by Irisibis on October 23rd, 2009

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When I was in my teens in the UK, we all always used the word 'fanny' rather than 'pussy'. Now I say 'pussy' and I haven't heard anyone say 'fanny' in the anatomical sense in years. Do you think it is falling out of use?

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by Bugs-Bunny on November 9th, 2009
In the US "fanny" means the butt, but in the UK (and most of the commonwealth) "fanny" means the pussy. I am actually the other way around, I now use the word fanny while when I was younger in the US I used the word pussy. I suppose it depends on where you currently live, but my experience is exactly backwards from yours -- funny. :)
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- That is interesting... where do you live now?
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  by Irisibis on November 9th, 2009
- Africa ... and u?
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  by Bugs-Bunny on November 9th, 2009
- Northern England :-)
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  by Irisibis on November 9th, 2009
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by Brian on October 23rd, 2009
I've always understood "fanny" to mean the butt.
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- Not in the UK - it has never meant arse here. It always means vagina. A cause of some misunderstanding - never offer to slap an English woman on the fanny or use the term fanny pack (we call it a bum bag)
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  by Irisibis on October 23rd, 2009
- I see. So I guess the American celebrity (many years ago), Fannie Flagg, would cause some snickering in the U.K..
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  by Brian on October 23rd, 2009
- Yup. As did the characters 'Dick' and 'Aunt Fanny' in Enid Blyton's Famous Five books for children.
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  by Irisibis on October 23rd, 2009
- How did they approach that when presenting it to children?
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  by Brian on October 23rd, 2009
- I think they probably ignored it. 'Fanny' was an old-fashioned name over here too. It just has a double meaning. You either hope the kids are too young to understand, or expect snorts of laughter. Fanny is still a common name in other European countries. I've met a couple. You just have to stiffle the urge to snigger when you are introduced.
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  by Irisibis on October 23rd, 2009
- When I was in school, the kids always chuckled at "Lake Titicaca."
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  by Brian on October 23rd, 2009
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by bLOGGER on November 9th, 2009
Interestingly,in the US the term "fanny" refers not to the female genitals but to the buttocks,as in the phrase "fanny-pack".
In the UK,people used to snigger a bit when the racy novel FANNY HILL was published. It may be simply a girl-nickname for FRANCES.
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- Blogger, it's 'snicker', not 'snigger'.
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  by Randy D on November 9th, 2009
- Randy D, in the UK it IS 'snigger' and there is no such thing as a snicker apart from the chocolate bar 'snickers'! We all thought it was a daft name when they changed it from 'marathon' because it has no meaning in UK English!
  Thanks bLOGGER, I read in the past that 'fanny' had a different meaning in US English, which I always found interesting. I just wondered if anyone else noticed that 'fanny' is becoming less used in the UK, with the term 'pussy' becoming more common? I wonder if it is anything to do with porn and the internet, which tends to be US based with US terms?
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  by Irisibis on November 9th, 2009
- Gracias, Iris, I didn't realize (realise) I was speaking with a British person. I stand corrected.
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  by Randy D on November 9th, 2009
- Buenos Dias,Randy D! Vaya con Dios!
  Yep,I can confirm that I am a British citizen. But I do slip in a few "Americanisms" here and there--just to confuse everyone :)
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  by bLOGGER on November 10th, 2009
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When I was in my teens in the UK, we all always used the word 'fanny' rather than 'pussy'. Now I say 'pussy' and I haven't heard anyone say 'fanny' in the anatomical sense in years. Do you think it is falling out of use?

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Question: If a person has a problem with the word fuck, pussy, etc., should they NOT stay out of the adult section. After all, we are adults and those are JUST words. Right or wrong! We all have used those words. Just don't say them in front of mom! loll

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When I was in my teens in the UK, we all always used the word 'fanny' rather than 'pussy'. Now I say 'pussy' and I haven't heard anyone say 'fanny' in the anatomical sense in years. Do you think it is falling out of use?

Answers. 3 helpful answers below.

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