Bjørn Sundquist in the role as “grinebiter” in “Jernanger” (The Storm in My Heart) by Pål Jackman.

Earlier, ThorNews has published the article “40 Synonyms for Woman” to show that the Norwegian language is richer and more nuanced than even most Norwegians are aware of. The Scandinavian countries are in front when it comes to gender equality, so it is also natural to present a selection of 40 synonyms for the word “mann” (English: man).

Here is a selection of 40 words and what qualities they are associated with. The synonyms are also translated directly into English, where possible.

Bamse: ”Bear”; solid, stable, protective, kind

Barsking: ”Butch”; tough, attractive, big

Bestefar: Grandpa

Drittsekk: ”Shit bag”; bastard, not trustworthy, betrayer

Dumrian: Silly, simple

Fatter: Dad, old man

Feiging: Coward

Flørt: Flirt, player

Frier:  Trying to get a woman’s attention and get her to bed / marry her

Fyr: Bloke

Gamling: Old man

Grabukk: Horny bastard

Grinebiter: Grumpy, grouch, negative

Gris: Pig

Gubbe: Old man, stubborn, dogged

Gutt: Boy

Hannrei: Bachelor, young, outgoing, flirty

Horebukk: “Whore buck”; goes to bed with everybody, all the time

Jålebukk: Dandy, concerned about own appearance

Kakse: Rich snob, posh, arrogant

Kall: Old man, traditional, from rural Norway

Kar: Man, nice, traditional

Kavaler: Partner

Kjekkas: Good-looking, younger

Konge: “King”; authoritarian, in control

Kylling: “Chicken”; week, coward

Mann: Man, male

Mannfolk: Manfolk

Mannebein: ”Man’s leg”; attractive, collectible

Mygg: ”Mosquito”; skinny, weak, coward

Møkkamann: Shit bag, bastard, not trustworthy

Mørkemann: ”Man of Darkness”; religious, manipulative, dangerous

Nisse: ”Gnome”; idiot, simple

Ridder: Knight

Rundbrenner: Male whore

Slendrian: Sloppy, lazy

Småtass: Little fellow, also little kid

Stut: ”Bull”; stupid, arrogant, violent

Tøffing: Butch, risk-taker

Viking: Tuff, steady, masculine, explorer

Text by: Thor Lanesskog and Anette Broteng Christiansen, ThorNews

Categories: Culture, Language