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Why do the British call it a fanny?
Unfortunately for those named Fanny, in the 1920s in England and Australia the word came to be a vulgar reference to the female anatomy. As the word made its way to America, it came to refer to the rear end instead…and its crassness softness.
How did the word fanny come about?
“buttocks,” 1920, American English, from earlier British meaning “vulva” (1879), perhaps from the name of John Cleland’s heroine in the scandalous novel “Fanny Hill or Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure” (1748).
What does Fanny about mean?
(chiefly Britain, intransitive, idiomatic) To waste time or fool around; to engage in activity which produces little or no accomplishment.
What’s another word for fanny?
In this page you can discover 49 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for fanny, like: bum, buns, heinie, buttock, hind end, tooshie, ass, behind, buttocks, bottom and arse.
Where is the word fanny from?
Fanny is a given name. Its origins include diminutives of the French name Frances meaning “free one”, and of the name “Estefany”, the Spanish version of Stephanie, meaning “crown”. The name Fanny (פאני/פני) may also derive from Yiddish, as an anglicized Feigel, Feigele, Feiga or Fejga.
What does the name Fanny mean?
free one
Fanny is a given name. Its origins include diminutives of the French name Frances meaning “free one”, and of the name “Estefany”, the Spanish version of Stephanie, meaning “crown”.
Is Fanny a womans name?
The name Fanny is primarily a female name of American origin that means Free. Diminutive form of Frances. Also a slang word for buttocks.
What is fanny USA?
mainly US and Canadian. the buttocks. ▶ USAGE Despite the theory that this word derives from the name ‘Fanny’, its use in British English is still considered vulgar by many people, and it could cause offence. In the US the word refers to the buttocks.
What does fanny mean in Canada?
the buttocks
mainly US and Canadian. the buttocks. ▶ USAGE Despite the theory that this word derives from the name ‘Fanny’, its use in British English is still considered vulgar by many people, and it could cause offence.
Does Fanny mean bum in USA?
In America, where tourists of a certain age still adorn their waists with this fad of yesteryear, the bum bag is actually known as a fanny pack. The reason for this, of course, is that fanny is another word for backside in American English.
What does Fanny mean in Ireland?
female genitalia
Fanny pack: The term fanny in Irish is applied exclusively to female genitalia, so whatever you are wearing, it isn’t a fanny pack; it’s a waist-belt or a waist-pouch.
What is the origin of the name Fanny?
Fanny as a name predates the vulva meaning and people probably continued naming their kids Fanny until the vulva meaning became very common. My great grandmother was named Fanny. USA here, she was born in 1901. I always assumed it was a bawdy, but unspecific reference somewhere that was interpreted in different ways.
Is Fanny a bad word?
usage for fanny Despite the theory that this word derives from the name `Fanny’, its use in British English is still considered taboo by many people, and is likely to cause offence. In the US the word refers to the buttocks.
Is the word ‘fanny pack’ offensive?
Despite the theory that this word derives from the name `Fanny’, its use in British English is still considered taboo by many people, and is likely to cause offence. In the US the word refers to the buttocks. Serious misunderstanding may therefore arise when what people in Britain know as a `bumbag’ is referred to in the US as a `fanny pack’.
Do people still name their kids Fanny?
You’re not the only one to make that observation. Nobody here names their kids Fanny anymore. Fanny as a name predates the vulva meaning and people probably continued naming their kids Fanny until the vulva meaning became very common. My great grandmother was named Fanny.