# Is 'pussy' an obscenity (as in 'he's a pussy') **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 9, 2016, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pussy-an-obscenity-as-in-hes-a-pussy/745644 "2016-02-09T20:15:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2016, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pussy-an-obscenity-as-in-hes-a-pussy/745644/41 "2016-02-09T23:15:53Z")
I just consider it to be crude - in the same way that I find Larry the Cable Guy talking about his “wiener” to be crude. Crude isn’t necessarily vulgar or obscene, but it’s definitely low class. ---
**Author:** ![HeXen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@HeXen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeXen)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pussy-an-obscenity-as-in-hes-a-pussy/745644/42 "2016-02-10T00:10:47Z")
Because it’s offensive to call someone a pussy that’s why. They bleep it out so viewers won’t email them tons of hate mail because little timmy was offended and appalled by his use of the word. C’mon now, common sense. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pussy-an-obscenity-as-in-hes-a-pussy/745644/43 "2016-02-10T00:33:15Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > Although I can’t give a cite, I think I’ve even heard the admonition, “don’t be such a pussy” used on network TV over the years. Respectfully, I can’t imagine you have. Not on network TV! ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pussy-an-obscenity-as-in-hes-a-pussy/745644/44 "2016-02-10T00:35:37Z")
> [@HeXen](#): > > Because it’s offensive to call someone a pussy that’s why. . . C’mon now, common sense. So, you’re saying that offensive = obscene? Really? On a different note, a number of posters have noted that inherent in the use of the word ‘pussy’, there is a dig at women. That it is sexist. As **BigT** put it, > [@BigT](#): > > it’s seen yet another way to say bad things about a man by implying he’s a woman. See also “sissy,” “bitch,” . . . “throws like a girl,” Even if that is a valid conclusion, I’m not sure it’s relevant. For example, even though the term ‘cocksucker’ was originally used as a slur again gay men, it’s not now being used in that sense. If someone calls me a cocksucker, should any gay men within earshot be especially offended? So, although ‘pussy’ (in the context of phrases such as ‘he’s a pussy’) may have derived from its female connotation, I doubt it is being used now with that intent. Speaking personally, I know that, for example, when I have said to my buddy, “don’t be a fucking pussy, just do it”, it had nothing to do with gender. I honestly hadn’t appreciated that people hear it as a slur against women (in the same way that I don’t hear cocksucker as a slur against gay men). ETA: I stand corrected by the way. Or at least better informed. Your responses have convinced me that despite what I would have thought, many people DO consider ‘pussy’ obscene. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pussy-an-obscenity-as-in-hes-a-pussy/745644/45 "2016-02-10T00:52:07Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Definitely vulgar, but worse than that (in my mind) is that it’s sexist. He’s referring to his opponent as part of a woman’s anatomy. Why is that an insult unless you consider women somehow inferior? It’s like insulting someone by calling them ‘gay.’ Not just vulgar, but ignorant. Not sure if you’re a guy or a gal, **Skammer** but I don’t get the whole sexist thing. I mean, I possess one and it would never occur to me be offended as a woman. Not to invalidate your opinion but jeez, I don’t think we can compare it to the use of “gay” as an insult at all. ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pussy-an-obscenity-as-in-hes-a-pussy/745644/46 "2016-02-10T01:07:37Z")
It’s all sexist. He’s not calling him a vagina, he’s calling him a girly-girl. A girl. Throw like a girl. Hit like a girl. You’re a girl. You don’t need to be offended. He just called the guy a girl. ---
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pussy-an-obscenity-as-in-hes-a-pussy/745644/47 "2016-02-10T01:14:03Z")
All right, there’s always the smart ass that trots this one out. I guess this time it can be me. How about arguing that you were going for a shortened form of “pusillanimous” but thought it would go over the heads of your intended audience? > [@](#): > > \*\*pusillanimous \*\*- showing a lack of courage; timid ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pussy-an-obscenity-as-in-hes-a-pussy/745644/48 "2016-02-10T02:18:06Z")
> [@minlokwat](#): > > How about arguing that you were going for a shortened form of “pusillanimous” but thought it would go over the heads of your intended audience? And, to really go for the kill, you could call him a: [Pusillanimous pussyfooter](http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1834600_1834604_1834574,00.html)! ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pussy-an-obscenity-as-in-hes-a-pussy/745644/49 "2016-02-10T02:38:59Z")
