A History of the C-Word | Betwixt The Sheets

[@JohnWalker-rt6ue]

They tried to ban “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” in the 1960s for using this word, but they failed. It subsequently became Britain’s top selling book.

[@PaganPunk]

It was Banned in The UK 😂

[@danaglabeman6919]

I haven't seen the new movie so idk if they did this, but in the book Oliver takes time to explain to Constance why it's not a nasty word, why when he uses it to describe her female anatomy it's a word of affection, desire and wonder.

[@Volcano-Man]

It was banned for the use of 'F@#k,' a detailed description of sexual intercourse,' but as I recall not 'C#nt!'

[@supersmudge59]

Slight correction: the hardback edition of Lady Chatterley's Lover had been around for years; it was the prospect, some 40 years after it was first published, of the book appearing in a mass-market paperback edition that caused the establishment to censure and ban the book.

[@frequentlycynical642]

It was banned "everywhere" when it was first published in the 1920's. Here's to Melors and her ladyship a hundred years later.

[@mishmei6111]

this is very funny as an Australian. it's just an everyday word here. it has so many applications too :)

[@PaganPunk]

Same here in the UK 😂

[@1golux]

It's class dependant in Australia! Middle class Aussies use it less.

[@helenbartoszek243]

I'm an Australian in her early 60's and my daughter and her friends were born in the middle 90's. I found that people from my generation are much more liberal in their way of thinking and living. The younger ones are almost prudish and the comedy we thought was hilarious they do not. They also insist every body part be referred to by its correct name, no slang. I was admonished by my daughter for using the word 'fanny'. The Aussie meaning, not the American one. I rarely use the word 'cunt', preferring 'bastard', but my girlfriend uses 'cunt' all the time.

[@newgabe09]

@@helenbartoszek243 except so many young ones use 'vagina' for ''vulva'

[@pierremainstone-mitchell8290]

As a fellow Aussie I fully agree! 🙃

[@crystalwalline6670]

I can tell you as a woman in the U.S., some women absolutely do use it as a woman to woman insult. In fact, I'm not aware of people using it towards men. However, you're right about swearing in the classroom, especially in the conservative south. It's definitely taboo. As a professor, I use swear words to get students' attention, and sometimes they don't like it. I had one course eval that said, "Pr. X swears in class and it's unprofessional and rude!" To which, I thought in my head, "Too f#cking bad." The irony of my knee jerk response made me LOL!

[@lilymarinovic1644]

In Australia it is absolutely used towards men, much more so than towards women. Sometimes as a.friendly insult, sometimes an unfriendly one.

[@barbarawallace6890]

It definitely does get used woman to woman in the US, though if you're trying to be not quite so blunt there are several ......unaccronymmed (?) versions: CU Next Tuesday, Can't Understand Normal Thinking, and one I learned from a friend - Cut Up, Not Toasted 👍

[@southernbridal]

Check this carnt out

[@morticiaheisenberg9679]

I'm a female in America. I call anyone who deserves it, male or female.

[@burdburd2787]

If I get called this word...Good! It means that I did what I set out to do!!!😂😂😂 Stick and stones...

[@debhurd8898]

I'm American, and it's especially horrid here. Sad, because it's my favorite curse word. 😅😅😅

[@johnsperka2253]

I get a smack for ever use!

[@humboldthammer]

The Widow's Tale, on Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, referred to it as her Quaint box. Everybody understood her. How quaint.

[@PaulHarwood-pf7dz]

Rock on! My favorite is "douche bag".

[@grahampovey8073]

In Caernarfon, Wales it's used widely as almost a term of affection.

[@bernard2735]

"Why do the Irish call their currency the punt? Because it rhymes with Bank Manager." Made more sense before the Euro

[@djquinn11]

Very funny, and also true.

[@dorothygorska-tyas6958]

LOLZ ! ! !

[@rhondacrosswhite8048]

I've heard the word 'cunny' used in olde English literature also. We tried using the 'c' word in a graduate-level English class as a way to reclaim the word. Just picture a room full of PhD students cursing up a blue streak! I preferred phrases referring to a poxy dockside dolly mop myself.

[@ChelleLlewes]

I've never heard that phrase before now. It has a terrific alliterative sound to it. Mind if I steal it?

[@mikeg2306]

In Elizabethan “cony” was a rabbit and also that other meaning. Makes it sound kinda endearing.

