Euphemisms, or terms used in place of other words, and slang are a key part of how we talk about all things intimate. While vagina and penis are the ‘proper’ terms, they feel awkward when talking casually compared to pussy and dick. Every language and time period has its own words to describe body parts, sex acts and types of people. Sometimes we hold on to those words for centuries, but sometimes old slang sounds bizarre and downright comical!
The following are made available by The Project Gutenberg publication of The 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, originally by Francis Grose.
Doing The Deed
There are infinite ways to describe the horizontal tango; like knocking boots or getting laid. At the turn of the 19th century, you could have a brush with a beautiful woman, or relish her. If it was a quickie, you would take a flourish, and if you decided to have a mostly clothed romp outside of the bedroom, you would be taking a flyer.
Sugar Sticks & Bubbies
Slang terms for body parts are also common and change constantly. What we call boobs, titties and ta-tas, were once called diddeys, bubbies and a woman’s apple dumplin’ shop. A busty woman could be called a bushel bubby! As for pussy, the words quim and madge were popular euphemisms.
Don’t worry, dicks were not forgotten! Cocks were described as deliciously naughty sugar sticks and if you were a shower, not a grower, you might be described as having a lobcock. One of the wittier phrases was the silent flute.
People
Not all parts of language change though; this 18th-century text still described well-endowed blokes as well-hung. Also, while gold digger usually refers to a young woman and a rich man, the term fortune hunter was reserved for men who were seeking wealthy wives!
There are also many terms for promiscuous ladies, sex workers and women in general, though some aren’t as kind as others. Dirty puzzle is defined as “a nasty slut” which has definitely appeared in more than a few XXX video titles. A few highlights include quean, trollop and strumpet all referring to lusty babes, plus harlot of course!
Language is constantly changing and as new words emerge, the old ones can fade away. It’s amusing to imagine using those words today since they seem so foreign to us. If you fancy taking a flourish of your own, check out the available babes here!