How To Speak Lovey-Dovey

How to speak lovey-dovey
By Karen Salmansohn

If you’re like me, you probably grew up thinking the French were zeee most romantic people. So you can imagine my surprise when I had a French beau who started calling me un-sexy French things, like “my flea” and “my little cabbage”—then swore those were terms of endearments among his people. Yeah, right, monsieur, I told him. Then I found out they were indeed lovey dovey-isms—and that the person who spread that rumor that the French spoke the language of love obviously had no idea what he/she was talking about. Then I started thinking about the lovey-dovey-isms we Americans use—like snookums—which inspires one word: Huh? Soon my curiosity was piqued and I started to ask my friends from other countries what lovey-dovey-isms they called each other. I got some doozies. Below is the sum total of these wacky, international sweet nothings for you to use and share with your special little cabbage, separated into easy-to-follow categories.

Vegetable
Mon petit chou (French): My little cabbage
Zuckerstuc (German): Sugar pea
Mya morkovka (Russian): My little carrot

Animal
Zaubermaus (German): Magic mouse
Zyeinka (Russian): Little rabbit
Moja zabcia (Polish): My frog
Tsipotchka (Russian): Little birdie

Animal-food hybrid
Zuckerschnecke (German): Sugar snail
Honey bunny (American): Honey bunny

Fruit
Yogodka (Russian): Little berry
Mi media naranja (Mexican): My half orange

High-caloric
Cupcake (American): Cupcake
Meu docinho de coco (Brazilian): My little coconut treat

Insects
Ma puce (French): My flea
Mi chinicuil (Mexican): My bug; my worm

Huh?
Fofinho (Portuguese): Little fluffy thing
Shnoogly-woogly (American): Shnoogly-woogly