pussy," adj. = weak; effeminate; cowardly; unmanly; soft or easy eno

[Fred Shapiro]

On Wed, 17 Aug 2005, Jonathan Lighter wrote:

> Actually, the overtly sexual "pussy" is solidly attested from the late
> 19th C.  Your cite does show just how pervasive it had become by 1960.
> (When was the last time you heard a non-child refer to a "kitty" as a
> "pussy" ?)

My wife frequently addresses our two cats as "puddies."  It may be that
she is consciously or subconsciously avoiding the double-entenderish
"pussies."

Fred Shapiro


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Fred R. Shapiro                             Editor
Associate Librarian for Collections and     YALE DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS
  Access and Lecturer in Legal Research     Yale University Press,
Yale Law School                             forthcoming
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