The Oxman cometh
Perhaps the most common swear word in the Czech language sounds a bit strange to say the least to the uninitiated. The Czech word for ox or bullock is vůl, and spend any time in the company of young Czech men and probably very soon, and very frequently, you’ll hear the word in the vocative: ty vole, you ox.
Calling somebody an ox may seem rather tame to those of us used to full-blooded Anglo-Saxon swearing, but its meaning does depend on the context. Among friends ty vole is basically meaningless, a mere sign of informality and camaraderie. But if a stranger addresses you as vole you should perhaps be on your guard.
As I say, ty vole is used mostly by young men, though not exclusively. Older men, particularly the less educated, also use it quite frequently, as do some women. It must be said, though, that in general Czech ladies really don’t use many nadávky or swear words, relatively speaking. They certainly use them less than the females where I come from. One day I heard a mother shout ty vole at her baby in his pushcart and was slightly shocked, though, I must admit, also slightly amused.
Lukáš, a friend of a friend, employs the term about as often as it is humanly possible to use it, with one unusual twist: the habit is so ingrained and evidently unconscious that he can’t stop himself from saying ty vole when he speaks otherwise impeccable English. For this reason, he has been nicknamed Voleman.
It is extremely odd hearing him speak English while knowing the provenance of his unusual verbal tick. But heaven knows what everybody else thinks when he says, nice to meet you, vole, or whatever. He might as well bark at the end of every sentence.
A few years ago Voleman went to the US to work and was saying before he left he hoped his English would be so good that Americans wouldn’t cotton on to the fact he wasn’t a native speaker. My mate said, Lukáš, I’ll give you one piece of advice: if you really want them to not notice you’re a foreigner, you’ll have to stop saying vole all the time, ty vole!
