tös

See also: Appendix:Variations of "tos"

Swedish

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tös

Etymology

Related to Danish tøs, Norwegian taus, dialectal Swedish Tösa, dialectal Norwegian tysja (“naughty woman”), all said to be from an imitative word (Lautmalerei).^[1]

Pronunciation

Rhymes: -øːs

Noun

tös c

(colloquial) a girl (female child or young woman)
1. a lass, a lassie, a gal
  - 1961, “Te dans mä Karlstatösera [Till dans med Karlstadstöserna [[Going to] dance with the Karlstad gals]”, Rune Lindström (lyrics), Erik Uppström (music)‎^[2]performed by Sven-Ingvars:
    [dialectal, Värmländska, partially normalized]
    Det är lördag i dag och det gör mig hjärteglad,
    och mitt öga det blänker som sol i Karlstad stad.
    Det är Munter och Lustig och Rännare och jag,
    som på banan ska spänna krigarvadera [krigarvaderna].
    
    Det är sjunkande sol, det är klang i en fiol,
    och från dungarna luktar det löv och nattviol.
    Det är Lilli och Gully och Ingeborg där Nol,
    och de svansar och svänger med med sin söndagskjol.
    
    Hej, ropar pöjkera [pojkarna] och sprätter med klacken,
    stampar i backen, knycker på nacken.
    Tjo, vad det klappar under krigarefracken.
    Nu blir det dans med Karlstatösera [Karlstadstöserna].
    
    Hej, vad det sviktar uti dansbanans bräder,
    plankera [plankorna] rungar, björkruskor gungar.
    Tjo, vad det flaxar i volang och revärer.
    Schottisen går med Karlstatösera [Karlstadstöserna].
    It is Saturday today and it makes my heart happy,
    and my eye gleams [bit unidiomatic with singular in standard Swedish too, but literally translated] like the sun in Karlstad.
    It is Munter [Cheerful] and Lustig [Funny] and Rännare [Rider, archaic] [soldier names] and me,
    who are going to flex our warrior calves on the pavilion.
    
    There is setting sun, there is the sound of a violin,
    and from the groves it smells of leaves and butterfly orchid.
    It is Lilli and Gully and Ingeborg from [?] Nol,
    and they prance and swing their Sunday skirt.
    
    Hey, shout the boys and flick [with] their heel,
    stomp the ground, snap their head [neck].
    Woo [for lack of something more old-fashioned], how it throbs under my warrior coat.
    Now there will be a dance with the Karlstad gals.
    
    Hey, how the boards of the dance pavilion bend [how it bends in the boards of the dance pavilion],
    the planks resound, green birch boughs swing.
    Woo, how the flounce and lampasses flap [how it flaps in flounce and lampasses].
    There is a schottische with the Karlstad gals [the schottische goes with the Karlstad gals].

Usage notes

Not regionally limited like lass/lassie, but often a good match for tone when translating from English. Can sound like laying it on a bit thick in the other direction, unless fitting for the context. Plain flicka (“girl”) (tjej can sound too modern) also works as a translation for lass, leaning in less.

Declension

Declension of **tös**
		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	tös	tös
singular	definite	tösen	tösens
plural	indefinite	töser	tösers
plural	definite	töserna	tösernas

Synonyms

Derived terms

bondtös (“country girl, farm girl”)
tösabit (“lassie”)

References

^ “tös”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy]‎^[1] (in Swedish), 1937

Anagrams

söt, öst

[1] “tös”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy]‎^[1] (in Swedish), 1937

[1]