# 'Fanny' in US, Austalia and UK

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fanny-in-us-austalia-and-uk/70498>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 28, 2001, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fanny-in-us-austalia-and-uk/70498 "2001-06-28T17:55:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![big\_yellow\_kingswood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@big\_yellow\_kingswood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/big_yellow_kingswood)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2001, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fanny-in-us-austalia-and-uk/70498/21 "2001-07-05T13:28:07Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by casdave \*  
> \*\*We Brits also use another term similar that may confuse.
> 
> ‘Fannying around’ is used to decribe futile or incompetant actions.
> 
> Describes many an office manager well.  
> \*\*

\<off on a tangent\> we aussies have “piss-farting around”. Same sort of thing.\</tangent\>

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2001, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fanny-in-us-austalia-and-uk/70498/22 "2001-07-05T14:50:50Z")

</div>

Maybe this is just me, but speaking as an American citizen, using “fanny” for “butt” is not even slightly offensive, in fact it’s very silly and has a quaint, old-fashioned sound. Kind of like calling jeans “dungarees”… Its something only my grandmother would say.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fanny-in-us-austalia-and-uk/70498.md?page=1)