Pussy 113180 225921047 2008-07-16T00:52:57Z Lockesdonkey 337066 /* Word-play between meanings */ {{pp-semi-vandalism}} {{otheruses4|the word ''pussy''|the village in France|Pussy, France}} {{Wiktionary|pussy}} {{TOCright}} '''Pussy''' is an [[English language|English]] [[word]] meaning [[cat]]. It may also refer to the [[female genitalia]] in slang, among other definitions. ==Etymology== The origins of the word are unknown. The [[Oxford English Dictionary]] (OED) says that the word ''puss'' is common to several ''[[Germanic languages]]'', usually as a call name for the cat &mdash; not a synonym for ''cat'', as it is in English. The [[Oxford English Dictionary|OED]] and ''[[Webster's Third International Dictionary]]'' point out similarities with words including:- *[[Old Norse]], ''pūss'' (pocket) *[[Old Saxon]] ''pūse'' (vulva) *[[Old English]] ''pusa'' (bag) The [[medieval]] [[French language|French]] word ''pucelle'' referred to a young adolescent girl or a virgin, although this comes from a slang term for virginity ''puce'' (= [[flea]]) rather than referring to [[cat]]s (but cf. [[French language|French]] ''chatte'' (female cat), a current vulgarism for the female pudenda). In the 17th century, the term was also used to refer to women in general. [[Philip Stubbs]], an English [[pamphleteer]], wrote in his 1583 book "''The Anatomie of Abuses''" that "the word pussie is now used of a woman". It has been informally suggested in [[folk etymology]] that it is a shortened form of the word "pusillanimous" which is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "showing a lack of courage or determination" or cowardly. This meaning would seem to be consistent with the intention of the word "pussy" when used as an insult toward a man. This term, however, comes from the Latin words ''pusillus'' (petty) and ''animus'' (spirit) and is unrelated to the Germanic derivations of ''puss'' and ''pussy''. ==Uses== ===Cat and similar=== According to the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'', ''puss'' was used as a "call-name" for cats in both [[German language|German]] and [[English language|English]], but ''pussy'' was used in English more as a synonym for "cat": compare "pussycat". In addition to cats, the word was also used for [[rabbit]]s and [[hare]]s as well as a humorous name for [[tiger]]s. In the 19th century, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the meaning was extended "in childish speech, applied to anything soft and furry", as in [[pussy willow]]. In thieves' [[slang]], it meant "fur coat". To ''pussyfoot around'' the question or point means to be evasive, cautious, or conceal one's opinions. The reference is to the careful soft tread of the cat and has no vulgar implications, other than obvious ties to weakness, which "pussy" sometimes connotes. ===Genitalia=== The word "pussy" often refers to the [[female genitalia]]. Used in conjunction with "some", the phrase ''some pussy'' refers to [[sexual intercourse]] itself. Most dictionaries mark the anatomical meaning as "vulgar" or "offensive" and its use is frowned upon in polite company. The [[German language|German]] form is cognate (''[[Fotze]]''; compare "Puss-y" to "Fotz-e" [in the style of ''Futs-sy'']), and the (vulgar) [[French language|French]] term "chatte" (literally a female [[cat]]) is analogous. ===Weakness===<!-- This section is linked from [[Cannibal Corpse]] --> The meaning "weak or cowardly person" has a separate etymology. [[Webster's Third International Dictionary|Websters 1913 Revised Unabridged Dictionary]] lists this version of ''pussy'' as an alternate spelling of "pursy," an otherwise obsolete English word meaning "fat and short-breathed; fat, short, and thick; swelled with pampering ..."<ref>[http://machaut.uchicago.edu/?action=search&word=pussy&resource=Webster%27s&quicksearch=on http://machaut.uchicago.edu/?action=search&word=pussy&resource=Webster%27s&quicksearch=on] ''Machaut.uchicago.edu'' Retrieved on 05-02-07 </ref> The interpretation is often misconstrued, as it contains multiple meanings which some consider derogatory.<ref>[http://machaut.uchicago.edu/?action=search&resource=Webster%27s&word=Pursy&quicksearch=on http://machaut.uchicago.edu/?action=search&resource=Webster%27s&word=Pursy&quicksearch=on] ''Machaut.uchicago.edu'' Retrieved on 05-02-07 </ref> In fact, when ''pussy'' appears in the earlier 1828 edition of the dictionary, this definition is presented for the word, while the older ''pursy'' is simply offered as a "corrupt orthography." ''Pursy'' (pronounced with a short ''u'', and with the ''r'' slurred or silent) was in turn derived from an [[Old French]] word variously spelled ''pourcif'', ''poulsif'', ''poussif'', meaning "to push, thrust, or heave." In this sense, it is cognate with the modern [[French language|French]] verb ''pousser'', also meaning "to push." The