Left Handed Language


Left-handers have been linguistically abused for centuries! There are hundreds of (mainly abusive) terms for left-handers.

There are a lot of sayings where "right" is good and "left" is bad e.g., "being in your right mind", "the divine right of kings", it will be all right in the end" as against being "left out", having "two left-feet", "a left-handed compliment" (one that is not really meant!).

Even the word for "left-handed" in many languages is very negative:

Language Word for Left Handed Meaning
Greek Skaios Ill-omened, awkward
Italian Mancino Crooked, maimed
Spanish Zurdo Reverse - No Ser Zurdo = Clever
French Gauche Awkward, clumsy
Dutch Linkshandig To "have two left hands" means to be clumsy.
German Links, Linkisch Awkward
Norwegian Kjevhendt Crooked-handed (also advised to us as keivhent, left-hander)
Swedish Vänsterhänt  
Australia Mollie Dooker Something to do with having fists like a girl
Portuguese Canhoto  
Latin Sinister

Dexter
On the left-hand side

On the right hand side (dextrous)

If you have any more words to add to this list or can help further with origins / meanings / alternatives, please add a comment below and we will pick it up.


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Visitor comments on this page

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mother of a left handed boy - By Ellie
28th March 2008 - 1:17pm

My first born is left handed and he is the sweetest, most senative little boy I know. Also, sports and learning almost anything comes easy to him. He's very smart, yet says he doesn't like school, I think it is because he's bored.
I love my little lefty and wouldn't wish him right handed for anything in the world.

lefty-dom - By rosetree
8th March 2008 - 4:55am

being a lefty is cool--.
we're just smarter~ :b

Im left handed and proud! - By Stephanie
7th March 2008 - 6:29pm

Im 16 and was born a lefty and when I was younger my dads adoptive mom(thank god that im related) use to tie my arm with a jump rop or something like that and made me right with my right hand. She is an old school teacher so she thinks that i am the devils child. I find that hillarious. When my mom found she said "you touch my duaghter like that again and i swear you'll be one sorry bitch". Im the only left hander in my family and my best friend is left handed along with two other of my friends. We are all proud and it makes us feel special and unique. I luv all my left handed brothers and sisters! Peace!

By Lisa
5th March 2008 - 7:38pm

Some of these thigns are a little offencive to me and some of the lefties that I know.
But I just dont listen to them.
Heres one I found that really offended me.
"Its said that Left is bad and Right if good.
If a righty and a righty shake hands they showed they werent armed.
But when a lefty comes up to shake a righty the lefty can shake with the right and have a dagger int he left and stab.
So they say leftys are more armed and dangerouse then rightys.
But a righty can do the same thing to a lefty!

PROUD. - By KT x
11th February 2008 - 11:08am

omg. i think thats kinda mean the way lefties are dissed. at my school today lefties had to go right down the bototm of the field just because we were lefties. WELL IM PROUD OF BEING A LEFTIE! :D!

Hungarian - By 3llense'g
26th January 2008 - 12:22pm

In hungarian left is "bal" which is also a prefix for everything negative, like "baleset" meaning "bad happening", accident.

birthright - By yashodhan
17th January 2008 - 9:20am

Left is my birthright

Levak - By Nikolay
9th January 2008 - 9:51am

In Bulgarian we have three words describing a left-handed person - Левичар (Levichar), Левогер (Levoger) and Левак (Levak). The last one is considered very offensive. We also have a term called лефтерен (lefteren), which describes something that's not working properly or isn't strong enough. As you can see, the word is derived from English left.

iggnorance! - By natasha
3rd January 2008 - 8:41am

i am 12 years old and have a twin. when i was 4 i went to a schol where i was the only lefthander, they forst me 2 use my right hand until my mother had a disability specialist come and test me and i was pronounced lefthanded

soutpaws, usa! - By natasha
3rd January 2008 - 8:36am

i like this website, i have been loking 4 something useful, and now i have

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