| Revision as of 21:49, 20 December 2007 view sourceAnimum (talk | contribs)30,489 editsm Reverted edits by 78.150.242.211 (talk) to last version by Rodhullandemu← Previous edit | Revision as of 21:51, 20 December 2007 view source 78.150.242.211 (talk) ←Replaced page with 'ROFLTIME!! CUNT FEELS WARM IN MY BED IM LAUGHING MY ASS OFF!'Next edit → | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| ROFLTIME!! | |||
| '''Cunt''' is an ] ] most commonly used in reference to the ] or ] and, more generally, the pubis, from the ] to the ]. The earliest citation of this usage, circa 1230, is in the '']'', referring to the ] street known as "]". | |||
| Generally, ''cunt'' is considered an ] word, although, as with all verbal ], some speakers regard it as merely ] or even a ]. Calling someone a cunt is generally considered impolite at best, and often as extremely offensive, though this varies between countries and social groupings. The word has neutral significance in the ] and ] of nautical and other occupational traditions{{Fact|date=December 2007}}. | |||
| CUNT FEELS WARM IN MY BED | |||
| ''Cunt'' is sometimes used as a nonspecific ] ] in referring to either sex. In British and ] it usually refers to a male (the ] defines ''cunt'' as "a despicable man"). Its usage as vulgar ] is, however, a relatively recent development. | |||
| IM LAUGHING MY ASS OFF! | |||
| This word for the female genitalia dates back to the Middle English period, c.1325. Its exact origin is unknown, but is related to the Old Norse kunta, a word with cognates in several other Germanic languages. From the ], a manuscript from sometime before 1325: {{Fact|date=December 2007}} | |||
| : Ȝeue þi cunte to cunnig and craue affetir wedding. <br />(Give your cunt wisely and beg after the wedding.) | |||
| The term also has various other uses (see ] below). | |||
| ==Etymology== | |||
| {{wiktionary}} | |||
| '''''Cunt''''' derives from a ] word (Proto-Germanic ''*kunton''), which appeared as ''kunta'' in ]. The Proto-Germanic form itself is of uncertain origin.<ref></ref> In ] it appeared with many different spellings such as ''queynte'', which did not always reflect the actual pronunciation of the word. There are ]s in most Germanic languages, such as the ], ] and ] ''kunta'', ] ''kunte'', ] ''kut'', and German ''kott''. While ''kont'' in Dutch refers to the ], ''kut'' is considered far less offensive in Dutch speaking areas than ''cunt'' is in the English speaking world. The ] of the ] term is disputed. It may have arisen by ] operating on the ] ] ''*gen/gon'' = "create, become" seen in ], ], ], ], ], or the Proto-Indo-European root ''*g<sup>w</sup>neH<sub>2</sub>/guneH<sub>2</sub>'' (Greek ''gunê'') = "]" seen in ]. Relationships to similar-sounding words such as the ] ''cunnus'' (vulva), and its derivatives ] ''con'', ] ''coño'', and ] ''cona'', have not been conclusively demonstrated. Other Latin words related to ''cunnus'': ''cuneatus'', wedge-shaped; ''cuneo'' v. fasten with a wedge; (figurative) to wedge in, squeeze in, leading to English words such as '']'' (wedge-shaped). | |||
| ==Vulgarity and offensiveness== | |||
| In certain circles the word is considered merely a common ] with an often ]ous ]. For example, in Australia, Ireland and among some Europeans who speak ], the word may be used as a colloquial term of ] (e.g., in such phrases as "You're a funny cunt!" or "Daft cunt!"). This custom does not apply in the United States of America, where the word applies to females only. It is almost never a term of endearment and generally considered extremely offensive. In other countries, there is an increasing number of instances of the term both in print and in speech, usually in derogatory reference to a person rather than to the anatomical part.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} | |||
| ===Feminist viewpoints regarding offensiveness=== | |||
| Some ]s seek to reclaim ''cunt'' as an acceptable word for the female genitalia, in the interest of removing the power associated with its use. Some abhor the word and regard it, based on its more recent connotation, as degrading and ]. It has also been suggested that ''vagina'' is equally offensive as it literally means "]" in Latin <ref>http://www.orbilat.com/Languages/Latin/Vocabulary/Latin-Forbidden.html</ref>, and is in any case incorrect as a term for the external female genitalia. | |||
| Some reject an exclusively negative connotation as inherently sexist towards women, and claim that insult is an inappropriate usage for a word used to epitomise femaleness. | |||
| Critics of the word claim that the lack of any comparable term for the male genitalia demonstrates a profound cultural contempt, not only for specific females, but for women in general. Defenders of the word argue that terms for male genitals ''are'' used in an equally insulting way, though they claim the degree of this "equivalence" differs between English speaking cultures (examples include '']'', '']'', '']'', "utter balls" (or '']'') , etc). However, these words generally aren't held to be as offensive or taboo as ''cunt''. Despite these criticisms, there is a small movement amongst some feminists that seek to reclaim cunt as an honorific, in much the same way that '']'' has been reclaimed by ] people <ref>http://www.academia.org/campus_reports/2000/december_2000_1.html</ref>. Proponents include ] in her book, '''', and ] in her monologue "Reclaiming Cunt" (from "]"). | |||
| The word was similarly reclaimed by ] who used it in the title story of "]"; a female character describing female genitalia in a pornography book: “her cunt a split fig below the great globes of her buttocks”.<ref>Angela Carter, ''The Bloody Chamber'', (London: Vintage, 1979 (1995)), p16 ISBN 0 09 958811 0.</ref> | |||
