# Are children conditioned to laugh at Farts? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 18, 2001, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-children-conditioned-to-laugh-at-farts/88259 "2001-10-18T17:52:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2001, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-children-conditioned-to-laugh-at-farts/88259/21 "2001-10-19T15:17:21Z")
Nostradamus, I guess your right about the Italians… Inuendo, or “in your endo” implies “receivership” on one’s part as oppossed to “emmission.” I can’t believe I’m telling this butt as kids… in 6th grade I was in the boys bathroom with a friend when I was assulted by moving gas, desperate to escape. The marching band that was my butt refused to yield as I crossed my legs and clenched my butt cheeks, determined to prevent an outage. Overcomming even that obstacle, I could feel the resolute gas parting my cheeks one competent bubble at a time. It felt like little, soft Robin’s eggs slowely pushing their way out and as each reached freedom they EXPLODED as a single loud bang, followed a full second later by the next egg in line. So it was like a slow clap of stink, loud as a ladyfinger in that tiled bathroom, and my friend was on the floor laughing at my plight. I never have been able to reproduce that feat, nor has any metronome kept a more perfect, agonizingly slow beat. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2001, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-children-conditioned-to-laugh-at-farts/88259/22 "2001-10-19T15:20:17Z")
> [@](#): > > The etymology of “fart” is given thus: > > ## quote: > > ## [Common Teut. and Indo-germanic: OE. \*feortan = OHG. ferzan (MHG. verzen, and with ablaut variants vurzen, varzen, mod.G. farzen), ON. freta: OTeut. \*fertan: OAryan \*perd- (Skr. pard. prd, Gr. perdew , Lith. pérdzu, Russ. perdet´; the L. pedere is unconnected).] God, I can’t believe I’m adding to this. The above is consistent with onomatopeia. Many Sanskrit forms that have “p” were switched to “f” in other languages. Case in point: “Elephant”, which started out as “pilu” in Sanskrit, became “al fil” in Arabic, and “elephas” in Greek. I point out also that some people use “poot” for a small fart, which is, I submit, also onomatopeic, and related to “poop” for fecal matter, and not all that different from “perd”. Isn’t “flatus” another Latin word for “fart”? It’s certainly the one used by the medical community (you find it in ads in medical journals). “flatus” would also be onomatopeia, “flat” with the Latin “-us” masculine ending (male again!). And “flat” is very close to that Phht" someone mentioned above. No doubt in my mind that this very basic, very human word has a strictly onomatopeic basis. ---
**Author:** ![Earthworm\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f07891/32.png) [@Earthworm\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthworm_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2001, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-children-conditioned-to-laugh-at-farts/88259/23 "2001-10-19T16:43:06Z")
IIRC, the master himself wrote that flatulence is unique in that it is funny in every culture on earth, and is the only such cultural constant. Unfortunately, I can’t remember what column it was, and the search has not revealed it. Perhaps I dreamt it, but it seemed so real… I’ll see if I can dig it out of my copy of “The Straight Dope”[sup]1[/sup] when I get home. [sub]1. I’m embarrased to admit, it’s my only Straight Dope book[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2001, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-children-conditioned-to-laugh-at-farts/88259/24 "2001-10-19T18:23:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\*Originally posted by CalMeacham \*\* > > I point out also that some people use “poot” for a small fart, which is, I submit, also onomatopeic, and related to “poop” for fecal matter, and not all that different from “perd”. I don’t think anyone is arguing that the word _fart_, and the function of so doing, are inextricably and onomatopoetically linked. _Poot_ is a word thus far unfamiliar to me in the Pantheon Of Fart Words, and is a term which will forever change the way I interpret the masterwork of Messrs. George and Weedon Grossmith, _The Diary Of A Nobody_ being populated, as it is, by various members of the Pooter family. ---
**Author:** ![Cargogal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/48db29/32.png) [@Cargogal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cargogal)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2001, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-children-conditioned-to-laugh-at-farts/88259/25 "2001-10-19T19:17:28Z")
\Heh heh… they said fart… \ Interesting that perd is a word for fart. I remember reading in an entymological discussion of “hoist by his own petard” that the word derived from a French word for fart. It must be the cuisine. Farts still crack me up. I don’t know why. It’s very, very visceral - the sound, the idea, makes me dissolve into giggles in a way that is dissociated from intellect. I ws once having insanely good sex when my partner farted, and about 5 minutes later I did, too. I started uncontrollably laughing while having an orgasm. Not recommended. ---
**Author:** ![labradorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@labradorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/labradorian)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2001, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-children-conditioned-to-laugh-at-farts/88259/26 "2001-10-19T22:03:31Z")
\>\>\>SNICKER\<\<\< _You_ said _FART_!!! Yeah, I guess children of all ages are so conditioned. ---
**Author:** ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2001, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-children-conditioned-to-laugh-at-farts/88259/27 "2001-10-20T00:06:23Z")
Perhaps the answer to the original Q is in one of my favorite web sites: [Facts on Farts](http://www.heptune.com/farts.html) ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Stewart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Dave\_Stewart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Stewart)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-children-conditioned-to-laugh-at-farts/88259/28 "2001-10-22T07:57:33Z")
I’m enjoying this thread so much I’m sending it to my wife. ---
**Author:** ![Niobium\_Knight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc8723/32.png) [@Niobium\_Knight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Niobium_Knight)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-children-conditioned-to-laugh-at-farts/88259/29 "2001-10-22T12:02:18Z")
imho there are more than 2 kinds of fart. there is the silent but violent the classic fart noise the whiner the “wet one” (definitely a liquid element to the sound) the humungous gigantic turbo fart that stops all conversation dead. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-children-conditioned-to-laugh-at-farts/88259/30 "2001-10-22T12:12:32Z")
\*Originally posted by Cargogal \* > [@](#): > > … the sound, the idea, makes me dissolve into giggles in a way that is dissociated from intellect. That’s the most beautiful reflection on farts I’ve ever heard. Might I be permitted to cut one in your honor? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-children-conditioned-to-laugh-at-farts/88259.md?page=1)