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

[neil]

Current "duff' usage in UK is largely confined to an expression indicating
pregnancy = 'up the duff'.

Victorian UK usage was as both buttocks and female genitals.

An American book, possibly by an English author, has the female genital
sense in the 1970s:
'He slid towards me, pinning me in the corner. His hand forced its way
between my thighs, fingers touching the hairs around my duff.'
--Lu Stack, 'Anybody's Girl', Bee-Line Books, NY [1970s, page ref lost]

I see that the US also has "duff" as penis, hence "duff-flogger" = male
masturbator.

-- Neil Crawford

on 8/17/05 7:04 PM, Jonathan Lighter at wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
> Subject:      Re: pussy," adj. = weak; effeminate; cowardly; unmanly; soft or
> easy         eno
>
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>
> Thanks, Neil. "Walter" also uses "duff," which ( like "fanny" ) solely means
> "butt" in the U.S. Is this still current in U.K.?  ( OED has "buttocks" sense
> only, fr. "?1837." )
>
> JL
>
>
> neil <neil at TYPOG.CO.UK> wrote:
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> -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: neil
> Subject: Re: pussy," adj. = weak; effeminate; cowardly; unmanly; soft or
> easy eno
>
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--> -
>
> on 8/17/05 3:45 PM, Jonathan Lighter at wuxxmupp2000 at yahoo.com wrote:
>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> Sender: American Dialect Society
>> Poster: Jonathan Lighter
>> Subject: Re: pussy," adj. = weak; effeminate; cowardly; unmanly; soft or
>> easy eno
>>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> --> -
>>
>> 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" ?)
>>
>> It's the adj./n. relating to weakness and cowardice that I'm asking about.
>>
>> Of course, any pre-1960 *printed* exx. of the pudendal synonym that you may
>> have lying around would be of interest simply because they're so rare.
>>
>> JL
>>
> Don't know whether you have this citation:
>
> 'I had seen the girl's virgin cunt, and recollect the look of pussy, belly,
> thighs, and slit.'
> --Anon, 'My Secret Life c1888-94, [Grove Press edition, page 222]
>
> --Neil Crawford
>>
>> "James A. Landau" wrote:
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> Sender: American Dialect Society
>> Poster: "James A. Landau"
>> Subject: Re: pussy," adj. = weak; effeminate; cowardly; unmanly; soft or
>> easy eno
>>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> --> -
>>
>> In a message dated Tue, 16 Aug 2005 08:05:35 -0700, Jonathan Lighter
>> _wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM_ (mailto:wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM) writes:
>>
>>
>>> 3. In 1969, the word becomes common in print, presumably owing to the
>> relaxed attitude
>>> toward publishing previously taboo language.
>>>
>>> a. The sources strongly suggest that the word, so used, originated in
>> Black
>>> English. Comments ?
>>>
>>> b. Can anyone offer strong testimonial evidence that they were
>> quite familiar with >the adj. before the late 1960s ?
>>
>>
>>
>> George N. Allen _Undercover Teacher_ np: Doubleday, 1960, ASIN: B0007DW8ZK
>> the author, describing his experiences teaching in a New York City public
>> school (I don't have the book available and don't remember the grade he was
>> teaching) describes reading "The Owl and the Pussycat" to his students and
>> having them react to the double-entendre on the word "pussy". Hence the
>> sexual
>> meaning of "pussy" was widespread among New York teenagers by 1960. It is
>> most
>> likely that Allen's class was racially integrated, which certainly does not
>> rule out that this meaning of "pussy" came from Black English.
>>
>> Totally OT: I just discovered that New Jersey has a Downe Township.
>>
>> - James A. Landau
>>
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