Do Spanish speakers say “gatita” (little female cat) to refer to a woman’s vag? Do they also use “castor” (beaver)?
How did these two slang terms get into the English lexicon? And are they used in the local tongue (heh heh) outside of English?
In a word - fur.
Not all cats look like this:
You youngsters won’t remember this but there was a time when women did not shave or trim their public hair. Anyone seeking evidence can do an online search for seventies porn.
Thank God for that!
As for other languages, I believe la chatte and le minou are French slang for a woman’s genitals.
Pussy is easy. Furry things in a woman’s lap. Beaver used to refer to bearded men. Beard = Pubes.
And then there was probably the time when Zsa Zsa Gabor had a cat on her lap and she asked Johnny Carson would you like to pet my pussy? And he said sure, please move your cat.
The Online Etymology Dictionary (which I love) has this for beaver.
beaver (n.3)
“female genitals, especially with a display of pubic hair,” by 1927, British slang, ultimately from beaver (n.1), perhaps transferred from earlier meaning “a bearded man” (1910), or directly from the appearance of split beaver pelts.
Considering furs, primarily beaver pelts, were the key to the opening up of Canada and its major source of revenue in the early days of New France and the Hudson’s Bay Company - no surprise if “beaver” meant fur for the last few centuries to those in Europe.
For some reason, I was under the impression that pussy meaning vagina came from rhyming slang of pussy cat with twat.
I had heard that it came from pusillanimous, but the above matches what etymonline says
The Netflix series History of Swear Words covered this in Episode 5, but I honestly don’t remember what they said the etymology was.
For many years, the history magazine of the Hudson Bay Company, which they later ceded to the non-profit History Canada org, was : … “The Beaver”.
That lasted until they went to online editions, and school kids who were doing history projects and searching online for articles in The Beaver were directed to … other kinds of websites.
The magazine now has the prosaic, if safe, name of “Canada’s History”.
No, but nowadays a lot of…never mind.
mmm
The show gave several theories as to the origin. It’s a decent show with short episodes. I recommend it.
Yep. Like a sweater. You could plant tomatoes in those gardens.
Take it from a guy that went through puberty in the early 70’s those visuals shaped our outlook. My wife shaves hers when she’s mad at me.
Conejo. Hare or rabbit.
And in Norwegian it’s mouse.
I also recall hearing the word “muff” (also as in “muff-diving”). Referencing the furry object kept in the vicinity of the lap for warming her hands in winter.
So basically, allusions to fur.