressed not only using the traditional caring roles of lover and mother - considered by many to be assigned to women in a patriarchal division of labour - as well as their idealized extreme in sainthood; but also in their counterparts, whose nature has been often denied.

Some feminist theories state that women are often defined in terms of their relationships with others, with men being allowed more independent identities. Such theories suggest that social mores reflect this in the abnormal or inordinate character of women who do not marry, since their primordial role was to provide comfort and satisfaction to the "master of the house". By beginning the chorus with "I'm a bitch" and ending it with "I do not feel ashamed", Brooks refuses to feel ashamed of her selfishness, vulnerability and independence, insisting that they can and do coexist with more stereotypically feminine qualities.

Men too have reappropriated the word "bitch" as a colloquial term of endearment (e.g., "good night, bitch"), although such usage nonetheless remains edgy in most circumstances, and would usually be appropriate only when jokingly addressed to a close friend or familiar person who could be expected to correctly interpret the jocular intention underlying this usage.

"Bitch" and sexual availability

The early — and largely still extant — usage of bitch as a sexually available person has been extended to imply subservience towards the user. In the context of prison sexuality, a bitch is a lower-hierarchy prisoner, typically physically weak or vulnerable, who is dominated by more senior prisoners and forced to adopt a servile role. According to convention, these inmates are used as sexual slaves or traded as personal property. To call a male a "bitch" usually suggests that he is sexually passive in this manner, whether or not he is gay. As a result, calling a man a "bitch" can now imply a general passivity or timidity that, while not necessarily sexual, is still very much an insult.

My Bitch

The phrase "my bitch" is used when the woman or homosexual is claimed to be available sexually to a particular person, rather than to anyone. This implies that the subject is tied to a relationship which is controlled by another, dominant, party. This can also be used in a non-sexual way; the phrase "You're my bitch!" implies that one is a servant or slave. Also, if a homosexual inmate wants another to have anal sex with him, he will say, "You're my bitch!". A dominant woman can also refer to a male (or female) as her "bitch". There is also a song by the late Notorious B.I.G. entitled "Me and My Bitch."

However, it should be noted that the phrase "my bitch" can also be used jocular and/or endearing (i.e. the aforementioned rap song), depending on context and intonation.

Bitch Slap

The term "bitch slap" is derived from African American Vernacular English (AAVE) slang. In the original sense, a "bitch slap" is a powerful, full-swing slap in the face with the back of the hand, evoking the way an angry pimp might slap a defiant prostitute. However, the term is now frequently used figuratively to describe a humiliating defeat or punishment. For example, if an American football team loses 42-0, one could say that they were "bitch slapped".

Variants

The adjectives bitchy and bitchin' and the verb to bitch evolved from the noun bitch. All of these derivative forms tend to be less offensive than the noun form, especially where their meaning departs entirely from the insulting meaning of "bitch."

From this usage of bitch as "complain", the colloquial noun bitch-fest evolved, to describe people complaining about something together. Used in its verb form, to bitch is considered significantly less offensive than the noun bitch. It is not uncommon for people to say that they are "bitching" about something, whereas it is less common for someone to call herself a "bitch." Although "to bitch" may maintain some of its feminine specificity, men are also commonly said to be "bitching" when they are complaining extensivly about something (thus implying they are acting feminine).

The use of the term "bitching" has been extended in a non-vile usage to the common sewing or crafting get together known as a "stitch-n-bitch". At these gathering women (and ocassionaly men) gather to work on projects and talk or complain.

The adjective bitchy has a wider range of meanings, but it also tends to be weaker than the noun bitch. Someone who is bitchy may merely be temperamental or moody. Bitchy is usually used to describe women; it can be somewhat feminizing when used for men. Alternately, when applied to articles of clothing, it suggests that they are worn to advertise sexual availability.

Bitchin' was a valley girl term used in the 1980s synonymous with the word "cool".

Biatch is a pronunciation of bitch, which became popular among young whites through its frequent use in rap music and by black comedians. Beeotch, Beyotch, Beyatch are other ways of spelling the Biatch pronunciation of "bitch."

To "Bitch" in Poker

Common situations in poker where another player has "drawn out," or managed to defy probablity and defeat them with a previously weaker hand, is occasionally referred to as "getting bitched."

To have the "bitch end" of a hand in poker is to have the weaker version of the same hand as another player. This situation occurs especially in poker games with community cards. For example, if in Texas hold'em the community cards are 4♠ 6♣ 7♥ Q♦ A♥, a player with hole cards 3♣ 5♠ would have the bitch end of a straight, losing to a player with 5♥ 8♣.

The "Bitch" in Hearts

In the game of hearts, the queen of spades (worth thirteen points alone) is referred to as "the bitch."

The Middle Seat of a Pickup Truck or Coupe

The word bitch as in the phrase "riding bitch" can refer to the middle of a pickup truck or sports coupe in which one is sandwiched between the driver and another passenger—an uncomfortable position when space in the car is scarce, especially so in rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive vehicles, where the drive tunnel interrupts even the scant legroom this position normally has available. In this context, the driver of the vehicle is the dominant, or "in charge." The "bitch" in this scenario is the one closest to the driver.

The origins of the phrase "riding bitch" could be interpreted as chauvinistic or sexist. Traditionally, throughout the world, men have been the drivers and women have sat next to them, with the child or passenger in the seat furthest from the driver.

The phrase "riding bitch" was coined in order to connotate a sense of superiority on behalf of the driver while denigrating the passenger closest to him. In the United States, it is widely used as a joke amongst close friends in scenes ranging from athletics, to the military, to working-class men of various backgrounds as well as rural "redneck" culture and urban "thug" culture.

As well, there is the "bitch's bitch", which is the trunk of a sports coupe. The connotations of this refer to the idea that if there is extremely limited seating, somebody can curl up and ride in the trunk of the car, but that doing so puts them extremely low on the hierarchy--so low that they are the "bitch" even to the person who is everybody else's "bitch", that being the person who is "riding bitch".

"Riding bitch" also refers to riding on the small seat behind the driver of a motorcycle.