don't be a cow
- idiom
- Offensive
:
no seas pesado
- She told him, 'don't be a cow', when he refused to share the remote.
Examples
-
If you want to join us, fine, but don't be a cow about the arrangements.
-
Please don't be a cow about this!
-
Don't be a cow, just accept the changes.
-
Why don't be a cow when we can easily solve this?
-
Don't be a cow, just let us go ahead with the plan.
-
She said, 'Don't be a cow, it's not worth getting upset over small details.'
-
Don't be a cow about helping your friend move; it's just for a few hours.
Synonyms
3
9.9
Tell someone not to behave in a mean or unfair way
To become angry and refuse to change when challenged
Antonyms
How Difficult
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally combines negation + be + the noun 'cow', and knowing 'cow' as a derogatory label for an unpleasant or difficult person lets a B1 learner infer a general negative meaning (i.e., 'don’t be unpleasant/difficult'). However, the precise pragmatic nuance and target (rudeness, stubbornness, or specifically insulting someone) and its chiefly British usage are culturally specific and not fully predictable from the parts alone, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Don't be a cow comes from a simple picture: imagine a slow, stubborn cow standing in the road and refusing to move. So when someone says 'don't be a cow' they mean 'be less stubborn or difficult', asking the person to be kinder and more flexible.