[Ads-l] Heard: _cush_ "vulva"

Tue Jun 7 19:09:19 UTC 2016

Interesying Hunt article. I really wonder about the etymology section, though.  Don't the gyne-/queen words have original /kw-/ (as does cow/bovine, but gwena- doesm't look related to gwou-, particularly because the gw- is not a prefix but the first consonant of the root), and the know/ken/kin words have plain /g-/?  The word could come from either of these, I suppose, but not both.  I wonder about the Nostratic evidence too, since the Nostratic hypothesis is far from proven.

Interesting fact about the C-word.  In Scotland, it is thrown around all the time (by males) referring to other males as an insult, but also as a jocular insult.  If someone were really lucky at something (say, making an incredible lot of money gambling on long shots), he might be called "a spawny (i. e. lucky) c**t" in kidding.  The amount of taboo is about the same as if "bastard" were used instead.  This was a shocker for mr. as an American.  

I've heard similar uses in England but only as a real insult.  There's a (in)famous Derek & Clive Live sketch (Peter Cook/Dudley Moore) illustrating this nicely.

----- Original Message -----
> From: "Laurence Horn" <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Sent: Tuesday, June 7, 2016 11:23:16 AM
> Subject: Re: Heard: _cush_ "vulva"
> 
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Heard: _cush_ "vulva"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Slightly OT:  I've been citing Hunt's web-posted magnum opus as it =
> appears at http://www.matthewhunt.com/cunt/.  That seems to be a much
> =
> more comprehension version of the "dissertation" document at the link
> =
> you provide.  But does "awarded 80%" mean that it *was* a 2000 =
> dissertation for a PhD (or equivalent) from Coventry University? If
> so, =
> why is he now studying for a master's?  Or does "dissertation" mean =
> something else in this context? =20
> 
> LH
> 
> 
> 
> > On Jun 7, 2016, at 11:05 AM, Christopher Philippo <toff at MAC.COM> =
> wrote:
> >=20
> > Tom Dalzell and Terry Victor dropped the mention of an Arabic
> > origin =
> from the entry: =
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3Dhttps-3A__books.google.com_bo=
> oks-3Fid-3DabYBCgAAQBAJ-26pg-3DPT5168&d=3DAwIFaQ&c=3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdq=
> w&r=3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsSxPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3DnBCJNd_WHqoz_OOPXwtz=
> AHMPlPT6tTBjVwRTkk0fkh8&s=3DSla68yzaeEvY4BvKRwBy8Aa3m7mzdrT7Tb4TjuntUqU&e=3D=
> =20
> >=20
> > In Partridge and Beale, the entry specifies =E2=80=9Camong
> > servicemen =
> with Near East experience: C.20. Ex Arabic. P.B.: in later C.20 =
> remembered chiedly in the =E2=80=98soldiers=E2=80=99 Arabic=E2=80=99
> =
> phrase shufti cush, let=E2=80=99s see, or show, the cush.=E2=80=9D
>  Any =
> number of questions come to mind, including: Where exactly in the
> Near =
> East?  Near East experience during which war exactly?  What=E2=80=99s
> =
> =E2=80=9Csoldiers=E2=80=99 Arabic=E2=80=9D?  Arabic slang?  Pidgin =
> Arabic?  If pidgin, it could for all we know be derived from the
> English =
> cushion as with the first entry under cush in that dictionary.
> >=20
> > Three guesses below as to how one might spell cush in Arabic,
> > assuming =
> that =E2=80=9Ccush=E2=80=9D was actually a more or less an accurate =
> transliteration - which may or may not be the case.  The Arabic word
> =
> masjid somehow got rendered into English as mosque, so who knows.
> >=20
> > *  kha=E2=80=99 waw sh=C4=ABn starting two entries up from the
> > bottom =
> the right column =
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3Dhttps-3A__books.google.com_bo=
> oks-3Fid-3DE0ZhAAAAcAAJ-26pg-3DPA637&d=3DAwIFaQ&c=3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw=
> &r=3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsSxPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3DnBCJNd_WHqoz_OOPXwtzA=