> [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](#): > > It’s all sexist. He’s not calling him a vagina, he’s calling him a girly-girl. A girl. Throw like a girl. Hit like a girl. You’re a girl. You don’t need to be offended. He just called the guy a girl. I get _that_; that’s why it’s supposed to be offensive - a dude doing “dude” things like a girl would do them, i.e. in a weak, lame manner. So what? Most girls can’t throw, hit, or do other physical things as well as a guy. I was really just thinking of the line of thought of “how dare someone blaspheme that sacred lady part by using a comparison to it as an insult!” I know Trump isn’t literally calling Cruz a vagina, but I have heard people imply something along those lines. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pussy-an-obscenity-as-in-hes-a-pussy/745644/50 "2016-02-10T03:31:06Z")
One weekend quite a few years back I happened to see _Robin Hood: Men in Tights_ as the afternoon movie on TV. I’d seen the movie before on video, and was very surprised to find that during the TV broadcast the word “sissies” was bleeped out of the [title song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G59JnM4JKNQ). I was so surprised that I wondered if I’d misremembered the lyrics and the word was really “pussies”, but as you can hear in the linked video it is indeed “sissies”. (IIRC, the word “pansies” later in the song wasn’t bleeped in the broadcast version.) The point of this little anecdote is that I _wouldn’t_ have been surprised to hear “pussies” bleeped out in this context, especially during the day. And also that sometimes broadcast versions of movies are even more conservative about “bad words” than one might expect. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pussy-an-obscenity-as-in-hes-a-pussy/745644/51 "2016-02-10T03:31:28Z")
I think this thread is an appropriate place to mention that the[Trump Ocean Club](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Panama_08_2013_Trump_Ocean_Tower_7085.JPG), the tallest building in Panama City, bears a remarkable resemblance to female genitalia. (Far be it from me to insult its namesake in that regard…:D) ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pussy-an-obscenity-as-in-hes-a-pussy/745644/52 "2016-02-10T04:49:23Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > [This site references](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wuss) its origin to 1982’s _Fast Times at Ridgemont High_ (first thing I thought of too…) It was a common insult at my junior high school, late 70’s. Either “wuss” or “wussy”. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pussy-an-obscenity-as-in-hes-a-pussy/745644/53 "2016-02-10T08:21:16Z")
Context matters. The name “Donald” itself is cromulent (that was my 8th grade math teacher’s first name even!) and of course “Trump” is an actual word, usually with triumphant connotations. But combined in the context, which I even hesitate to write here, “D\*_ **d T** _p”, the very name has been made crude and vulgar by the bearer of the same himself! And _anything_ he says, _ipso facto,_ is now crude and vulgar. Why, if the man should say to me “Hello, good sir! Fine day today, is it not?” I would find it, _coming from him_ to be crude, vulgar, and offensive indeed! And the seething masses of his vile live audiences, who cheer and applaud thunderously every time his says the most obnoxious things, are every one of them just as odious. And these people vote? Well, seems like they did in New Hampshire. Unbelievabobble. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pussy-an-obscenity-as-in-hes-a-pussy/745644/54 "2016-02-10T12:34:33Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > (Might be the other way around in the UK.) Are Fanny Farmer chocolates available in the UK? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pussy-an-obscenity-as-in-hes-a-pussy/745644/55 "2016-02-10T12:45:57Z")
I think the OP misses the point: whether the word “pussy” is obscene or not is _not_ the issue. What people are hearing is that Trump made a _line-crossing statement_. For Trump’s intent, his calling Cruz a pussy is the equivalent of calling a woman a C\* or an African-American an N\*. He said something that “can’t be taken back,” regardless of whether the word is “officially” obscene. The fact that it is sexist, too, is just that fine Trump added twist so everyone knows he doesn’t care. So his intent is obscene and for kerfuffle value, no different that the “blood from whatever” comment, and so many others. He knows what he is doing. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pussy-an-obscenity-as-in-hes-a-pussy/745644/56 "2016-02-10T13:02:34Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > Yeah, I haven’t heard NPR bleep it when talking about the band, either. I haven’t listened to the radio the past couple of days, so I’m not sure if they are talking about Trump’s use of it. This morning’s Washington Post Express wrote it out as “p—y.” I chuckled. I wonder if anyone reading it is going to interpret it as “panty” or something else. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pussy-an-obscenity-as-in-hes-a-pussy/745644/57 "2016-02-10T16:17:43Z")