[@grevillewood6732]

One of the alleged meaning is wedge and if that is the case then there must be some link between the word add the original for women which was a ridge upside down depicting the pubic hairline of a woman

[@ChelleLlewes]

@@mikeg2306 I know the amusement park known as Coney Island was named for the wild rabbits that used to thrive there...I wonder if, at the time, it was also simiarly American slang for same. Supposedly, "under the boardwalk" was a favorite make-out spot...for miles and miles...

[@gordenrussell7266]

I would like to use that as an insult to the young trophy wives who tailgate my Toyota Yaris with their big Mercedes SUVs. But I don't think they have the education to understand what "poxy" or "dolly mop" means.

[@Gary-x2u]

I am 70 years old. The first time I heard that word I was probably around 10 years old. We lived in a very rural area in the arid western US. There was a spring the issues with some force from between two rocks that resembled female labia. I had never heard that before and asked my dad what that word meant. He did answer the question but was pretty uncomfortable with that conversation. All through my youth cunt was used rarely by any of my friends or school mates because it was so derogatory and disrespectful. So wild that language convention has changed so rapidly. I do hear it used in the US occasionally but I even now I can't seem to tolerate hearing it and certainly can't bring myself to use it.

[@camilledvorak7151]

I used to hate it, my older daughter decided it was her favorite word once she turned 18, she made me immune to it. 🤷‍♀️

[@lolabnic]

As a 22 year old, it’s used sooo commonly between my friends and I! It’s a compliment to be “cunty” - it means you look sexy/hot. I feel like we use it as a term of endearment like we have with bitch in the past. But I also like using it as an actual insult if I’m really mad about something. Especially calling a man the c word

[@ChelleLlewes]

I'm about your age, and I grew up the same -- aware of the word, but rarely encountered it in any setting. Something has certainly shifted in the world since then. A burgeoning population without sustainable infrastructure is a big part of it, but that's another discussion. Part of it is that parents no longer teach manners and socially acceptable interactions. They birth offspring because their own parents expected it, but they have zero interest in raising them, so they don't bother. They fully expect the rest of the world to take care of their children on their behalf. And that is why -- several years ago -- I gave myself permission to use that word. I got used to using it pretty quickly, especially since almost nobody batted an eye. I now use it wherever and whenever appropriate without hesitation. It's a choice.

[@DJL78]

I listen & subscribe to this pod on Apple Podcasts. Just popped in to say Kate Lister is a total legend. All the Podcast awards should be hers! 🍸

[@darrenleiberman6250]

Stephen Fry wonderfully redefined Countryside as the killing of Piers Morgan. 😂😂😂😂 this the first time I've been here, I will return, excellent work. 👍

[@ChelleLlewes]

🤣🤣🤣😍😍

[@rorythomson8763]

The most excellent version of the use of the word🤣😂🤣😂

[@Tinyflypie]

That's better than anything Wilde ever said.

[@modjohnsenglishdisco]

We were once thrown out of a party in LA in the 00s for discussing its various usages. Such words have the power to travel long distances through noisy rooms, into hosts ears. It’s such a great word, I wish it didn’t have all the baggage. Also, cat. That could be a willy equivalent. Friendly, inoffensive, multi functional. People are named Willy and Kat. 😊😺

[@Daragh-x3d]

Now people are wondering why I chuckle every time I I hear the word countryside

[@chrisburke802]

In Australia, the Northern Territory tourism department has a slogan: CU in the NT in which the lower case letters are in a much smaller font size.

[@pashakdescilly7517]

Or next Tuesday. Or next Thursday....

[@johnsperka2253]

I’m there!

[@Tinyflypie]

That's so great. I love it

[@blackwoodrichmore4531]

CU next time...

[@AJNpa80]

Sounds like my happy place.

[@bernard2735]

Hamlet: Lady, shall I lie in your lap? Ophelia: No, my lord. Hamlet: I mean, my head upon your lap? Ophelia: Ay, my lord. Hamlet: Do you think I meant country matters? Ophelia: I think nothing, my lord. Hamlet: That’s a fair thought to lie between maids’ legs. Hamlet: ACT 3. SC. 2, Lines 119-125

[@dorothygorska-tyas6958]

WOW ! ! ! Good one. . .

[@psykome489]

The only time it seems people actually listen to me is when i use curse words. One of my neighbors attacked me saying i called her a cunt in front of her grandson... now that is my preferred name for her.