| More recently, ], who had previously published a magazine article entitled ''Lady, Love Your Cunt''<ref>anthologized in Germaine Greer, ''The Madwoman's Underclothes: Essays and Occasional Writings'', (1986)</ref>, discussed the origins, usage and power of the word in the BBC series '']'', which examines the etymology of many English words and phrases, most especially those whose origins have limited written evidence (required to be included as citations in the ''Oxford English Dictionary''). Greer suggests at the end of the piece that there is something precious about the word, in that it is now one of the few remaining words in English that still retains its power to shock. | |||
| ==Usage: pre-20th century== | |||
| ''Cunt'' has been in common use in its anatomical meaning since at least the 13th century. While the 1811 '''Dictionary of The Vulgar Tongue''' listed the word as "a nasty name for an amazing thing"<ref></ref> it did not appear in any major ] of the English language from 1795 to 1961, when it was included in '']'' with the comment "usu. considered obscene". Its first appearance in the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' was in 1972, which cites the word as having been in use since 1230 in what was supposedly a current ] street name of "]." It was however also used before 1230 having been brought over by the Anglo-Saxons, originally not an obscenity but rather a factual name for the vulva or vagina. "Gropecunt Lane" was originally a street of prostitution, indicating a ] ]. It was normal in those times for streets to be named after the goods available for sale therein, hence the prevalence in cities having a medieval history of names such as "Silver Street", "Fish Street", and "Swinegate" (pork butchers). In some locations, the former name has been ]ised, as in the City of ], to the more acceptable "Grape Lane".<ref>Baker, N & Holt, R. (2000). "Towards a geography of sexual encounter: prostitution in English medieval towns", in L. Bevan: Indecent Exposure: Sexuality, Society and the Archaeological Record. Cruithne Press: Glasgow, 187-98</ref> | |||
| The word appears several times in ] ] (c. 1390), in ] contexts, but it does not appear to be considered obscene at this point, since it is used openly. A notable use is from the ] "Pryvely he caught her by the queynte." The ] also uses this term, "For certeyn, olde dotard, by your leave/You shall have queynte right enough at eve . . . What aileth you to grouche thus and groan?/Is it for ye would have my queynte alone?" In modernised versions of these passages the word "queynte" is usually translated simply as "cunt" <ref>http://www.librarius.com/canttran/wifetale/wifetale330-342.htm</ref><ref>http://www.4literature.net/Geoffrey_Chaucer/Wife_of_Bath_s_Prologue/3.html</ref>. However, in Chaucer's usage there seems to be an overlap between the words "cunt" and "quaint" (possibly derived from the ] for "known"). "Quaint" was probably pronounced in ] in much the same way as "cunt." It is sometimes unclear whether the two words were thought of as distinct from one another. Elsewhere in Chaucer's work the word ''queynte'' seems to be used with meaning comparable to the modern "quaint" (charming, appealing). | |||
| By ] day, the word seems to have become obscene. Although Shakespeare does not use the word explicitly (or with derogatory meaning) in his plays, he still plays with it, using ] to sneak it in obliquely. In Act III, Scene 2, of '']'', as the castle's residents are settling in to watch the ], Hamlet asks Ophelia, "Lady, shall I lie in your lap?" Ophelia, of course, replies, "No, my lord." Hamlet, feigning shock, says, "Do you think I meant ''country matters''?" Then, to drive home the point that the ] is definitely on the first ] of ''country'', Shakespeare has Hamlet say, "That's a fair thought, to lie between maids' legs."<ref>Partridge, Eric, ''Shakespeare's Bawdy'', Routledge, London, 2001, p.111</ref> Also see '']'' (Act II, Scene V): "There be her very Cs, her Us, and her Ts: and thus makes she her great Ps." A related scene occurs in ''Henry V'': when Katherine is learning English, she is appalled at the "''gros et impudique''" English words "]" and "]," which her English teacher has mispronounced as "''coun''." Presumably Shakespeare intends to suggest that she has misheard "foot" as "''foutre''" (French, "]") and "coun" as "''con''" (French "cunt", also used to mean "idiot")<ref>] alludes to the obscene meaning of the word without being explicit in his poem ''The Good-Morrow'', referring to sucking on "country pleasures". | |||
| The 1675 ] '']'' also features such wordplay, even in its title. | |||
| By the 17th century a softer form of the word, "cunny," came into use. A well known use of this derivation can be found on the 25th October 1668 entry of the diary of ]. He was discovered having an affair with Deborah Willet: he wrote that his wife "coming up suddenly, did find me imbracing the girl con my hand sub su coats; and endeed I was with my main in her cunny. I was at a wonderful loss upon it and the girl also....".<ref>Abbot, Mary, ''Life Cycles in England, 1560-1720: Cradle to Grave'', Routledge, 1996, p.201</ref> | |||
| ''Cunny'' was probably derived from a pun on '']'', meaning "]", rather as ''pussy'' is connected to the same term for a ]. (]: "A pox upon your Christian cockatrices! They cry, like poulterers' wives, 'No money, no coney.'")<ref>Ship, Joseph Twadell, ''The Origins of English Words: A Discursive Dictionary of Indo-European Roots'', JHU Press, 1984, p.129</ref> Largely because of this usage, the word ''coney'' to refer to rabbits changed ] from short "o" (like ''money'' and ''honey'') to long "o" (''cone'', as in ]), and has now almost completely disappeared from most ] of English; in the same way the word "pussy" is now rarely used in America to refer to a cat. | |||
