No, "putain" is not a common insult, it's a common vulgar interjection, like "fuck" or "shit" - it's used like that all the time. If you actually call someone a "putain" and not just say it when you stub your toe or something, you are calling them a whore.

No, "putain" is not a common insult, it's a common vulgar interjection, like "fuck" or "shit" - it's used like that all the time. If you actually call someone a "putain" and not just say it when you stub your toe or something, you are calling them a whore.

Actually, this is all based on a mistranslation. "Salope" in its primary meaning means "bitch," but the thing is, the French don't really make a linguistic distinction between "bitch" and "slut," so although it COULD mean "slut" here, there's no reason to assume it does. They were just calling her a bitch.

Actually, this is all based on a mistranslation. "Salope" in its primary meaning means "bitch," but the thing is, the French don't really make a linguistic distinction between "bitch" and "slut," so although it COULD mean "slut" here, there's no reason to assume it does. They were just calling her a bitch.

Richard Allen at NYU's class?