word ''pussy'' can also be used in a derogatory sense to refer to a male who is not considered sufficiently masculine (see [[Gender role]]). When used in this sense, it carries the implication of being easily fatigued, weak or cowardly. Men dominated by women (particularly their partners or spouses and at one time referred to as 'Hen-pecked') can be referred to as ''pussy-whipped'' (or simply ''[[whipped]]'' in slightly more polite society or media). ===Word-play between meanings=== [[Image:BarrisonPussy.JPG|thumb|250px|right|The [[Barrison Sisters]] lift their dresses to show a live kitten, a double entendre of "pussy".]] [[Image:Mrs Slokum.jpg|thumb|220px|right|Mrs. Slocombe in the BBC comedy ''Are You Being Served?'' She was frequently concerned with the welfare of her pussy.]] The [[double entendre]] has been used for over a hundred years by performers, including the late-19th-century [[vaudeville]] act the [[Barrison Sisters]], who performed the notorious routine "Do You Want To See My Pussy?" (see entry for more); the [[Funkadelic]] song "Pussy", and the character [[Pussy Galore]] in the [[James Bond]] series as well as the 1983 film, ''[[Octopussy]]''. On his album, ''[[The Gold Experience]]'', [[Prince (artist)|Prince]] sings a song about a female protagonist named [[P. Control|Pussy Control]]. The [[Belgian]] band, [[Lords of Acid]], also has a song called ''Pussy'', almost every line of which is a double entendre.<ref>[http://www.lordsofacid.com/lyrics/index.php?show=51 http://www.lordsofacid.com/lyrics/index.php?show=51] ''Lordsofacid.com'' Retrieved on 05-02-07 </ref> One surprisingly risqué joke, especially for 1940, appears in the [[W.C. Fields]] movie, ''[[The Bank Dick]]''. The bar that Fields frequently attends (tended by [[Shemp Howard]]) is called the "Black Pussy Cat", with "Black Pussy" arched over "Cat" to give it some visual separation. However, it was apparently tame enough that the [[Production Code|Hays Office]] did not take action. Another notable usage is in the British comedy ''[[Are You Being Served?]]''. The character Mrs. Slocombe is often heard to be concerned with the welfare of her pussy (cat), presumably unaware of the secondary meaning. This joke was also used with some other cast members of the show (particularly Messrs. Rumbold and Grainger), showing their unawareness, with lines such as "I hope this (meeting) won't take very long, it's very unfair on Mrs. Slocombe's pussy". In the episode "[[Calling All Customers]]", Mrs. Slocombe calls a lonely trucker on [[Mr. Humphries]]’ CB radio, setting up perhaps the most intricate pussy joke of the series. He (the trucker) tells her he’s hauling dynamite, and proceeds to ask her about her interests. She notes gardening, but that her pussy is her favorite hobby. She exclaims that she has a mantle full of trophies and that it wins a medal every time she shows it. Then follows the sound of screeching tires and an explosion. Mr. Humphries laments "He’s pulled off for a coffee". The double meaning of the word was exploited in a 2005 episode of the American comedy program ''[[Arrested Development (TV series)|Arrested Development]]'', where the word was [[censorship|censored]] if used as an insult, but not censored if used to mean sweet or gentle (as in pussycat). This also can apply to using pussy as a word for weak. On the TV series ''[[Drawn Together]]'', the episode "[[Alzheimer's That Ends Well]]" features yet another instance of the above. In this episode, [[Princess Clara]] receives an "extreme vaginal makeover", but continually exclaims that something is wrong. In one scene, she claims it has freckles, to which [[Wooldoor Sockbat|Wooldoor]] replies, "Lots of pussies have freckles, like Ron Howard". In the ''[[South Park]]'' episode "[[Fun with Veal]]", after giving up meat temporarily, [[Stan Marsh]] discovers his body is covered in sores. The doctor informs Stan that the sores are actually tiny vaginas, and that not eating meat is turning Stan into "a giant pussy". In neither of these latter two instances is the word censored. == See also == *[[Profanity]] *[[Obscenity]] *[[Pussy Galore (disambiguation)|Pussy Galore]] *[[Bitch and Animal]], a pair of singers who sang songs including "''Pussy Manifesto''" ==Footnotes== {{reflist}} == External links == *[http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,3605,975787,00.html Don't be so beastly!] by Justine Hankins. ''The Guardian'', June 14, 2003 *[http://www.smc.edu/voices/forerunner/Spring2002/philosophy/pussythispussythat.htm Pussy This, Pussy That] by [[Aura Bogado]], 2002. *[http://www.duke.edu/~tmc/motherpage/lyrics_funkadelic/lyr-ameats.html#lyr-s-pussy Complete lyrics to the George Clinton song from the Motherpage] [[Category:Sexual slang]] [[Category:Profanity]] [[de:Fotze]] [[de:Muschi]] [[eo:Piĉo]] [[fr:Chatte]] [[it:Fica]] [[nds:Muschi]]