Badass Korean
You're cool like Korea... You’re a real BADASS, so learn to speak like one!Learn some Korean slang from the GreyRat before you become the linguistic equivalent of a 99-pound weakling.
Smoke up Johnny!…
The picture gets your attention. The expression is the real punchline. Here is the meaning and the scene behind it, straight from As Much as a Rat’s Tail.
골초 or 꼴초
[gol-cho]
a chain smoker or tobacco fiend
Anyone else feel like an inordinate number of Koreans smoke? So smoke ’em if you got ’em.
Meaning & context
본래는 품질이 나쁜 담배를 의미하였는데, 현재는 담배를 많이 피우는 사람을 이르는 말이 되었다. (담배를 많이 피우는 사람들은 그들의 많은 양의 담배를 사기위해 값이 싼 것을 사야만 했다고 추측된다.) 유사한 영어표현으로는 “굴뚝처럼 담배피다”라는 표현이 있다.
Originally meaning low quality tobacco, golcho has come to refer to someone who smokes heavily. (Presumably they must smoke cheap tobacco to afford their habit.) Related to the English “chain smoker” or “smokes like a chimney.” Other smoking slang: 야리까다[ya-ri-gga-da] to smoke (on the sly)
From As Much as a Rat’s Tail · book pages 24–24. Original published text; historical references and usage are retained.
STORY TIME
See it in conversation
Korean
흡연의 고마움
English
Thank You for Smoking
여보, 당신한테 골초냄새 난다. 내가 없는 동안 담배 시작했어?
Honey, you smell like a golcho. Did you start smoking while I was away?
아니요, 단지 “완전 즐거운” 저녁 회식이 있었어요. 담배 안 피는 사람은 나밖에 없었구요.
No, I just had a “wonderful” evening meeting with my coworkers. I must be the only one that doesn’t smoke.
그래, 그럼 일단 그 냄새나는 옷부터 벗고 ~우~ 그 골초냄새 없애려면 내가 좀 씻겨줘야겠어.
Well, then let’s get you out of those smelly clothes and ~oooh~ scrub you down to get rid of that golcho smell.
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