> HMPlPT6tTBjVwRTkk0fkh8&s=3D4iSj7RNExeoFKdlltReUABLO0nPAUSv8Xl2RQuU6SPE&e=3D=
>  =20
> >=20
> > *  q=C4=81f w=C4=81w sh=C4=ABn startling at the top of the right =
> column: =
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3Dhttps-3A__books.google.com_bo=
> oks-3Fid-3DE0ZhAAAAcAAJ-26pg-3DPA1153&d=3DAwIFaQ&c=3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdq=
> w&r=3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsSxPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3DnBCJNd_WHqoz_OOPXwtz=
> AHMPlPT6tTBjVwRTkk0fkh8&s=3D1TsrkFT9SAHFxXAMRPCRy8zOeh8sG0z2Zq6KITnnbQM&e=3D=
> =20
> >=20
> > *  k=C4=81f w=C4=81w sh=C4=ABn starting seven entries down the left
> > =
> column:  =
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3Dhttps-3A__books.google.com_bo=
> oks-3Fid-3DE0ZhAAAAcAAJ-26pg-3DPA1217&d=3DAwIFaQ&c=3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdq=
> w&r=3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsSxPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3DnBCJNd_WHqoz_OOPXwtz=
> AHMPlPT6tTBjVwRTkk0fkh8&s=3Dj2ZEsI_SHxuxfNMalKWe9LsQUYHyAlwvh4obPKPQbos&e=3D=
> =20
> >=20
> > I tried asking Matthew Hunt, as the word cropped up in his =
> dissertation:
> >=20
> > =E2=80=9C=E2=80=98cush=E2=80=99 (Arabic, from which
> > =E2=80=98kush=E2=80=99=
>  is derived) [=E2=80=A6] Finally, thankyou to Bizarre magazine and
>  the =
> Need To Know website for publicising this dissertation, which was =
> submitted to Coventry University on 8/6/2000 and awarded
> 80%.=E2=80=9D
> > =
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3Dhttps-3A__web.archive.org_web=
> _20010413110758_http-3A__members.tripod.co.uk_mathunt_dissertation.html&d=3D=
> AwIFaQ&c=3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsSxPIWYiZR=
> sMFFaLQ&m=3DnBCJNd_WHqoz_OOPXwtzAHMPlPT6tTBjVwRTkk0fkh8&s=3D_oLi5kxOJmMeL2=
> _ZG3zHMvZtJe238DFEq8oqgNk4nfk&e=3D=20
> > =
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3Dhttps-3A__web.archive.org_web=
> _20010508214810_http-3A__62.52.93.197_mathunt_dissertation.html&d=3DAwIFaQ=
> &c=3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsSxPIWYiZRsMFFaL=
> Q&m=3DnBCJNd_WHqoz_OOPXwtzAHMPlPT6tTBjVwRTkk0fkh8&s=3DxLnmhQC7KrvOA8TLHBQ9=
> 7BuhubeP8DGFvrAdxHPMULs&e=3D=20
> >=20
> > =E2=80=9Cthe Arabic 'cush', 'kush'"
> > =
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3Dhttp-3A__www.matthewhunt.com_=
> cunt_index.html&d=3DAwIFaQ&c=3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf1=
> 3gtz0ZpW1TsSxPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3DnBCJNd_WHqoz_OOPXwtzAHMPlPT6tTBjVwRTkk0fkh=
> 8&s=3DLTCMitvZDlwjNYZNH-mOIwbng84nWlDSj0LLtkh5cxc&e=3D=20
> >=20
> > =E2=80=9CI have a 2:1 BA (Hons) degree in Communication (film
> > studies, =
> journalism, advertising, etc) from Coventry university. I=E2=80=99m =
> currently studying an MA in the same subject, again at Coventry."
> > =
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3Dhttps-3A__web.archive.org_web=
> _20010517010457_http-3A__mhunt.cjb.net_&d=3DAwIFaQ&c=3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7S=
> dqw&r=3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsSxPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3DnBCJNd_WHqoz_OOPXw=
> tzAHMPlPT6tTBjVwRTkk0fkh8&s=3De07J2_190uTIHeIVl3c-jyXYv7hMGwnxuBs88nnjwi4&=
> e=3D=20
> >=20
> > In his e-mail response he indicated he didn=E2=80=99t know what
> > Arabic =
> word =E2=80=9Ccush=E2=80=9D or =E2=80=9Ckush=E2=80=9D was purportedly
> =
> transliterating. =20
> >=20
> > I think one would have to ask native Arabic speakers about the
> > matter =
> to figure it out.
> >=20
> > Chris Philippo
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - =
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3Dhttp-3A__www.americandialect.=
> org&d=3DAwIFaQ&c=3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsS=
> xPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3DnBCJNd_WHqoz_OOPXwtzAHMPlPT6tTBjVwRTkk0fkh8&s=3DHTk54q=
> m2ZTk72QxqITy0I_xluPWQRukUrVmPt0az5-U&e=3D=20
> 
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