[@ThatsMrPencilneck2U]

One morning, one of my instructors taught me an acronym, "Can't Understand Normal Thinking." Latter that day, at work, while at work using a computer, a girl who needed the same computer started kicking my stool, instead of waiting her turn. I shared with her what I had learned at school, that day, and she started kicking my stool even harder!

[@jktolford8272]

Hope she had steel toed boots

[@bernard2735]

'Ye shul have queynte right ynogh at eve.' Chaucer - The Wife of Bath's Prologue ca. 1387-1400

[@eugeneclasby518]

See my comment above. This silly session does not deal with the history of the word. Amateur night. Swearing for fun and money.

[@mrpocock]

In Newcastle when the pollies were rebranding as universities, signage went up for the City University of Newcastle upon Tyne, or C.U.N.T. - it to about 5 days until the signs came down and another name chosen.

[@jamesthompson7282]

Love that! Bureaucrats are idiots! Politicians too. Local level In Toronto idiots in the School Board decided to rename Scarlett Heights High School, rebranding it as Scarlett Heights Institute of Technology. Cool name. Announced in June, by September the Student Council had bust a gut & launched initiation week with T-shirt sales celebrating the school's new name: "I go to SHIT high!" Quick name change by the school didn't slow t-shirt sales. The idea behind the rebranding was to make clear a change in educational focus for the school, de-emphasizing classical education in favor of the trades. Instead it debunked the idea & discredited the whole notion of demoting English & basic writing skills. The bureaucrats couldn't see this coming? National politics In politics at the Federal level the ideologically-driven Reform Party in 2003 (Canada's version of the US Tea Party) took over the Progressive Conservative Party, recently smashed at the polls. These brilliant idiots debated at their policy convention for days, finally re-branding the newly merged political party as the Conservative Reform Alliance Party. Hours & hours of debate while members of the Press in attendance slapped their heads & struggled to maintain composure, yet none of these jerks could see what was staring them in the face. The new name was announced nationally next day to nationwide guffaws & derision: this was obviously a group not deserving credibility. Points, though, for honesty: they aptly described that they were full of themselves. They changed the name immediately, but continue to live up to it. You can't make this sh!t up. I'm amazed that the MAGA crew in the US haven't committed this kind of faux pas. It'd be in character.

[@stscc01]

😂😂😂

[@highdownmartin]

Cambridge university netball team. (Apocryphal)

[@raymondhagerty1769]

Would make a great coffee mug.

[@kimbarnetson3297]

I work with young children and so often the girls are not taught anatomical names for their genitals and are given words which sound like a cute pet! I always explain to parents that a child needs to be able to name body parts as part pf their own safeguarding. I'm not sure how many parents would be ok with cunt but vagina is ok , as long as we don't explain the origin of the word 😂

[@johnsperka2253]

I still miss my 1999 Volvo that my daughter’s first car. She lovingly named her “Vulva”! Damn fine car- sorely missed.

[@timmaxwell2348]

I knew a couple in Houston that called their Volvo a Vulva (in a very affectionate way) :)

[@MrBoudin7]

Great 😂

[@Lololeelee]

I just laughed at work reading this 😂

[@paulbennett772]

In Third Rock "I have a red Volvo"....

[@mrfearsmom8857]

Just found this channel ❤ i love it! And yes i felt sufficiently warned 😂

[@Conn30Mtenor]

I'm Canadian, living in Australia. They use the C word here as noun, verb, adjective and exclamation mark.

[@JanosBanics]

Yes

[@johnkerry1524]

Also used as a greeting between males. Almost a term of endearment.

[@proposterous3180]

I'm a Canadian living in Canada, I am trying to start it here

[@JamoRox75]

You know it C***!

[@stefanwolf888]

True that

[@allanrichardson1468]

One of the amusement parks associated with a famous American brewery is in Tampa, Florida. In at least one hospital in the area, the (mostly female) nurses in the Ob-Gyn section of the ER have nicknamed their workplace “Bush Gardens.”

[@gordenrussell7266]

I hope that means that the fad to get Brazilian waxing has waned. I am so old, when I was young, only porn stars shaved their bush. I have never been shy about carpet munching.

[@allanrichardson1468]

@@gordenrussell7266 Obviously it has to be shaved for delivery or surgery, for sanitary reasons. But I never heard what percentage were unshaven on admission to the ER. It’s none of my business!

[@eliech7112]

Thank you for this knowledge ☺️

[@David-hl6mr]

A very dry subject I thought when the Podcast started but as time went on I found it becoming much juicier.

