# Words that sound dirty but actually aren't **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 31, 2016, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-dirty-but-actually-arent/744739 "2016-01-31T11:14:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-dirty-but-actually-arent/744739/101 "2016-02-05T18:05:27Z")
Bronk ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-dirty-but-actually-arent/744739/102 "2016-02-05T23:47:16Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > I love that. > > “I’m getting _urges_ in my _areas_.” Yeah, that bit is great. That line has popped into my head every time I’ve seen or heard the words ‘urges’ and ‘areas’ going on 30 years, now. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-dirty-but-actually-arent/744739/103 "2016-02-06T01:42:47Z")
Rectory and while we’re at it, Jewish kids think it’s hysterical that Christians sit in “pews.” ---
**Author:** ![jsquire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@jsquire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsquire)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-dirty-but-actually-arent/744739/104 "2016-02-06T02:03:32Z")
As a math teacher, I encourage my students to be quite sophomoric about the word “asymptote” and use it as an insult to their friends. There is an IOC member whose name really is Dick Pound, and there’s a local urologist named Dr. Dick Tapper. The latter is getting old and his practice has expanded to include a Dr. Wang. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-dirty-but-actually-arent/744739/105 "2016-02-06T02:17:53Z")
Oh, “frigate.” As in, “There is no frigate like a book,” by Emily Dickinson. Don’t teach that poem to middle schoolers. ---
**Author:** ![CerebrAl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@CerebrAl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CerebrAl)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-dirty-but-actually-arent/744739/106 "2016-02-06T02:56:20Z")
How come nobody wrote “MASTICATION” [COLOR=Black][FONT=Arial][SIZE=1]?[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR] ---
**Author:** ![Find\_Friends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@Find\_Friends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Find_Friends)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-dirty-but-actually-arent/744739/107 "2016-02-06T04:45:34Z")
[This, apparently, was meant to be plainly descriptive](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gropecunt_Lane). ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-dirty-but-actually-arent/744739/108 "2016-02-06T05:38:11Z")
> [@Find\_Friends](#): > > [This, apparently, was meant to be plainly descriptive](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gropecunt_Lane). The Brits are a lot more fun when it comes to naming stuff. There are three different roads where I used to live in S. Indiana called That. So you have to be careful, because one is That Lane, one is That Road, S., and one is That Road, E. At one point they were all “That Road,” and just the numbering schemes distinguished them, and none were very long, but as they all got longer, it got to be a headache. Apparently, none wanted to be renamed, though. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-dirty-but-actually-arent/744739/109 "2016-02-06T09:06:58Z")
> [@CerebrAl](#): > > How come nobody wrote “MASTICATION” [COLOR=Black][FONT=Arial][SIZE=1]?[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR] Yeah, that should have been, like, the third post in a thread like this. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-dirty-but-actually-arent/744739/110 "2016-02-06T13:32:20Z")
> [@CerebrAl](#): > > How come nobody wrote “MASTICATION” [COLOR=Black][FONT=Arial][SIZE=1]?[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR] > > > [@Mangetout](#): > > > > Yeah, that should have been, like, the third post in a thread like this. In case Mangetout is being too subtle, here’s post #3: > [@GuanoLad](#): > > Masticate. > Bullocks. > Cocksure. > Angina. > Aer Lingus. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-dirty-but-actually-arent/744739/111 "2016-02-06T15:00:44Z")
Not an English word, mufti ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-dirty-but-actually-arent/744739/112 "2016-02-06T15:15:15Z")
I knew a Lesbian once whose last name was Cocks. Not even “Cox”; “_Cocks_.” Cripes. Lesbian or straight, if that were my last name, I sure as heck would have spelled it “Cox.” ---
**Author:** ![NuclearBombPop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@NuclearBombPop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NuclearBombPop)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-dirty-but-actually-arent/744739/113 "2016-02-06T15:45:24Z")
titmouse nuthatch (both in the tit family) Love Canal Titillate F-hole (the sound holes on certain string instruments) ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-dirty-but-actually-arent/744739/114 "2016-02-06T18:41:09Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Bronk Oh for god’s sake. I meant to say BRONX. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2016, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-dirty-but-actually-arent/744739/115 "2016-02-07T19:13:09Z")
kumquat ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-dirty-but-actually-arent/744739/116 "2016-02-08T13:58:33Z")
For Japanese aficionados, furikake. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-dirty-but-actually-arent/744739/117 "2016-02-08T16:28:10Z")
[Scunthorpe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scunthorpe) (bonus for having the letters C U N and T in a row, leading to the [Scunthorpe problem](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scunthorpe_problem). ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-dirty-but-actually-arent/744739/118 "2016-02-08T18:16:41Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > [Scunthorpe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scunthorpe) (bonus for having the letters C U N and T in a row, leading to the [Scunthorpe problem](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scunthorpe_problem). This is actually a problem for many Japanese family names, e.g. Takeshita, Matsushita. > [@RivkahChaya](#): > > I knew a Lesbian once whose last name was Cocks. Not even “Cox”; “Cocks.” Cripes. Lesbian or straight, if that were my last name, I sure as heck would have spelled it “Cox.” My grandma’s maiden name was Cocks. Also reminds me of an episode of Scrubs in which Dr. Cox’s wife was telling a friend about how she was quite happy to dump her maiden name, exclaiming “I love Cox!” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2016, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-dirty-but-actually-arent/744739/119 "2016-02-09T13:22:01Z")
The Journal of Analytical Toxicology. What’s dirty about that, you ask? Its official abbreviation: **J. Anal Tox** ---
**Author:** ![Find\_Friends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@Find\_Friends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Find_Friends)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2016, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-sound-dirty-but-actually-arent/744739/120 "2016-02-09T17:32:23Z")
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