| ==Usage: modern== | |||
| {{Original research|date=September 2007}} | |||
| ====In modern literature==== | |||
| James Joyce is considered to be one of the first of the major 20th century novelists to put the word cunt in print. In the context of one of the central characters in '']'', ], Joyce refers to the ] and to | |||
| <blockquote> | |||
| the oldest people. Wandered far away over all the earth, captivity to captivity, multiplying, dying, being born everywhere. It lay there now. Now it could bear no more. Dead: an old woman's: the grey sunken cunt of the world.<ref></ref> | |||
| </blockquote> | |||
| While Joyce used the word only once in Ulysses, with four other wordplays ('cunty') on it, ] used the word ten times in '']''<ref> </ref>. Both books were banned in some countries and both became famous legal test cases, though not necessarily or specifically because of vulgar usage of the word ''cunt''. The word was later used in many modern literary texts. | |||
| In his letters, particularly in a series written to his wife ] in 1909, when Joyce was managing a cinema in ] and she was in ], he makes more liberal use of the word. In a letter written on December 2, he counterposes love and cunt in terms at once lyrical and obscene: | |||
| <blockquote> | |||
| a love for you allows me to pray to the spirit of eternal beauty and tenderness mirrored in your eyes... it allows me to burst into tears of pity and love at some slight word...while my head is wedged in between your fat thighs, my hands clutching the round cushions of your bum and my tongue licking ravenously up your rank red cunt...All I have written above is only a moment or two of brutal madness. The last drop of seed has hardly been squirted up your cunt before it is over and my true love for you, the love of my verses, the love of my eyes for your strange luring eyes, comes blowing over my soul like a wind of spices. | |||
| </blockquote> | |||
| ===Usage by Country=== | |||
| ====Usage in Great Britain & Ireland==== | |||
| The word ''cunt'' still mainly remains the one word in the English language that is considered more offensive than ''fuck'' - this can be largely attributed to its history as a misogynist instrument, a history that elevates its offensiveness above that of rival "four-letter words".{{Fact|date=November 2007}} | |||
| However, the term ''cunt'' may also be used as a term of endearment. Context and tone usually show the distinction between this and pejorative use. | |||
| ====Usage in Australia==== | |||
| Much as in Britain and the United States, "cunt" is generally considered a highly offensive and uncouth word in Australia, and as with all such words, is much less acceptable in mixed company. Sometimes it is used as a mild (though highly uncouth) form of rebuke, and in this form often takes on one or more modifying adjectives, such as "silly old cunt", "lazy cunt", "dumb cunt", etc. Such rebukes can also be either genuine or not, as they may be employed in a mock way between friends: "What the fuck are you doing, you crazy cunt?" (A modification that is similarly sometimes used to express mock hostility between friends is "cuntface"). | |||
| The word is also quite commonly used to describe extremely useless or unattractive objects or activities, as in "cunt of a machine" or "cunt of a job", or to describe situations: "What a cunt of a mess we've gotten into." It is also often reserved to describe the worst possible person, as in "that guy is an absolute cunt", "that dirty rotten cunt" and so on. | |||
| When used in the second person to someone not reasonably well known, it often expresses great anger or contempt, for example "Fuck you, you cunt", "You fuckin' cunt", "You are a cock-breath cunt!" or just "Cunt!", and as such may well be the prelude to a confrontation of some kind, possibly involving physical violence. But while even these expressions can also be used in a mocking and friendly manner, as a general rule of thumb, the word expresses a degree of contempt which places it at the very boundary of socially acceptable language. When applied directly to others therefore, it will almost always draw a measure of hostility no matter what the circumstances of its use. | |||
| ====Usage in the United States==== | |||
| While a small cohort of Americans are aware of the term's much reduced offensiveness in Ireland and Australia, the word cunt remains in America the one word that is so offensive as to be customarily unspeakable. The usage is quite different from other English-speaking countries; it is almost always used to try to insult or offend the other person. Unless two people are very close, the word is not used as a term of endearment. Women very rarely use the word among themselves, except when referring to the vagina. Men may sometimes use the word but it is considered highly offensive. A man calling a woman a cunt is the highest order of insults. | |||
| The word is occasionally used by females to refer to their own genitalia, sometimes as a form of ] and occasionally as a standard term preferred over the undignified '']'' and the clinical '']'' and '']''. | |||
| ===Usage by Meaning=== | |||
| ====Referring to women==== | |||
| In referring to a woman, ''cunt'' is a derogatory or abusive term, often considered the most offensive word that can be used in this context. It can imply that the named person is extremely nasty and unpleasant in a way that exceeds the vehemence of the word '']''. In the film '']'', the central character McMurphy, when pressed to explain exactly why he doesn't like the tyrannical Nurse Ratched, says: "She's something of a cunt, ain't she, Doc?"<ref></ref>. It can also imply that women are useful only for having vaginas and thus serve no purpose save sexual gratification<ref></ref><ref></ref>. Also cunt can also be used in the following terms such as "your mum is a cunt" where, | |||