[@Tinyflypie]

😂😂😂😂

[@gordenrussell7266]

Well I just got bored stiff that I couldn't lick that subject.

[@helenbartoszek243]

Haha! Good one!😅

[@franktuckwell196]

A much needed explanation of one of our historical "Taboo" words. Then there is the slang saying of See (c) you (u) next (n) Tuesday (t). But generally in my experience, it just means an extreme idiot. The best way to dilute theexceptions that people make to the use of this word is by treating it the way you have, by making it commonplace, without the extremist insult attached and talking in a matter of fact way without laughing about it is just about the best way to do it. Thankyou for a very informative discussion.

[@scoobsm6994]

Pretty commonly used here in Australia. Obviously context dependent, but liberally used.

[@cowboynyc]

In a letter to a young orator, Cicero told him not to use the word "cunnus" because it upset the audience. So the word has been obscene since long before the English language existed. Chaucer's "queynte" (toy) is actually a pun on the c-word, not the c-word itself. Shakespeare has "country matters," of course; but also "sea of troubles" suggests "C of troubles."

[@gordenrussell7266]

This is the reference to Latin that I was looking for.

[@davidmills3569]

Here in Spain, granny's and parents can often be heard calling young children 'coño' which is effectively the same word.

[@lasentinal]

If someone calls me the C word, I thank then giving me the title of the most delightfully useful part of the female anatomy.

[@jeffreyallgood9689]

Right on Brother!

[@Harley_Girl68]

@@lasentinal 😂😝😆

[@danaglabeman6919]

Male and female connectors are in irrigation plumbing too. You LITERALY screw the male connector into the female connector

[@davidwright7193]

It is standard in all engineering where connectors are used. But you do have to remember that nuts are female connectors.

[@tracik1277]

It’s the same with tv aerial connectors. I’m surprised that most people don’t know this terminology.

[@dannydetonator]

Yeah i know, imagine being jealous of connectors..

[@gordenrussell7266]

It's the same for electrical connectors, such as plugs and outlets. A fancy word for outlet is a receptacle.

[@tracik1277]

@@gordenrussell7266 Sounds more like it should be word for inlet.

[@williesnyder2899]

In old sailing terms a “cuntline” is the gap betwixt the strands of a laid (twisted) rope. In early water resistance practice the cuntlines were caulked with “small stuff” (lighter diameter cordage) and often pine tar. The whole was then covered with canvas strips which were impregnated with tar, before being tightly “served over” the circumstance with serving cordage. More tar may finish this off. Take care to keep your cuntlines properly attended!!

[@jcpmac1]

@williesnyder2899: Would you happen to know when the term was replaced?

[@michaelcase8574]

You said it even better than I did in my comment. Thanks!

[@tonysadler5290]

I think someone is pulling your leg - I worked for a number of years as a watch officer/Coxswain on traditional sailing vessels; including square rigged and schooners. I Sailed in several Tall Ships Races and FT Clipper Regattas. During refit I and the Bosun would tend the rigging including "worm, parcel and serve" the standing rigging which you refer to in your text as filling the gap between the lays of rope. In all my time I never heard it referred to as "cuntlines" !

[@oml81mm]

Worm and parcel with the lay, turn and serve the other way.

[@bryanwalker6125]

Other swear words can also be used affectionately or angrily. You can say to your best friend, "You old bugger. Where have you been for the last month". You could threaten an enemy; "List you bugger, another word from you like that and you will lose your tongue!"

[@JimmyStewartjimmy]

Picked up my neighbour's 7-year-old girl from school. She informed me she was shown the difference between boys and girls. I have a Volvo. I said no, you have not. I do so my teacher told me she said. No you don;t a Volvo is a car made in Sweden, you have a vulva.

[@Harley_Girl68]

So is anyone here remember or listen to Grand Funk Railroad? They have a song called T.N.U.C. Just read that title backwards.

[@lilymarinovic1644]

Northern Territory in Australia had a tourism advertising tag line "C U in the NT".

[@jenniferlevine5406]

Awesome podcast. Definitely offensive in Canada and we are, for the most part, not religious. However, we do take our cues from the US. Very interesting history. Thanks so much!

[@JanosBanics]

The way north continental westerners say it is just wrong. So yeah it's offence. Try saying it with a hard u like an Aussie or kiwi or a rounded u like the Irish or Scots.

