| Revision as of 21:43, 26 October 2006 view sourceFuhghettaboutit (talk | contribs)85,115 edits Revert vandalism by EvenFlow516← Previous edit | Revision as of 23:26, 26 October 2006 view source 75.45.194.150 (talk)No edit summaryNext edit → | ||
| Line 5: | Line 5: | ||
| '''Pussy''' is both a slang word referring to the ] and ], and an affectionate term for a ]. Thus it can be used as a '']''. In a less vulgar sense, it can also be a derogatory term implying general weakness or cowardice. | '''Pussy''' is both a slang word referring to the ] and ], and an affectionate term for a ]. Thus it can be used as a '']''. In a less vulgar sense, it can also be a derogatory term implying general weakness or cowardice. | ||
| Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face | |||
| ==Origins== | |||
| The origins of the word are unknown. The ] (OED) explains that the word ''puss'' is common to several '']'', usually as a call name for the cat — not a synonym for "cat", as it is in English. Both the ] and '']'' point out similarities with the ], ''pūss'' (pocket); the ], ''pūse'' (vulva); and the Old English, ''pusa'' (bag), etc.; the ] ] word ''pucelle'' referred to a young adolescent girl or a virgin , although this comes from a slang term for virginity puce (flea) rather than referring to cats. In the ], the term was also used to refer to women in general. | |||
| The word as a description of a weak or cowardly person has an entirely separate etymology from the vulgar term. ] lists this version of ''pussy'' as an alternate spelling of "pursy," an otherwise obsolete English word meaning "fat and short-breathed; fat, short, and thick; swelled with pampering ..." The interpetation is often misconstrued, it contains multi-meanings which some are consider deragatory. In fact, when ''pussy'' appears in the earlier ] edition of the dictionary, this definition is presented for the word, while the older ''pursy'' is simply offered as a "corrupt orthography." | |||
| ''Pursy'' (pronounced with a short ''u'', and with the ''r'' slurred or silent) was in turn derived from an ] word variously spelled ''pourcif'', ''poulsif'', ''poussif'', meaning "to push, thrust, or heave." In this sense, it is cognate with the modern ] word ''pousser'', also meaning "to push.". | |||
| It has been informaly suggested that the word is a shortened form of the word "pusillanimous" which is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "showing a lack of courage or determination" or cowardly. This meaning would seem to be consistent with the intention of the word "pussy" when used as an insult toward a man. | |||
| ==Uses== | |||
| The word in the former sense normally refers almost exclusively to the aforementioned portions of the ] ]. It was not included in ]'s list of ], as it can be used in the sense of ''kitty'', and George Carlin's list was remarking upon words that can ''never'' be said on television. Most dictionaries mark the form referring to a vulva as "vulgar" or "offensive" and its use is frowned upon in polite company. | |||
| The word ''pussy'' can also be used in a derogatory sense to refer to a male who is not considered sufficiently masculine (see ]). When used in this sense, it carries the implication of being easily fatigued, weak or cowardly. | |||
| Men dominated by women (particularly their partners or spouses and at one time referred to as 'Hen-pecked') can be referred to as ''pussy-whipped'' (or simply '']'' in slightly more polite society or media). | |||
| According to the '']'', ''puss'' was used as a "call-name" for cats in both ] and ], but ''pussy'' was used in English more as a synonym for "cat." In addition to cats, the word was also used for ]s and ]s as well as a humorous name for ]s. In the ], according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the meaning was extended "in childish speech, applied to anything soft and furry", as in ]. In thieves' ], it meant "fur coat". | |||
| To ''pussyfoot around'' the question or point means to be evasive, cautious, or conceal one's opinions. The reference is to the careful, soft tread of the cat and has no vulgar implications, other than obvious ties to weakness, which "pussy" sometimes connotes. | |||
| ==Popular culture== | |||
| ] | |||
| The ] has been used for over a hundred years by performers, including the late 19th-century ] act, the ], who performed the notorious routine "Do You Want To See My Pussy?" (see entry for more); the ] song "Pussy", and the character ] in the ] series. On his album, '']'', ] sings a song about a female protagonist named ]. The ] band, ], also has a song called ''Pussy'', almost every line of which is a double entendre. | |||
| One surprisingly risque joke, especially for ], appears in the ] movie, '']''. The bar that Fields frequently attends (tended by ]) is called the "Black Pussy Cat", with "Black Pussy" arched over "Cat" to give it some visual separation. However, it was apparently tame enough that the ] did not take action. | |||
| Another notable usage is in the British comedy '']''. The character Mrs. Slocombe is often heard to be concerned with the welfare of her pussy (cat), presumably unaware of the secondary meaning. This joke was also used with other cast members of the show, showing their unawareness, with lines such as "I hope this (meeting) won't take very long, it's very unfair on Mrs. Slocombe's pussy". In the episode “],” Mrs. Slocombe calls a lonely trucker on ]’ CB radio, setting up perhaps the most intricate pussy joke of the series. He (the trucker) tells her he’s hauling dynamite, and proceeds to ask her about her interests. She notes gardening, but that her pussy is her favorite hobby. She exclaims that she has a mantle full of trophies and that it wins a medal every time she shows it. Then follows the sound of screeching tires and an explosion. Mr. Humphries laments “He’s pulled off for a coffee.” | |||
| The double meaning of the word was exploited in a 2005 episode of the American comedy program '']'', where the word was censored if used as an insult, but not censored if used to mean sweet or gentle (as in pussycat). This also can apply to using pussy as a word for weak. On the TV series '']'', the episode "]" features yet another instance of the above. In this episode, ] receives an "extreme vaginal makeover," but continually exclaims that something is wrong. In one scene, she claims it has freckles, to which ] replies, "Lots of pussies have freckles, like Ron Howard." In the '']'' episode "]", after giving up meat temporarily, ] discovers his body is covered in sores. The doctor informs Stan that the sores are actually tiny vaginas, and that not eating meat is turning Stan into "a giant pussy". In neither of these latter two instances is the word censored. | |||
| == See also == | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| == External links == | |||
| {{Wiktionary|pussy}} | |||
| * by Justine Hankins. ''The Guardian'', June 14, 2003 | |||
| * by ], 2002. | |||
| * | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Revision as of 23:26, 26 October 2006
- For the village, see Pussy, France. For the folktale, see Puss in Boots.
Pussy is both a slang word referring to the vulva and vagina, and an affectionate term for a cat. Thus it can be used as a double entendre. In a less vulgar sense, it can also be a derogatory term implying general weakness or cowardice.
Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face Bryan lubziks face