| in the UK and Australia, to females, but not males is highly offensive. | |||
| In 2004, ] president ] fanned the flames of a ] rape case when, during a deposition, she was asked if she thought "cunt" was a "filthy and vile" word. She replied that it was a "swear word" but had "actually heard it used as a term of endearment"<ref></ref>. A spokesperson later clarified that Hoffman meant the word had polite meanings in its original use centuries ago. In the rape case, a CU football player had allegedly called female player ] a "fucking lovely cunt". | |||
| ====Referring to men==== | |||
| Frederic Manning's 1929 book ''The Middle Parts of Fortune'', set in World War One, describes regular use of the word by British ]. It is invariably used to describe men: | |||
| :"And now the bastard's wearin' the bes' pair slung round ‘is own bloody neck. Wouldn't you've thought the cunt would ‘a' give me vingt frong for ‘em anyway." | |||
| :"What's the cunt want to come down 'ere buggering us about for, 'aven't we done enough bloody work in th' week?"<ref>Frederic Manning, ''The Middle Parts Of Fortune Somme And Ancre 1916'', Published 2004, Kessinger Publishing. p. 27, 63</ref> | |||
| Whilst normally derogatory in the USA, in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and to a lesser extent, the UK, it can have an informal comic quality and even be used as a term of endearment. Like the word '']'', use between youths is sometimes not frowned upon. For example, the phrases "How about I buy you a beer, you big cunt?" or "He's a good cunt" can be easily taken without any offence and quite possibly with a hint of affection. | |||
| The cinematic use of the term as an epithet used by one male towards another is seen in the 1992 film "Glengarry Glen Ross" when incensed real estate huckster "Ricky Roma" (Al Pacino) yells "You cunt!" at another character. | |||
| ====Referring to inanimate objects==== | |||
| ''Cunt'' is used extensively in Australia, Ireland and also in some parts of Scotland as a replacement ], more commonly among males and the working classes, similar to the use of '']'' or ''son of a bitch'' among some Americans in extremely casual settings. For instance, "The cunt of a thing won't start," in reference to an ]; or "Pass me that cunt," meaning "Pass me that item I need"; or "Those cunts down the road," referring to people in the vicinity. When used in this sense, the word does not necessarily imply contempt nor is it necessarily intended to be offensive. {{Fact|date=February 2007}} | |||
| ====Other uses==== | |||
| The word is sometimes used as a general ] to show frustration, annoyance or anger. "I've had a cunt of a day!" or "This is a cunt to finish." | |||
| Australians have a habit of pairing the word with another to give a more specific meaning such as cunt-rash (visible disorder of the female genitalia, again normally a general insult). The phrase "sick cunt" is sometimes used as a compliment by such sub-groups as Australian ]s; (Ironically, this term, though having become common ] ], originated within non-] groups—particularly those of ] descent—who combined their use of the term "sick" with what they saw as a typically Aussie expletive.) | |||
| ''Cunt'' may also be used as a ] to describe a stupid person, body of people, or thing. C.U.N.T. can stand for: "Can't Understand Normal Thinking," and is used this way in the Southeastern United States. "C U Next Tuesday" has been used in Britain as well. This term is often responded to with the phrase "or The Wednesday After That" to spell out the word T.W.A.T. | |||
| A modern derivative ], ''cuntish'' (alternatively, "cuntacious"), meaning frustrating, awkward, or (when describing behavior) selfish, is increasingly used in England and has begun to appear in other regions, such as Scotland and Ireland. Another one, gaining popularity amongst clubbers, is ''cunted'', meaning incoherent, intoxicated, or exhausted. | |||
| ''Cunting'' is routinely used as an ], much like ''fucking''. It can also be used as a slang term for 'criticism' i.e "Did you see the cunting he got for saying that?", possibly a derivative of ''slagging'' or ''slagging off'' used in British slang. | |||
| The word ''cunty'' is also known, although used rarely: a famous line from ]'s '']'' is the definition of ] by a ]i immigrant as "eating hot buttered toast with cunty fingers," suggestive of hypocrisy and a hidden sordidness or ] behind the country's quaint ]. The term was originally attributed to British novelist ] <ref>http://www.theparisreview.org/media/GREEN.pdf#search=%22cunty%20fingers%22</ref>. | |||
| There are also other forms of the vernacular such as "King Cunty" and "Cuntis Maximus" that are used by a small group of Australians that implies a term of respect or leadership. ''Cuntox'' is employed as a term of derision. | |||
| Also used in the expression "I'll cunt you up," meaning "I'll make you look like a cunt" (i.e., through physical or verbal ]). Another phrase originating in London is "cunted in the bastard" meaning to have been hit in a non-specific area of the body. | |||
| The term "sad cunt" has gained popularity recently in areas of Ireland and Australia. It is believed to have initiated from the complimentary slang term "mad cunt". The pervasiveness of this term is intensified through the juxtapositoning of the adjectives ''sad'' and ''mad''. "Sad cunt" is effectively the opposite of "mad cunt" and is used to direct shame onto someone who has committed an act unbecoming of good citizenship. | |||