[@amandapittar9398]

Why is it when Cathy says it, the word almost has two layers? She says it so beautifully…

[@operaguy1]

In the American Songbook you find "I've Got A Crush On You." There is a line about finding "a cunning little cottage we could share." It is possible to conceptualize this non-sexually. Once that is accomplished, you can peek around the corner and admit that they want the adorable cottage ....... in which to be cunning. If you catch the drift.

[@louisejakobsen19]

In Denmark, we have a name for children to use when describing genitalia. pee wife for female genitalia and pee man for male genitalia.

[@IntrepidFraidyCat]

36:50 Weirdly, Mrs. Slocum just popped into my mind. 😺😆

[@ThePeaceableKingdom]

A song: from D'Urfey's "Pills to Purge Melancholy", 1719 "My mistress is like a hive of bees In yonder flowery Garden: To her they come with loaden thighs, To ease them of their burden. As under the bee-hive lieth the wax, And under the wax is honey, So under her waist her belly is placed - And under that, her cunny." "My mistress is a like mine of gold, Would that it were her pleasure To let me dig within her mould And roll among her treasure! As under the moss the mould doth lye, And under the mould is mony, So under her waist her belly is placed - And under that, her cunny." ... and there are several more verses. (Hope no one is offended by me posting a 305yo comic song. )

[@gordenrussell7266]

That answers the historical question I had about the origin of the spelling of cunnilingus.

[@helenbartoszek243]

Not at all

[@ThePeaceableKingdom]

@@helenbartoszek243 😊 Thanks! 😊

[@1bigapple2]

In my 80 years of observing life I’ve come to understand that language devolves into commonality. My mother would reprimand my dad when he used the word “bullshit”! Of course, it means a little to nothing today. Other, coarser, words have also fallen into commonality. The word fuck and all its derivatives are commonplace today, but were highly offensive in my younger years. It seems to me that we will be running out of offensive words pretty soon, which is probably a good thing. Then we will have no way to offend anybody.

[@DruinStLouis]

Collective gasps, wide eyes, hands over mouths and stunned glances are the result of a woman being called this word in anger. This word is rarely used here 🇺🇸. The user of the word is seen as classless and incredibly vulgar. It is a shocking word.

[@chrishutton1458]

As a guy, I'd like to say it was good to hear a sensible (mostly) discussion on this subject. As a techie (BEng Electronic Engineering) I agree it is long overdue that we learn to call a plug a plug!

[@rjlchristie]

Except when it's a socket.

[@gushale3306]

As a Londoner I really enjoyed this, I grew up with this as a part of everyday banter and having spent a lot of time amongst Celtic folk, just a really refreshing look at the use of language. American Beauty is an example of the use from one female to another in the modern age 😊

[@lyleswanson7557]

You don't meet many guys named Mike Hunt anymore.

[@ThreenaddiesRexMegistus]

Had a rural neighbour with W. Anker on his letterbox. I’ve met a few Mikes too. 👍🏻

[@micksherman7709]

@@ThreenaddiesRexMegistusThe barmaid is often asked to find him.

[@philipgeorge5708]

Porkys " Has anyone seen Mike Hunt"

[@GillianBergh]

His friend is Hugh Johnson.

[@landiahillfarm6590]

I'm glad this is out there! Yes, In America, I cant think of a more derogatory thing you can call a woman. And to call a man this... look out. Quick story, my son-in-law is an Aussie and without realizing the dangers involved called an opposing Rugby player this on field, who just happened to be a member of an all POLICE FORCE team, and it almost started a riot right in the middle of the game! LOL

[@camilledvorak7151]

I had no sooner started this program than one of my cats decided to yowl and hurl. You know what I called her... in honor of this podcast of course. 😾

[@Harley_Girl68]

I have a issue with that word but it’s because my ex called me that meaning it in a very nasty and abusive way. So the word is hard for me.

[@margaretmoore1621]

I hear you girl. Sex play with someone you like and using the word cunt then is different can being called a cunt by some a******.

[@katmandudawn8417]

I just think it’s a very harsh and ugly word. I don’t feel comfortable with it. Why not pussy? And as an American I have no problem with Fanny. Here it’s either a diminutive/ nick name for Frances or what we call your butt. It’s not a bad word. I’m just glad we don’t use cunt much , it’s too ugly and mean.

[@gordenrussell7266]

The issue I had with my ex was that she said everything was my fault because, "it's the way you are." When I asked her what she meant by that, she just kept repeating herself. I kept asking her to explain, so that I could change myself to her liking, but she only repeated herself again. The thing is, I was the same as I was when she first met me, so why did she marry me at all? If it was all because of the way I was, she should have spotted that on our first date.

