" 

  

  

 == etymology == 

 The word bitch is from the Old Norse Bikkjuna meaning ""female of the dog"" of unknown origin, Grimm derives the Old Norse words from Lapp Pittja, But OED notes that ""the converse is equally possible."" 
 The adj. Bitchy was first seen in 1925.  
 The verb meaning to complain in 1930. 
 Slang Bitchen ""good"" is attested to the 1950's 

 == Removed from article: == 

 [ this is not true at all!  ""to bitch"" comes from an old french world, ""beech"" or somethign of the sort.. no, i have no sources and don't care to find them, but I'm sure if you cared enough to write this entry, you'll care enough to find and post the truth yourself ] 

 What is not true?  What did you remove from the article?  What is this? 

 == From Trivia == 

 In the section Trivia, the following appeared: 

 Bitch is also the name of a Roald Dahl short story, featured in Switch Bitch.  this is mostly refered to woman even though it is not defined as the human species. 

 I have removed the bolded section and moved it all here.  I assume this line means something like ""Dahl used this term literally only in reference to animals, but some critics believe he was making a statement about women.""  I have, however, not read the story, and don't know if this is true or not.  But even if it is true, is this even needed in the article?  I don't think that it is.   

  4 July 2005 06:11 (UTC) 

 == male usage == 

 This article formerly suggested that the term ""bitch"" was used as an insult for effeminate gay males. I have changed this simply to effeminate males, as the term is often used as an insult regardless of sexual orientation.  2:33, 19 December 2005 (UTC) 

 == this article == 

 wasnt this article about female dogs?  when did it become all about the slang of the word?  suggest making a new article, or atleast getting some more references for this one? ... 

 == Son of a bitch - euphemism? == 

 I can't remember where, but somewhere I read that the expression ""son of a bitch"" was originally a euphemism or minced oath. The original insult was to call a man a ""cur"", meaning what we would now call a ""mutt"": a mongrel dog. The word ""cur"" was highly offensive, whereas ""bitch"" was simply the neutral word for a female dog (compare ""mare"" or ""ewe"", neither of which is offensive). Since the mother of a cur is necessarily a bitch, to refer to the man as ""son of a bitch"" was to imply that he was a cur, without actually using the word ""cur"". 

 I noticed that the link to ""son of a bitch"" is redirecting the user to ""Bitch"", thus forming a circular reference. Can we fix that?  

 == What about Bitchin.  Or is it Bitchen? == 

 Didn't see that on the page. 

 Reference to something that is awesome or terrific.  ""That's Bitchin!"" 

 == Typo? == 

 ""The term can also connote ownership of a woman, such as in the phrase ""my bitch"", therefore reinforcing cultural norms of the word as negative, especially towards the feminine. This is similar to previous feminist attempts to identify it as an epithet for a strong, self-reliant woman."" 

 I think ""similar"" is supposed to be ""opposite""....? 

 == —such as resemblance to a dog... == 

 —such as resemblance to a dog? A bit awkward, bitch is never used to denigrate appearance but a multitude of other traits. Suggest the temperament of a dog (dogs being regarded as erratic or territorial) 

 ""Bitch"" is used of a person - typically, but not necessarily, female - to describe their character. I don't believe that the usage implies any physical resemblance to a dog at all. I strongly recommend the deletion of that odd and unsourced reference.   

 == Severity of word ""diminished?"" == 

 I'd like to challenge an idea that not only seems to be implied throughout this entire article, but is actually explicitly stated in at least two places: the idea that the severity of invective in bitch and its derivatives has somehow decreased.  

 The first statement is in the ""hip-hop culture"" section, and the second in the ""son of a bitch"" section:  

 Since the original term [bitch] is no longer a