| The term is now adapted to suit a number of situations, particularly for youth involved in the alternative music scene in England. ''Cunted'' can mean to be extremely under the influence of drink and/or drugs. "Going cunting" means going out looking to pick up girls, as an alternative to "going on the pull", and a pun on the word ''hunting''. | |||
| ===Usage In Modern Popular Culture=== | |||
| ====Theatre==== | |||
| Theatre censorship was effectively abolished in the UK in 1968; prior to that all theatrical productions had to be pre-vetted by the ]; this relaxation made possible ] productions such as "Hair (The Musical)" and "Oh Calcutta!". But "cunt" was not uttered on a British stage for some years: | |||
| ====20th Century Literature==== | |||
| *] - in ]'s 1928 novel, Mellors, the gamekeeper and lover, tries delicately to explain the definition of the word to Lady Constance Chatterley. The novel was the subject of a ] prosecution for obscenity in 1961 against its publishers, ] which failed. Since then, the word has rarely been controversial on the written page. | |||
| *In ], ]'s recollections of the 1950s & 1960s ] jazz era, he recounts his arrival at a band rehearsal wearing a drape coat. When asked why he was wearing it, George said "] wears one", eliciting the response "He must be a cunt". No complaints of this use of the word are recorded. | |||
| ====Television==== | |||
| Broadcast media, by definition, reach wide audiences and thus are regulated externally for content. To minimise not only public criticism but also regulatory sanctions, policies have been developed by media providers as to how "cunt" and similar words should be treated. See, for a classic example, here:. Nevertheless, there have been occasions when, particularly in a live broadcast, the word has been aired outsside editorial control: | |||
| *'']'', broadcast live on November 7th 1970: The first time the word was known to have been used on British television, by ], in an affectionate reference rather than offensively. The programme was recorded, and the clip has since been reshown many times. | |||
| *] first said on television the much-copied{{Fact|date=November 2007}} line "They say you are what you eat. I'm a cunt." <ref>http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19970201/ai_n14088564</ref><ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1541264,00.html</ref> | |||
| *'']'' in 2000, broadcast the word, used by the ] ] while being interviewed live about her role in '']''<ref>http://web.archive.org/web/20020214201246/http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/media/story.jsp?story=114876</ref> | |||
| However, over the last two decades or so, "cunt" has crossed over from accidental to purposeful use: | |||
| *'']'' was shown by the ] in January 2005. The performance included the phrase "cunting, cunting, cunting, cunting cunt" (a description of the Devil). However, more controversy was generated by the ] claiming that He "Might be 'a bit gay'" than by the use of "cunt". | |||
| *In 2007 the ] series "Peep Show" used the word to describe getting drunk: "Lets get cunted". | |||
| In late July/early August of 2007 - ] dedicated a full hour to the word in a detailed documentary ("The 'C' Word") about the origins, use and evolution of the word from the early 1900s to the present day. Presented by British comedian ], viewers were taken to a street in Oxford once called 'Gropecunt Lane' and presented with examples of the acceptability of "cunt" as a word. | |||
| In the ], despite the ], the broadcast use of "cunt" is still rare. | |||
| Nevertheless, the word has slowly infiltrated into American broadcasting: | |||
| *The ] TV shows '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', and '']'' also make frequent use of the word; and two episodes of the sitcom '']''<ref>"Beloved Aunt" and "The Shrimp Incident"</ref> are devoted to the comical repercussions of its inadvertent use. | |||
| *Another HBO program '']'', featured an episode ("Flowers for Kim") revolving around Louie ruining his entire weekend by calling his wife a cunt. Notably, in the ''Oz'' episode ]'', the word was used 8 times in one minute. | |||
| *In the ]'s popular series ], the character Glenn Quagmire, who has a reputation of being a sex addict, plans to tour America and "just do" women in every state. Brian sees a sign that Quagmire has painted on the side of his vehicle and asks, "Hey Quagmire, isn't 'country' spelled with an O?" to which he replies, "Not on this tour!" | |||
| Elsewhere, "cunt" was used extensively in the ] cult TV series "]". Of particular note is host Danny Parker's weekly closing line "I'll see you cunts next week". | |||
| ====Film==== | |||
| :*'']'' (1973) — "cunting hun", "cunting daughter", and "goddamned cunt" | |||
| :*'']'' (1974) — Freak #1 (]): "Goddamn rich cunt! I kill rich cunts!" | |||
| :*'']'' (1976) <ref>Emmanuel Levy : Cinema of Outsiders: The Rise of American Independent Film Page 118 - NYU Press, 1999; ISBN ISBN 0814751245</ref> | |||
| :*'']'' (1977) — Tony Manero (]) to Annette (]) : "So now you're a cunt")<ref></ref> | |||
| :*'']'' (1989) — a female character is referred to as "your crusading cunt of a wife" | |||
| :*'']'' (1991) — ] meets ] for the first time and passes the cell of "Multiple Miggs", who says to Starling: "I can smell your cunt." "I, myself, cannot", replies Lecter when told of the claim. In versions of the film edited for TV the word is dubbed with the word ]. | |||
| :*'']'' (1992) — Ricky Roma (]) says to John Williamson (]): "You stupid fucking cunt, you idiot!" | |||
| :*'']'' (1996) — the word was used to reflect the language of the subcultures portrayed.<ref></ref> | |||
| :*'']'' (2000) includes the dialogue "Shut that cunt's mouth or I'll come over there and fuck-start her head" in the opening sequence. | |||
