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A cow is a domesticated bovine “that can be used for meat, leather, milk and miscellaneous byproducts.” It is cattle and is well known for grazing; standing around in grass fields eating grass. Despite the seeming blankness of a cow chewing cud, it is actually an intelligent animal and its social interactions are very complex. Animal rights activists maintain that they share many mental similarities with humans, and given this, there is little wonder why the Hindus regard cows as sacred. However, the denotative meaning of the word cow is much more positive than its many connotations. Perhaps the origin of these negative connotations stem from mankind’s misunderstanding and exploitation of these gentle giants.
If a stranger calls a person a cow, he is inviting a fist in the face or a slap to the cheek to say the least. In using the connotation of the word cow, it is impossible to positively address another person. This is especially true when used toward women. Women are more frequently referred to as cows due to the fact that cow is the female bovine whereas bull is the male bovine. The more common connotative meaning of “bitch” is substituted by “cow” when the female subject at hand is obese or a mother-in-law. “Cow,” as well as “bitch,” can mean an unpleasant, stupid, nasty, and even promiscuous (fat) woman. Others address a woman as a cow when she has very large breasts, in light of the very large utters a cow has. The vulgar mass of men today might ask, “so cow is ...
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