a) The word “pussy” used to refer to girl-parts (clitoris and vagina and labia and stuff) is not obscene, but neither is “cunt”. Both words directly denote what they refer to without implying anything else, regardless of how folks have come to regard them as “bad words”. I prefer the latter term myself. But this isn’t directly relevant to the use of the word by Donald Trump. b) The use of the word “pussy” specifically as a derogative with the same general meaning as “sissy”, generally understood to mean “not tough”, is sexist. Saying “sissy” would be no less sexist, by the way. Coming from a politician, that constittutes something pretty fucking obscene. In other words, what **WordMan** and others have said already. c) The news media should report exactly what he said. Better yet they should broadcast the direct clipping of him saying it, if possible. It isn’t obscene to report on what a politician said; obscuring it comes closer to obscene. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pussy-an-obscenity-as-in-hes-a-pussy/745644/58 "2016-02-10T17:07:33Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > a) The word “pussy” used to refer to girl-parts (clitoris and vagina and labia and stuff) is not obscene, but neither is “cunt”. Both words directly denote what they refer to without implying anything else, regardless of how folks have come to regard them as “bad words”. I prefer the latter term myself. But this isn’t directly relevant to the use of the word by Donald Trump. > > b) The use of the word “pussy” specifically as a derogative with the same general meaning as “sissy”, generally understood to mean “not tough”, is sexist. Saying “sissy” would be no less sexist, by the way. Coming from a politician, that constittutes something pretty fucking obscene. In other words, what **WordMan** and others have said already. > > \*\*c) The news media should report exactly what he said. Better yet they should broadcast the direct clipping of him saying it, if possible. It isn’t obscene to report on what a politician said; obscuring it comes closer to obscene. \*\* This. I’m getting pretty sick of people being afraid to utter the actual word, opting for things like “the n word” and "the c word’ like a bunch of six year olds. They’re just words, people. They shouldn’t be offensive to anyone when being said in the context of reporting something. What a nation of pussies. . . 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pussy-an-obscenity-as-in-hes-a-pussy/745644/59 "2016-02-10T20:18:09Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > a) The word “pussy” used to refer to girl-parts (clitoris and vagina and labia and stuff) is not obscene, but neither is “cunt”. Both words directly denote what they refer to without implying anything else, regardless of how folks have come to regard them as “bad words”. I prefer the latter term myself. But this isn’t directly relevant to the use of the word by Donald Trump. That’s just silly. What makes a word profane/obscenevulgar is not its literal meaning, but rather its connotation–how people take its meaning. The same is true of clinical terms. Yes, “pussy,” “cunt,” and “vagina” all refer to teh same area of feminine anatomy, but it is commonly understood that the first two are not used when one is being polite, while the third is mostly used in clinical settings. You are trying to deny how language and society work. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pussy-an-obscenity-as-in-hes-a-pussy/745644/60 "2016-02-10T21:40:47Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > Not sure if you’re a guy or a gal, **Skammer** but I don’t get the whole sexist thing. I mean, I possess one and it would never occur to me be offended as a woman. > Not to invalidate your opinion but jeez, I don’t think we can compare it to the use of “gay” as an insult at all. I’m male, but to me, calling a man a pussy is essentially calling him a girl. Not that he throws “like” a girl, or hits “like” a girl, but, is the embodiment of biological female-ness itself. And calling someone a girl as an insult should not be tolerated in civilized discourse. “Quit being a woman about it!” (when said to a man) is in the same neighborhood of “Don’t be gay!” and “That’s mighty white of you.” And in contrast to **KarlGauss** , I _do_ find “cocksucker” offensive on behalf of gay men, for the same reason. What’s wrong with sucking some cock, if that’s what you’re into? But as a straight white male maybe I’m a little more hesitant about giving offense than I need to be. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pussy-an-obscenity-as-in-hes-a-pussy/745644.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pussy-an-obscenity-as-in-hes-a-pussy/745644.md?page=4)