| :*'']'' (2002) has ] portraying a chimney sweep who sings "The Golden Song" with the line "a kick in the cunt". | |||
| :*'']'' (2000) — Don Logan uses the term "I gotta change my shirt, it's sticking to me. I'm sweating like a cunt". | |||
| :*'']'' (2004) | |||
| <blockquote> | |||
| ::Fred (]): "Don't get lemon Bill, it don't suit ya." | |||
| ::Billy Bright (]): "Spell it, you cunt." | |||
| ::Fred: "C-u-n-t, Cunt." | |||
| ::Billy Bright: "I meant 'lemon', soppy bollocks." | |||
| </blockquote> | |||
| :*'']'' (2004) — Ed's casual use of the word in "Can I get any of you cunts a drink?" is cited by Liz as an example of one of the problems in her relationship with Shaun. | |||
| :*'']'' (2004) — the dying Bill makes some affectionate remarks to the Bride but concludes that she "can be a real cunt." | |||
| :*'']'' (2006) — Mayor of New York (Peter Kybart): "You're a magnificent cunt, aren't you, Miss White?" to Madeleine White (]). | |||
| :*'']'' (2006) — Det. Sgt. Dignam (]) asks Officer William Costigan Jr. (]) whether he thinks the Boston Police Undercover Unit are "cunts". | |||
| :*'']'' (2006) — Chev Chelios (]) asks "Does it look like I got cunt written on my head? Who do you think you are fucking with?" | |||
| :*'']'' (2007) — Drunk Italian (Peter Bláha)to Beth (]): "I knew you were a tease you fucking cunt" | |||
| <!-- In view of the now-entrenched use of this word in movies, it is recommended that any further additions to this chronological list be the subject of restraint, i.e. ask yourself "What makes this use of the word NOTABLE?". NN and unreferenced uses will be removed with extreme prejudice --> | |||
| ====Comedy==== | |||
| In their ] dialogues, ] and ], particularly Cook, arguably made the word more accessible in the ]. In the 1976 sketch "This Bloke Came Up To Me", the word is used 31 times in the course of two minutes | |||
| The word is also used extensively by ] comedian ], which ensures that his ] act has never been fully shown on ] television. | |||
| The word appears on ]'s list of the ]. | |||
| ====Popular Music==== | |||
| *Australian comedy musician ] alleges that while visiting ], he was told by the Canadian government that he was not allowed to say "cunt" in Canada. Wilson walked on to the stage in ] and sang the song ''You Can't Say Cunt In Canada''.{{Fact|date=September 2007}} | |||
| *Metal band ] printed a shirt depicting (on the front) a nun masturbating with a crucifix, and (on the back) in big white letters, "JESUS IS A CUNT". This shirt has sparked much controversy, mostly in their native ], where a fan was arrested for wearing it in public, as was their former drummer in Russia. They continue to print the shirt, championing their right to free speech.{{Fact|date=September 2007}} | |||
| *American ] band ] fronted by ] have also deliberately courted controversy{{Fact|date=September 2007}}. | |||
| *Jarvis Cocker used the word frequently in his song, "Running the World" ]. | |||
| *Death metal band ] wrote and recorded a song, "Entrails Ripped From A Virgin's Cunt", which can be heard on their album ] | |||
| *During a ] concert at ]'s ], ] introduced a song by stating, "If this song don't put the cunt back in country, I don't know what will." The comment was quoted widely in the press, and Carter spent much of the next decade trying to live the comment down. | |||
| * Australian 'rock' band ] (This is Serious Mum), released a track titled 'I Might Be A Cunt But I'm Not A Fucking Cunt' in 1997 on their album ]. | |||
| ==Variants and derivatives == | |||
| Various ]s, ] forms and ]s derive from or signify "cunt". | |||
| ===Spoonerisms=== | |||
| *''Cunning Stunt'' - Apocryphally from a dirty joke: "What's the difference between a circus and a strip club?"- "The circus has a bunch of cunning stunts..."; however its first documented appearance is an album title by the English band ] who released "Cunning Stunts" in July 1975;<ref>http://www.caravan-info.co.uk/backcatalogue/</ref> the title was later used by ] for a CD/Video compilation release, and in 1992 ] released an album with the same title. | |||
| *] played a vapid starlet, ''Cupid Stunt'' in his ] television program. | |||
| *] appeared around ] at times claiming, ''"John Hunt is a Coward",'' a reference to former Australian prime minister ]. | |||
| *] hosted a British television comedy game show ''Fact Hunt''. | |||
| ===Acronyms=== | |||
| *There are various apocryphal stories concerning academic establishments, such as | |||
| ::''Cambridge University Netball Team'' | |||
| ::''Cambridge University National Trust Society'' | |||
| ::] almost being called the "City University of Nottingham Trent" | |||
| ::Newcastle Polytechnic initially planning to change its name to ''City University of Newcastle upon Tyne'' (instead of ], which it is now named) | |||
| ::''Curtin University of New Technology'' - supposedly the name initially proposed for ] in Perth, Western Australia. | |||
| *''Caring Understanding Nineties Type'' - As in "He's not so much a ''Sensitive New Age Guy'' (SNAG) as a ''Caring Understanding Nineties Type'' (CUNT)."{{Fact|date=November 2007}} | |||
| *'']'' - '''C''' '''U''' '''N'''ext '''T'''uesday. Originating from the ] area, but now having more widespread use, especially within the south of England. An example of usage would be: "Oh that bloke is such a see you next Tuesday". (It must be noted, however, that not many situations arise where one would want to refer to another as a cunt and not use the term itself.) Other versions include "See you next time" and "Catch you next Tuesday" (the latter appearing in an episode of "]"){{Fact|date=November 2007}} | |||
| *''"'''C'''ivilian '''U'''nder '''N'''aval '''T'''raining."'' - US Naval term.{{Fact|date=November 2007}} | |||
