# Funky in Heat?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-in-heat/376679>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [October 16, 2006, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-in-heat/376679 "2006-10-16T20:31:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Frelling\_Tralk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecc23a/32.png) [@Frelling\_Tralk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frelling_Tralk)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2006, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-in-heat/376679/1 "2006-10-16T20:31:15Z")

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[Origin of Funky](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_244b.html).

In the second letter, the writer refers to “a woman in heat” - human females don’t go into heat like other female mammals. So what’s with the expression?

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**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2006, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-in-heat/376679/2 "2006-10-16T20:36:27Z")

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It isn’t _literal_. It isn’t meant to be literal. It just means when a woman is sexually aroused.

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**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\
**Post date:** [October 17, 2006, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-in-heat/376679/3 "2006-10-17T00:37:19Z")

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“Cops on tip like funk on pigs” – Sir Mix-a-lot

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**Author:** ![Frank\_from\_Belgium](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc79bd/32.png) [@Frank\_from\_Belgium](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank_from_Belgium)\
**Post date:** [October 17, 2006, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-in-heat/376679/4 "2006-10-17T14:59:29Z")

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I live in Belgium and know quite some Flemish words, but … fonck ?  
It doesn’t even \*resemble \* any Flemish words that I know of.  
Seems like you foncked up this time, Cecil !

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**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\
**Post date:** [October 19, 2006, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-in-heat/376679/5 "2006-10-19T16:59:35Z")

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I had an experience of cultural? differences regarding the use of funky. I worked as a job trainer in a homeless shelter populated by black and Spanish women and their kids. The other administrators were white middle/upper class women. One of them was doing job interview prep and said “You wouldn’t go in wearing a funky shirt.” Of course she meant a wildly-patterned shirt but the moms all said, “Ew, of course not.” And we laughed about what we learned about each other that day.

Note: I’m not saying there are universal differences by race or class just that it was pretty clear cut here.