[@Harley_Girl68]

@@gordenrussell7266 sometimes people don’t realize they have changed. Just remember it might not have been you that changed but her. When we are a couple we think that our partners are changing at the same rate we are. Sometimes it’s true sometimes it’s not.

[@1bigapple2]

@@gordenrussell7266. ????????

[@steveslight9312]

I remember when I was at primary school in the 50s being told I was a 'see you next Tuesday '. I didn't understand so when I went home I asked my mother. With much embarrassment she dismissed it as being naughty.

[@megb9700]

I’ve been called a “hole.” I’ve called men “bags.” The men were so confused. They honestly had to think about it, by then I had escaped the situation.

[@ssgtmole8610]

Isaac Asimov referred to men in one of his books as "walking bags of sperm."

[@aananimity]

Curious when the word began to change from a harsh word to call someone, to a cutesy word to use for joking around? I'm in the US, and I pull it out very rarely, but its always fitting.

[@selwynr]

So to speak.

[@barrywerdell2614]

One of my favorite Singer/Songwriters is Don McLean. Many years ago he came out with a live double album and besides performing his songs he sang some old Galic songs. One was titled "Gordies Lost His Pencker" about a young boy who lost his marble(his pencker) There were many Galic words I had never heard of in this song, One was " cundie which is Galic for sewer, maybe that's why your word is so dispised because you are calling them a sewer.

[@gordenrussell7266]

In birds and reptiles, the cloaca comes from the Latin for, "common sewer." Yet the sewers of Rome were so important that there was a temple of Venus at the central meeting point of the sewers, and the statue of Venus there was named the "Venus Cloacina."

[@AlecBrady]

"Cundie" isn't Gallic, it's English, from "conduit".

[@therealzilch]

Wow. Equal parts funny, fascinating, and cunning. Subscribed. Cheers from cloudy Vienna, Scott

[@sethmoroni]

This is the same in Australia and New Zealand.

[@andrewweatherhead4127]

Part of Australian vernacular. From term of endearment to insult. Silly c, dirty c, etc

[@jmyers9853]

it may be an old maritime term. i found it in an old nautical dictionary refering to the space between two raps of line on a spool of tightly wrapped line, it space between two wraps of line around the spool known as the c---tline.

[@jonthomas9708]

In French slang the word is la chatte, NOT le chat

[@davidwright7193]

However in English subtitles it is always translated as “cat” nobody ever translates it as “pussy” which would give a clear double meaning close to that in French.

[@johnjones4129]

The words are pronounced differently….”t” sound ending in chatte……chat has a silent “t” prounced cha

[@jonthomas9708]

@@davidwright7193 I learned the other day that chatte is not just French slang for pussy but a legitimate word for a female cat. Why the default noun for a cat is male I have no idea. What about le chien ? Is there a female variant for a bitch. Whoops!

[@terryyates5131]

Australian here, many years ago we had a political party, the Country Party, that represented rural communities, farmers ,non city types etc. Giving a speech, the politician says "I'm your Country member" A fellow yells out, " Yes, I remember"

[@Dharma_Bum]

That was Gough Whitlam’s response to Winton Turnbull

[@allanrichardson1468]

Tom Scott pointed out in a video that a town in the UK is named Scunthorpe.

[@ThaiEcka555]

'Who put the cunt in Scunthorpe?' still makes me smile.. 😊

[@wordsmithgmxch]

Two ethnologists up with the Sioux Wired home, "Send two punts, one canoe." The answer next day said, "Girls on the way, But what in hell's name's a 'panoe'?"

[@petercroft9895]

In sailing ship days, the rope tied around and vertically down a barrel stowed in the hold was known as a cuntline. Or so I've read.

[@nicholasflynn5376]

Used pretty liberally here in Ireland, and like Scotland sometimes used as a term of endearment.

[@fauxtaux]

I would like this a thousand times more if it would help the algorithm. I loved this more than any other podcast. Thanks 🙏

[@GlennDuke-yc5ky]

I do not want to denigrate that which I adore!

[@lesscott4301]

As an alternative we could borrow from other languages. Indonesian for example. 'Faraj' is a good one

[@mystik.mermayde.aotearoa]

Very interesting history! Thank you! 🌟

[@sydneyturner2334]

My favourite word, I love it. You can really get your tongue around it

[@nikoteardrop4904]

As a Roma-descended person, we could definitely have a conversation about racial slurs that are still considered entirely acceptable in contemporary culture...