| *''"'''C'''omputer '''U'''ser, '''N'''on-'''T'''echnical"'', ''"'''C'''omputer '''U'''ser '''N'''eeds '''T'''raining"'', ''"'''C'''ompletely '''U'''nqualified '''N'''on-'''T'''echnical '' '''S'''taff"'' - Used in the information technology field, referring to unsavvy users.{{Fact|date=November 2007}} | |||
| *''Clark Unleashed Nineteen Tigers'' - reference to 80s BBC travelling lion tamer Daniel Clark.{{Fact|date=November 2007}} | |||
| * In '']'', a Scottish comedy programme, a character was wearing a shirt which spells C.N.U.T, which makes fun of F.C.U.K shirts (French Connection United Kingdom){{Fact|date=November 2007}} | |||
| *'''C'''ommittee for '''U'''nstigmatised '''N'''ationally '''T'''elevised '''S'''wearing - Used in the ] swearing special{{Fact|date=November 2007}} | |||
| *''Citizens Uniting Negating Technology For Life And People's Safety'' - On a billboard in the PlayStation Portable Game, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories{{Fact|date=November 2007}} | |||
| * ''Critical Update Notification'' - the initial name for the Microsoft Windows Update engine, introduced with ]. The agent was therefore often referred to in Microsoft literature as the ''Critical Update Notification Tool''. This term was eventually dropped in favour of '']'', although references to it can still be found on Microsoft web sites. | |||
| ===Puns=== | |||
| *''See You, Auntie'' - When said aloud in a North American accent, the speaker sounds as if he's spelling "cunt". Published in the liner notes of ]'s album, ]. | |||
| *'']'' - Used in a scene from the movie ], and also a character in the ] radio comedy ]. This also appears in ], where Head Radio DJ Michael Hunt tells his listeners "you can call me Mike". A variant of this, applicable to the Scottish accent ("Mark Hunt") is also used in a scene of the book Trainspotting. | |||
| *"Cunt-ry music loving lady" - from comedy series '']'' | |||
| *"Cunt-ry Girl, take my hand..." Primal Scream's ] | |||
| *The punk band ] say something similar on their song "Together on the sand" when the singer says "I had my finger up her, country music played on the radio" | |||
| *"Country matters" - from Shakespeare's ], as described above | |||
| *''Mick Hunt'' - ] curator | |||
| *TV comedian ] made a number of jokes based around the word. In the second series of BBC 2's 'I'm Alan Partridge,' a scene featured a South African businessman, who had the line, "Alan - you can't," to which ] replies, " well there's no need for that!" - playing on the sounding of the word 'can't' when spoken in an Afrikaans accent. In one of Coogan's stand-up routines, as 'Paul Calf', he comments, "They call Jean Claude Van Damme the Muscles from Brussels. Well they do the same with me..... I come from a place in Yorkshire called Munt" | |||
| *In the mid-90s, comedian Jasper Carrott - during his mainstream BBC 1 show - commented, whilst talking about cult figures - "Some people have called me a cult..... at least that's what I think they said." | |||
| * ] famously defined ''countryside'' on ] as the act of 'murdering ]'. | |||
| * Also in 'Chewin the Fat', a man would be out walking with his young son and would pass someone, for example, in an expensive cabriolet with the music blaring, and say, "Some people can and some people can't. He's a can't" (Sounds like "cunt" with a ] accent) | |||
| * In ], Donna and Gaz are perusing erotic novels when they come across ]. However, Gaz helpfully informs Donna that 'it doesn't say Count' | |||
| * "See you next Tuesday", pronounced phonetically "C-U-N(ext)-T(uesday)" | |||
| *"Take the 'O' out of Country" - 1980 album by Canadian comedy duo MacLean and MacLean | |||
| *In ], ] imitates James Blunt singing ] including the alternate words; "And Morrissey keeps telling me James Blunt is rhyming slang". | |||
| *As recalled by former ] prime minister ]: | |||
| {{cquote|Never in the House did I use the word which comes to mind. The nearest I came to doing so was when ], a member of the cavalleria rusticana, was raving and ranting on the adjournment and shouted: "I am a Country member". I interjected "I remember". He could not understand why, for the first time in all the years he had been speaking in the House, there was instant and loud applause from both sides. | |||
| }} | |||
| * ] used a variation of this same gag on BBC TV's ]. "Stuart Adamson was a Big Country member... and we do remember" | |||
| * See You in Toledo, euphemism used on radio's "The ] Show" | |||
| * On a first season episode of '']'' about Liz being called a word assumed to be "cunt" by a co-worker, an unrelated storyline has Tracy telling Jack, "see you in ]." | |||
| * On the TV program ], the main character tells his brother to "get rid of the Seaward" (which is the name of a boat), while their mother overhears and assumes he is referring to her, as "the C-word". | |||
| * In Donald E. Westlake's "Help I Am Being Held Prisoner," the main protagonist is Harry Koont, generally misheard as hairy cunt, even though Harry helpfully explains that Koont has an umlaut over the o's, thrusting forward the tips of two fingers "as if blinding a midget." | |||
| * In '']'' (''The Killings at Badger's Drift''), a supercilious character says to Detective Chief Inspector ] "You've got a right constable there"; the pronunciation leaves no doubt as to what is actually meant.<ref>Broadcast on ] Tuesday, 18 September 2007</ref> | |||
| ===Rhyming slang=== | |||
| *Several celebrities have had their names used as euphemisms, including footballer ], actor ],<ref></ref><ref></ref><ref>Anonymous ''Dirty Cockney Rhyming Slang'' Michael O'Mara Books Ltd. ISBN 1-84317-035-3</ref> singer ], motor-racing driver ] and Australian television fishing personality ]. | |||
| *A canting form, ''Berk'' - short for "]" or "Berkshire Hunt".<ref>http://www.amatory-ink.co.uk/thesaurus/femalegenitals.htm</ref><ref>http://www.everything2.org/index.pl?node_id=99938</ref> | |||
