Posted by figleaf
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Wed, 2007-11-21 00:24
Photo by Flickr user minnemynx. Used under a Creative Commons license.
Yes, I’m a bit crabby at the moment and thus exceptionally intolerant of oxymorons but why, exactly, is it that the same people who go around saying “pussy” now generally don’t think they should have fur?
Oh yeah, and same goes for “beaver” if anyone besides retired truckers and even older ex-pornographers even say that anymore.
I know, I know, perfectly logical linguistic migration, blah blah blah. And I’m definitely not saying one should or shouldn’t have all the latitude in the world to fashion one’s own hair as one sees fit at any given moment.
What. Ever!
And say, did I accidentally bring home decaf or something? :-)
Submitted by 1763 (not verified) on Wed, 2007-11-21 02:26.
Ha, now there's a topic!
I recently wrote a column about the tendency to have shaved private parts these days. You might like it or have something to say about it:
http://www.cecile-weekly.com/index.php/hurrah-for-furry-kittens-their-ma...
I'm quite curious about your opinion on the matter.
[Funny you should mention that post, Cecile. I actually did comment on it but I think your spam filter probably trapped it. Something about my URL that just makes a lot of filters very suspicious... wonder what it could be. :-) My short answer is I think it's a fashion choice no matter what one choses to do him or herself. And since I shave my face every day most of the time... and then grow the occasional beard or mustache when I feel like it... I'm not exactly an impartial judge of what anyone else decides to do. Thanks! --fl]
Submitted by 1763 (not verified) on Wed, 2007-11-21 09:13.
Heh, you are cranky. I'm going to be the cranky philosopher of language in return if you don't mind.
Pussy as a term for the female genitalia dates to 1879.
Vulva, 1548, Cunt, 1230 (the pejorative use dates back only to 1929 incidentally). Pudendum 1398.
None of these are euphemisms now, just a set of alternate words. Pussy has vulva as one one its meanings. It's only a euphemism when it doesn't. "Her womanhood" is a euphemism. "Her pussy" is slang.
The etymology of pussy is blurry ... its use as a word meaning woman goes back to 1583, and the 19th century transfer probably was metonymy from that use. After all the use of pussy to mean cat only dates to 1726, though puss goes back to 1529.
Of course these are attested use dates and oral use is probably older. In all cases. But it's not at all clear that the transfer is cat to pudendum. It may be cat to woman to pudendum. It may be from woman to cat to pudendum. We assume it is in piece of classic "just-so" etymology.
It's like the old story about banks being called that because they were on river banks at some point in history. Nice, but actually one comes into English from old Norse and the other from Italian or French (where the cognate word meant desk or table, and probably transfered to the institution via metonymy). Etymology is a bad guide to current meaning, though an interesting subject. Just-so etymology isn't a good guide to anything.
[Ok, ok. First of all it's a day or two later and I'm in a much better mood. :-) Second of all, though, what percentage of people who use the word know it didn't originally mean cat? But no matter, since I too love etymology I'm abashed and contrite for not knowing the derivation. Thanks, E. --fl]
Submitted by 1763 (not verified) on Wed, 2007-11-21 09:15.
Grr:
"We assume it is in piece of classic "just-so" etymology." should be:
"We assume pussy applies to vulva because of some analogy to cat in piece of classic "just-so" etymology."
[Got it. Thanks, E. --fl]
Submitted by 1763 (not verified) on Wed, 2007-11-21 10:08.
Well, I was going to comment, but E above clearly knows more than I do.
But from what I was told, which now may be wrong? Pussy came from a word meaning purse.
Submitted by 1763 (not verified) on Wed, 2007-11-21 12:22.
Back to the hairless cats, I used to think bald genitals were a bit odd, a nod to our youth-obsessed culture, but I have found that it does make things a bit neater for all parties to keep that area groomed nicely. No one wants hair in their teeth, after all.
Submitted by 1763 (not verified) on Wed, 2007-11-21 13:51.
Right, Bunny - but trimming is sufficient to keep the hair our of the teeth. I just never understood why anyone would want a Sphinx cat. Ditto for a Sphinx bush.
My dearly beloved and departed cat used to get horrid hairballs, but I didn't shave her to prevent that, either. :-)
Submitted by 1763 (not verified) on Wed, 2007-11-21 14:59.
What E says is very fascinating. I read a review of two books on euphemisms recetly, and it was saying that the problem with euphemisms is that eventually they take on the meaning of the word they were meant to replace, become mainstream, and so a new word haas to be found.
Back to the hairless cat, presumably they have had the characteristic bred into them. It makes me wonder if there is some selection going on in favour of less hairy people. Hairiness wouldn't seem to be considered a particularly attractive feature. Are we as the human race heading towards being like the cat?
You go ahead being cranky figleaf. Sometimes it helps to let off a bit of steam.
Submitted by 1763 (not verified) on Sun, 2008-10-26 15:07.
meep, I just want to quietly mention my good friend who owns two hairless cats and loves them to bits - she thinks they are incredibly adorable...
[Hi Shay! Hey, if more people had hairless cats I'd back down on my double-reverse pun. But in all seriousness it's not the hairlessness part I was fretting about -- it was the word "pussy." And finally, how on earth did you run across this post today? No matter, it's always nice to hear from you. --fl]