Pussy

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For the village of Pussy in France, see Pussy, France. For the European folktale, see Puss in Boots.

Pussy is both a vulgar word referring to the vulva and vagina, and an affectionate term for a "cat". Thus it can be used as a double entendre. It can also be a derogatory term implying cowardice.

1 Origins
2 Uses
3 Popular culture
4 See also
5 External links

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Origins

The origins of the word are unknown. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) explains that the word "puss" is common to several Teutonic languages, usually as a call name for the cat — not a synonym for "cat", as it is in English. Both the OED and Webster's Third International Dictionary point out similarities with the Old Norse, pūss (pocket); the Low German, pūse (vulva); and the Old English, pusa (bag), etc.; the medieval French word pucelle referred to a young adolescent girl or a virgin [1], although this comes from a slang term for virginity puce (flea) rather than referring to cats. In the 17th century, the term was also used to refer to women in general.

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Uses

The word in the former sense normally refers almost exclusively to the aforementioned portions of the female anatomy. It was not included in George Carlin's list of seven dirty words, as it can be used in the sense of kitty, and George Carlin's list was remarking upon words that can never be said on television. Most dictionaries mark the form referring to a vulva as "vulgar" or "offensive" and its use is frowned upon in polite company.

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. This meaning for the word may arise as a shortened form of 'pusillanimous'.

Men dominated by women (particularly their partners or spouses) can be referred to as pussy-whipped (or simply whipped in slightly more polite society or media).

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, puss was used as a "call-name" for cats in both German and English, but pussy was used in English more as a synonym for "cat." In addition to cats, the word was also used for rabbits and hares as well as a humorous name for tigers. 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.

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Popular culture

Image:Mrs Slokum.jpg 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"; the title Octopussy (Eight Pussy = Ate Pussy = Cunnilingus) and the character Pussy Galore in the James Bond series. On his album, The Gold Experience, Prince sings a song about a female protagonist named Pussy Control. The Belgian band, Lords of Acid, also has a song called Pussy, almost every line of which is a double entendre. [2]

One surprisingly risque 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 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.

The double meaning of the word was exploited in a 2005 episode of the American comedy program Arrested Development, where the word was censored if used as an insult, but not censored if used to mean sweet or gentle (as in pussycat).

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