| *'']'', a phrase used by Australian TV personality ]{{Fact|date=December 2007}} | |||
| *''Silly bunt'' - in a ] sketch, an ] man replaces the initial "c" consonants of words with "b". | |||
| ===Colloquialisms=== | |||
| The term '''cunt hair''' can be used to signify a very small distance; an expansion of 'to move it a hair'. Slight variations may include 'red cunt hair' or RCH, or 'blonde cunt hair'. A chef may refer to vegetables being sliced 'thinner than a cunt hair' or a mechanic may direct a colleague to move a piece of equipment 'to the left just a cunt hair.' <ref>http://www.odps.org/glossword/index.php?a=term&t=5bb05aacb1afb0a6aa</ref>{{Fact|date=February 2007}} | |||
| ===Others=== | |||
| *''Acid cunt'' a term of endearment used among those attending raves or other events where ] may be played. | |||
| *''Punctuation cunt'' - drawn like so: \|/ (a type of ] related to the ]) | |||
| *The name of the American grindcore band ]. Upon getting signed to a bigger label, they shortened their name to AxCx. | |||
| *Scunthorpe, the county town of North Lincolnshire in England has, in football chants and boisterous humour suffered from a term known as the 'Scunthorpe Problem'. Chants like "There's only one 'cunt' in Scunthorpe", whilst etymologically accurate, have been met with disgust.{{Fact|date=December 2007}} | |||
| ==Other meanings== | |||
| The word "cunt" forms part of some technical terms used in seafaring and other industries. | |||
| ===Nautical usage=== | |||
| ] | |||
| A ''']''' is a type of ] used to join two lines in the ] of ships. The two ends are side spliced together with a gap between the two parts, forming a short section where the two lines lay side-by-side when taut.<ref name="falconers">William Falconer, '''' (London: Thomas Cadell, 1780), 1243.</ref> In recent times its name has been ] to "cut splice". | |||
| The ''Dictionary of Sea Terms'', found within ] 1841 maritime ] ''The Seaman's Friend'', defines the word '''cuntline''' as "the space between the bilges of two casks, stowed side by side. Where one cask is set upon the cuntline between two others, they are stowed ''bilge and cuntline''."<ref name="seamans">Richard Henry Dana, Jr., '''' (Boston: Thomas Groom & Co., 1879; Dover Republication 1997), 104.</ref> The "bilge" of a barrel or cask is the widest point, so when stored together the two casks would produce a curved V-shaped gap. | |||
| The glossary of '']'' by ], first published in 1944, defines '''cuntlines''' as "the surface seams between the strands of a rope."<ref name="ashley598">Clifford W. Ashley, ''The Ashley Book of Knots'' (New York: Doubleday, 1944), 598.</ref> Though referring to a different object than Dana's definition, it similarly describes the crease formed by two abutting cylinders.<ref name="ashleynote">Examples of Ashley's usage of "cuntline" are found in the descriptions for illustrations #3338 and #3351.</ref> | |||
| ===US military usage=== | |||
| <!-- Unsourced image removed: ] -->U.S. military men refer privately to a common uniform item, a folded cover (hat) with a seam at the front and back, an opening along the top, and major and minor invagination, as a '''cunt cap'''.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} The proper name for the item is ] or ], depending on the organization in which it is worn. The cap is widely available as an ex-USSR (and satellite state) surplus item in Army/Navy stores. The Russian name being a "pilotka". It is also in use in the United States Armed Forces, notably in the ] as part of its dress uniform and service dress uniform, and in the U.S. Army from World War I until the 1960s. The cap has also been part of U.S. Navy and Marine Corps uniforms, and was used by the Boy Scouts of America up until the mid 1980s when the uniform was redesigned. | |||
| ===Hot-metal printing=== | |||
| In the traditional hot-metal printing industry, a '''cunt lead''' was a term that was formerly used to describe a small additional inter-line gap, usually of less than 1]. The term is derived from the term ] which describes more generally inter-line gaps (from the strips of lead that were used to provide the separations). | |||
| ==Testimonials== | |||
| "I'm a really big fan of ''cunt'' over words like ''pussy'', and especially, ''vagina''. The word has this great guttural sound that lets you get right into it. ''Pussy'' and ''vagina'' are really dirty words – you only ever hear really greasy men saying things like that. ''Cunt'' lets women be vulgar without being derogatory." | |||
| *], at a staging of '']'' | |||
| "Those words ('bullshit', 'prick', 'pissed off', 'fuck you', and 'cunt') are now liberated from shame. They're in the dictionary now, finally. And the reason they came to the dictionary, finally, was through continual usage. Enough guys said to their wives 'YOU CUNT!' ''Pow!'' And that's why it's in the dictionary now: C-u-n-t." | |||
| *], discussing the 1961 '']'' | |||
| I use the word cunt a lot, because the only way to get through to the youth of today is to use words that will grab their attention" | |||
| *] | |||
| ==Notes and references== | |||
| {{reflist}} | |||
| == Further reading == | |||
| *Inga Muscio, | |||
| *Barbara G. Walker, ''The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets'' | |||
| *'']'', a 1999 novel by ] | |||
| *''Lady Love Your Cunt'', 1969 article by ] (see ''References'' above) and 1993 song by UK band ] | |||
| * an article by ] | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * - Celebration of Cunt | |||
| {{SevenDirtyWords}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Revision as of 21:51, 20 December 2007
ROFLTIME!!
CUNT FEELS WARM IN MY BED
IM LAUGHING MY ASS OFF!