영계
[yeong-gyae]
a chick; a bird; a (yummy) hunny
Meaning & context
글자 그대로는, 어린 닭. 이 표현은 자신보다 훨씬 어린 이성을 얘기할 때 쓰인다. 상세하 게는, 이것은 남자보다는 여자에게 많이 사용되며, 일컬어지는 대상은 예쁘고, 신선하고 성적대상이 될 수 있어야 한다. 더러운 늙은 남자들은 길거리에서 젊고 예쁜 여자들에 관 해 이야기하고, 아줌마들은 젊은 청년들을 향해 구구 울며...
Literally “a spring chicken,” this expression is used to talk about someone much younger than oneself. In particular, it is used for young girls more than guys, and the person should be pretty, fresh and of sexual age. Dirty old men talking about some young pretty girl on the street, ajummas cooing over some young stud, etc. Synonym: 로린이[lo-lin-i] a lolita (combination of eorini (child) and lolita).
From As Much as a Rat’s Tail · book pages 174–175. Original published text; historical references and usage are retained.
STORY TIME
See it in conversation
Korean
치킨 아니면 소고기
English
Chicken or beef
Attendant 치킨으로 드릴까요? 아님 소고기?
Chicken or beef.
영계? 자기, 이름이 뭐야?
Spring chicken? What’s your name, honey?
배트맨, 여자좀 놔둬라... 캣우먼은 어때?
Batman, leave her alone. . . what about Catwoman?
아, 걔는 이제 더이상 영계가 아니잖아?
Ah, she’s no yeonggyae anymore.
그럼 넌 늙은 수탉... 열라 늙은!
And you are an old cock . . . dreadfully old!
그래도 이 여자 조낸 예뻐. 알았다, 알았어, 소고기로 줘요.
But she’s awfully cute. All right, all right, I’ll have the beef.
Attendant 죄송합니다, 고기는 다 나갔어요.
Sorry, we’re out of beef.
From the book: notes & culture
The Very ‘Very’ Box
Seriously... So Mega-Much
There must be hundreds (read - a shit ton) of ways to say “very” in Korean. . . Here are just a few.
•겁나게 [gop-na-gae] enough to inspire fear.
•대따 [dae-dda] changed from daedanhi [대단히] meaning very, very much. Also: 대땅 [dae-ddang] or 대빵 [dae-bbang].
•디따 [di-dda] a lot (or a whole helluva lot)
•레알 [rae-al] real or really (from the English for totally).
•매우 [mae-woo] greatly, exceedingly, remarkably.
•무지무지 [mu-ji-mu-ji] an intensifier meaning “very, very.” From 무지하게 [mu-ji-ha-gae]
•아주 [a-joo] very much (simply stated).
•엄청 [um-chung] exorbitant, preposterous, extraordinary.
•엄청나게 [um-chung-na-gae] exorbitantly.
•열나게 [yeol-na-gae] feverishly, vehemently, agitatedly. Also: 열라 [yeol-la] or 열라리 [yeol-la-li]
•왕창 [wang-chang] from wang [왕] or king, as in “as much as a king’s share.”
•좆나 [jot-na] literally the penis, jot [좆] and naoda [나오다], to come out. In other words, “enough to make me hard.” Also: 좆나게 [jon-na-gae] 존나 [jon-na] 조낸 [jo-naen] or 졸라 [jol-la]
•좆빠지게 [jot-bba-ji-gae] from jot (좆) for the penis and bbajida (빠지다) to loose or fall off. In other words, “enough to make my dick fall off.”
•지대 [ji-dae] vast, enormous. From 제대로 [jae-dae-ro] meaning totally or completely.
•허벌나게 [hu-beol-na-gae] literally “dreadfully” (in Jeolla dialect), meaning eagerly as in when you eat spicy food, you have to eat faster and faster.
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