[@JauntyCrepe]

True that. I hate that people still use that word casually

[@JanosBanics]

Welcome to Australia mate the land where mate call each other c@#t.

[@brianc9374]

​@@JauntyCrepe what word

[@RobespierreThePoof]

​​@@JauntyCrepe she means the word Gypsy most likely. Many people are completely unaware that the word is perceived by Roma people as pejorative. Academics in anthropology and history would just tell you that the word is very inaccurate. It comes from a time when the origins of the Roma were unknown and there was a guess of Egyptian origins that caught on. However depending which European language we are taking about, there are more severe pejoratives for Roma people. Though since we are speaking English, at least in Britain, theirs are widely known to be slurs and avoided by mainstream culture. And honestly, I can't remember ever hearing the word Gypsy in over ten years living in Britain.

[@johnjones4129]

@@RobespierreThePoofjazz manouche..is still widely referred to as gypsy jazz…….

[@LoriDitchfield]

Like when did we start calling a-hole types douchebags? I'm from the states, and, at least in the northeast, that seems to be our go-to slam.

[@elizabethmcglothlin5406]

Using female associated terms as derogatory slams is a bit disturbing.

[@jonthomas9708]

Plus it's a clumsy term with no crispness or punch. A super crap insult

[@christinelamb1167]

Yeah, "douchebag" is one I've never understood. It doesn't even make any sense!

[@susanaltman5134]

I hate douchebag as it was used by mainly by angry young males, when I was growing up. I have been wondering how it became deemed acceptable.

[@blauskie]

Not enough pictures.

[@walterbrown8694]

Some 70 years ago, I was taking a required English course in engineering school. In one of the classes, the professor was covering the history of some of the common words which were widely forbidden or at least strongly discouraged in generally accepted language use, professionally, or in public discourse. "Cunt" was one as an example. Professor told us it had originated in Mediterranean Europe, and was a Latin word actually spelled queinte, as I remember. I don't remember the Latin meaning he gave, but the word became Anglicized and misspelled eventually, to become the one we use today.

[@michaelcase8574]

Add ing to the word is a nautical term for winding a small string along a rope on the crevices along the length. It fills it in.

[@Pou1gie1]

@48:06 Spinster actually has an interesting history that should make it a "reclaiming" word. Hundreds of years ago the job of spinning yarn was given as a tedious job for women. As fabrics are important, yarn spinning gained value and women became financially independent. This independence allowed them to not be forced into marriage, which meant that women were waiting longer to get married, not marrying at all, or becoming more choosy about who they married. This angered men, as they felt threatened, and they started calling women "spinsters" to be a derogatory term for a woman who can financially live on her own.

[@simonstearman4467]

Absolutely brilliant ,informative funny,and refreshing 👍

[@Roberta-q1q]

Oldest if you equate it with "quaint" in Chaucer! I forgot which characters, but when ""he grabbed her by the quaint" that was all the etymology I needed! Although that may have been a matter of translation, it seemed clearly connected in that context.

[@christopherstube9473]

I seem to remember that the word appeared as coynt in the Unexpurgated Version of the 1001 Arabian Nights. It was a translation by Sir Richard Francis Burton.

[@johnwheeler1629]

It amazes me why so many people in this world are afraid of a word. I'd say they are the ones with a problem.

[@russellblake9850]

Have you heard Kevin "Bloody" Wilson's sketch "you can't say C*nt in Canada" ? Being in Canada it is extra funny, being an Oz in Canada is just the icing !

[@pmccord9]

Wonderful discussion. Thanks 😮

[@StuartDeBolt]

This was actually the cause of an appearance in San Diego Family Court; the ex claimed that her alimony checks were listed w/the 'C' word instead of her correct middle initial 'L.' "Sorry yr honor, all my expenses are handled by my secretary & she made an honest mistake" 😉😉😉

[@tomsanderson4983]

It's like most words. Their literal definition is forgotten and their meanings have changed to reflect emotion.

[@grahamecollins8824]

I thought it was short for Can't Understand Normal Thought.

[@melissapinol7279]

I was one of those unfortunates who was brought up with "front bottom". It really confused me, making me mix up my reproductive parts with parts used for elimination. Yuck.

