wee

[Over the top]

Is using wee to mean 'little bit' offensive? wee lad for instance. as it also means urine.
Is wee which means to urinate used by adults? my dictionary says it's childish but I heard a woman on TV said I'll wee on my seat.
Is it used by Americans?
Thank you

 

[Raymott]

Is using wee to mean 'little bit' offensive? wee lad for instance. as it also means urine.
It means "little", not "little bit". "Little bit lad" makes no sense.
Is wee which means to urinate used by adults?
Yes, it can be.
my dictionary says it's childish but I heard a woman on TV said I'll wee on my seat.
Is it used by Americans?
Thank you

It's not offensive, but it's normally used by Scottish people, or in Scottish-influenced places. In Australia, a native Arabic-speaker using "wee" would sound quite strange. People would not be offended, but they'd wonder why you're using the word. You'd be forever having to explain that you studied at Glasgow University, for example.

There are plenty of other words that have several meanings which, if used correctly in the right context, are not offensive.

 

[Rover_KE]

Now I can't get this little rhyme out of my head:

Oh when I was a wee, wee tot
They put me on my wee, wee pot
To see if I would wee or not.

But when they saw that I would not,
They took me off my wee, wee pot
And put me in my wee, wee cot.
And there I wee-weed quite a lot.

Rover

 

[5jj]

Bad Aim

We tried to wee-wee on the seed,
But found we'd wee-weed on the weed.

Weird.

 

[konungursvia]

Yes, I think we have to distinguish between wee and wee-wee.

 

[TomUK]

Somehow I get the feeling that somebody is taking the piss.

TomUK

 

[Barb_D]

Somehow I get the feeling that somebody is taking the piss.

TomUK

I have no idea what this expression means, but I've seen it here twice recently.

 

[~Mav~]

I have no idea what this expression means, but I've seen it here twice recently.

Taking the piss (Wikipedia)

taking the piss (Urban Dictionary)

 

[nielskokholm]

The use of this word is not offensive, but it should be used in a socially and/or humorous context.

As is the case with all languages, everything we say can be said in different ways and at different times. In Brazilian Portuguese for example, "que lindo!" either means "how beautiful" or ironically "how incredibly ugly".

Wee can be offensive when said with the absence of a smile, so watch out!

 

[allenman]

I have no idea what this expression means, but I've seen it here twice recently.

Same here...makes no sense to me. "Take A piss..." (sorry) has a completely different meaning.

As Raymott says...it sounds Scottish (to mean tiny).

Not a teacher -- AmE native

 

[5jj]

I have no idea what this expression means, but I've seen it here twice recently.

It's very common in informal English, and is used even by some people who would hesitate to speak of taking a piss (in the micturitional sense)

You'll occasionally see/hear people mock-euphemistically saying, "Are you trying to extract the urine?"

 

[BobK]

I think it's become less offensive (but still far from polite), as the formerly common 'Taking the Mickey' (which strictly meant stereotypically imitating someone's Irish accent, but became more widely used as a euphemism for 'Taking the pi$$') has become politically incorrect - along with lots of other racial stereotypes. (I'd have to check the dates in a decent dictionary, but that's the feeling I've got.)

b

PS The answers that have pointed to a Scottish flavour are right. Clive Anderson (radio presenter/chat-show host/comedian) used to be fond of saying 'We[e] men - and indeed quite tall ones - ...'. But the joke didn't always work because of his very Home Counties accent; he's Scottish, but raised and educated and living in London.

 

[Rover_KE]

I can't help feeling that the schoolboy sniggers that always used to accompany every use of wee (=small) are on the wane.

After all, most of them have a Nintendo Wii*, some of them have heard of the professional golfer Michelle Wii*, and they say oui* in their French lessons all the time.

* All pronounced wee.

Rover