[@ginoc44]

The only time I've heard that term is when a friend here in Canada told me that he was in the UK and referred to his fanny pack. He was pulled aside and told that over there it means "front bottom". What I want to know is how the heck fanny, which was a woman's name and over here means bum, made that particular jump.

[@kenhutley971]

Delightful, interesting and informative. Thank you!

[@micksherman7709]

The word is cognate with the Welsh cwm which means a valley.

[@cdshull]

The word shares an Indo-European etymological root with the word "cottage", the root meaning "small enclosed space".

[@davidchurch3472]

Medically speaking, one can get vaginitis in any sheath : this being usually a tendon-sheath, and is commonest around the wrist.

[@RobertStoneman-tl7yn]

The C is actually a knot tied by old time sailing ship sailors- the finishing end of folding back the splicing

[@judithsmith9582]

Furthermore, when to referring to items as "male" or "female" is not only used in technological aspects but almost universally. I can't think of a better method of describing functionality when it comes to that! Almost like trying to describe "clockwise" and "counterclockwise" in this digitally immersed era.

[@briseboy]

When Australians called me that name, not quite understanding their accent, I would say: " Oh yes i can!"

[@DrakeN-ow1im]

As for epithets - 1930s recording on the uchoob - Agnes Pemberton "My Front Bottom".

[@alalder1533]

I remember in physics at school the apparatus to determine the velocity of sound (I think?) was called Kundt's tube! Lots of titters in the science lab!

[@tzor]

Towards the end of the video, you make references to the interesting problems crossing the pond. I remember a wonderful story my mother told me when she was dating a person from Bermuda in the 1950's (she was from New York). In that story, he had gone to NYC to see her, and she took him to the musical of the time which was "Fanny." It took her much time to realize his discomfort he had with the repeated words, because in the Americas, "fanny" referred to a woman's backside, not her front (or technically bottom) parts. Fast forward to the 21st century in the U.S. and my annoyance with people calling headgear in the form of a vulva, "vagina" hats. We need to have an honest vocabulary about anatomical parts and Latin doesn't really do the job.

[@terryfox9344]

Interesting. I am 75. I distinctly remember my father and mother referring to inanimate objects as being the male part and the female part. As a child I knew which parts they were calling "male" and which parts they were calling "female", but I had no idea why they described things that way. So, for me, it wasn't "sexual" at all. It was just these things are "male" and these things are "female", with no explanation why they were describing the things that way. I think that understanding makes much more sense in languages other than English, where everything has a "gender", that is totally unrelated to sex.

[@lavern007]

A woman went absolutely white faced when I referred to her as a civilian in the navy. She had eight years in the navy and had never been to sea. She heard Civilian Under Naval Training. Yeah, she was one those kind who looks to be offended. I heard never heard the term. Had to ask what she was talking about….twice. Third time she spelled it out for me. Took a second before I got it. That’s not what I said.

[@matthewmclean1011]

In australia this word is mostly used in a friendly context when calling your mate a dumb c**t is fine but saying to another a 4andom person, mate your a c***t your about to get hit

[@dalee.mccombs8571]

Too much background noise ! Ifinallygave up.

[@HankD13]

"See you next tuesday" - is said to coppers on a daily basis 😁 And as an ex-soldier it was a very normal, standard word of everyday conversation for a whole range of meanings.

[@bomat761]

I’m American, and have always enjoyed the word. Unfortunately I’ve always been frowned upon for using it, whether or not used in anger.

[@roderickmain9697]

In history we had a kingdom ruled by a King, then we had an empire ruled by an Emperor, now we have a country.... That is fascinating stuff though. And yes, in my experience, women use words beginning Sl** more often than C***. That said, C**t is still sometimes used by women towards other women - probably without thinking about the linguistic significance. (Interesting to get Kathy Burke's take on that)

[@jeffreyoneill6439]

As a traditional seaman the space betweenthe swists of three or four layed line is called a cuntline.

[@rvrschrs64]

When I was in the US Army in the 60's the flat cap that was a sort of semi dress item was often called a "cunt cap" as a descriptive term.

[@maramé.r]

In a medical environment, in the UK, the tendency is to refer to “down below”

[@gordenrussell7266]

I was hoping to find a real History with the definitive first use of the word. But at most, the piece only discussed use since Medieval times as it came out of old Germanic usage. I started skipping portions out of boredom, so I may have missed the real historical references. I only heard one sideways mention of Latin origins and no origin of cunnilingus. So if lingus refers to tongue, than does cunni mean vagina?