# pussy vs vulva



## shop-englishx

Hi, all.

Why do we call a woman's external genitals (vulva) as pussy? Is there any difference between these two words?

I have looked them up in the dictionary, but found no difference. 

Thanks in advance!


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## Copyright

One is medical, one is slang. You might like to see Online Etymology for more.


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## shop-englishx

Thanks, suppose I want to tell my doctor about the pain which I am feeling, can I use these words interchangeably? e.g:

I am feeling pain in my _pussy_, OR I am feeling pain in my _vulva_.


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## Copyright

No ... please reread what I said in light of _talking to a doctor: _One is medical, one is slang.


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## MissHeidi

shop-englishx said:


> I am feeling pain in my _pussy_, OR I am feeling pain in my _vulva_.



I know that this is a legitimate question, but I couldn't stop laughing. Even as a foreigner, I can definitely tell you that you should not, under any circumstances, tell your doctor that you are feeling pain in your 'pussy'.


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## EdisonBhola

shop-englishx said:


> Thanks, suppose I want to tell my doctor about the pain which I am feeling, can I use these words interchangeably? e.g:
> 
> I am feeling pain in my _pussy_, OR I am feeling pain in my _vulva_.


I think the doctor will either be laughing silently or be offended by the first sentence.


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## shop-englishx

I'm having difficulty understanding the usage of pussy as a _slang_; could you give me one or two examples that use the word pussy the way you've talked about in #2, Copyright?


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## EdisonBhola

I believe many people consider the word offensive.


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## MissHeidi

shop-englishx said:


> I'm having difficulty understanding the usage of pussy as a _slang_; could you give me one or two examples that use the word pussy the way you've talked about in #2, Copyright?



What's so difficult to understand? The word 'pussy' is something that you use in erotic films, in 'street talk' with boys, or maybe during intimate moments with your lover . . . maybe . . .

It is not an appropriate word to describe female genitalia in good society, in a medical office (or in any kind of office, really), or anywhere where propriety is expected. I think that native speakers will agree with me.

I also think this thread will generate a lot of views...


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## RedwoodGrove

shop-englishx said:


> I'm having difficulty understanding the usage of pussy as a _slang_; could you give me one or two examples that use the word pussy the way you've talked about in #2, Copyright?



You need to understand the concept of "linguistic register". Look it up. Pussy is considered slang (sometimes vulgar). I can understand your difficulty in getting the difference between the two. "Pussy" is slang/vulgar while "vulva" is formal/medical. Right?


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## bennymix

Miss Heidi,
Yes it's a matter of propriety.   So I doubt medical people would be surprised, amused or offended--at least
those on the front lines.   Now if you're talking to your aunt, that's a different matter.  

What might be noted also is the connotation; saying 'slang' is not sufficient.  Negative connotations and associations must be recognized:  speakers' intent sometimes, to demean a person or woman in particular.




MissHeidi said:


> What's so difficult to understand? The word 'pussy' is something that you use in erotic films, in 'street talk' with boys, or maybe during intimate moments with your lover . . . maybe . . .
> 
> It is not an appropriate word to describe female genitalia in good society, in a medical office (or in any kind of office, really), or anywhere where propriety is expected. I think that native speakers will agree with me.
> 
> I also think this thread will generate a lot of views...


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## MissHeidi

bennymix said:


> Miss Heidi,
> Yes it's a matter of propriety.   So I doubt medical people would be surprised, amused or offended--at least
> those on the front lines.   Now if you're talking to your aunt, that's a different matter.



Bennymix, well, a doctor or a nurse, being a professional, will probably not bat an eye, as they say. But I am sure there will material for amusement and sniggers by the water cooler later on, where patients don't see the behind-the-scenes notes sharing. 

Again, I am a foreigner and am just learning English. But to say 'Doctor, I feel pain in my _pussy_' - I would die of embarrassment to say something like that.


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## Parla

There's informal, there's slang, and there's vulgar slang. "Pussy" is vulgar slang.


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## shop-englishx

So, when I'm talking to my friends, where I want to be a bit vulgar and funny, I'll be using that word - pussy, right? e.g:_ "After coitus, my wife starts feeling itchy/pain in her pussy", _On the other hand, when I say this to my doctor or any other family member, where I am supposed to be more serious without being vulgar or nasty, I will use the word 'vulva'.


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## Copyright

In your sentence, you're mixing a medical term with slang.

I haven't got any suggest because you obviously come from a different culture than I do. I don't know of anyone who has so little respect for his wife that he discusses their lovemaking with other people, including friends. But time may have passed me by.


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## perpend

Copyright said:


> I don't know of anyone who has so little respect for his wife that he discusses their lovemaking with other people, including friends.



Discussing lovemaking with slang/vulgar terms. 
Men do it behind their wives' backs.
Women do it behind their husbands' backs.
Gays (whether male or female) do this behind their spouses' backs.

"pussy" will definitely come up in the "slang/vulgar" language.

For the "medical usage" referred to in this thread, I use "vagina".


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## Copyright

perpend said:


> Discussing lovemaking with slang/vulgar terms.
> Men do it behind their wives' backs.


Not men I've ever known.


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## Glasguensis

Note that there is in fact a difference in meaning as well as the difference in linguistic register - vulva refers to the external female sex organs, whereas pussy refers to both the external and internal parts.


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## MissHeidi

perpend said:


> Discussing lovemaking with slang/vulgar terms.
> Men do it behind their wives' backs.
> Women do it behind their husbands' backs.
> Gays (whether male or female) do this behind their spouses' backs.
> 
> "pussy" will definitely come up in the "slang/vulgar" language.
> 
> For the "medical usage" referred to in this thread, I use "vagina".



Perpend is right. As a girl, I can tell you that women are just as bad as men in that respect, and maybe even worse sometimes. And not just teenagers. Whether that's good or bad is another thing. It is what it is.

And I second the 'vagina' suggestion for visits to the doctor. But you should never say 'pussy' when referring to that part of the body in front of a doctor. Some things are just not on.


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## perpend

What does "vagina" refer to, for you, GlasG?

EDIT: Cross-posted with MissHeidi!


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## natkretep

A doctor would consider the vagina an internal part of a woman's reproductive organ together with the cervix and uterus or womb. Shop-English says that they are concerned about a woman's external organ - that would have to be vulva - or perhaps labia or clitoris.


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## Hermione Golightly

I can't say from personal experience what educated men say when talking to other men about their wives' sex organs. I strongly suspect that they never ever do, just as I wouldn't dream of casually mentioning my husband's privates.
Nor would I expect my husband to talk to my doctor about my problems when we had sex. We would both go together perhaps.

The simple solution to your difficulties with register is never to use the word 'pussy'. Incidentally I've never known women refer to their vulvas as 'pussy'.
Perhaps I should say I have never known the sort of women who would. Some of my very good friends who have led more sheltered lives than me, wouldn't know what the term meant, although of course we are all getting to the end of our lives.

I very much doubt that younger women don't know the word.

The medical terms don't carry any suggestion of impropriety and can't be inappropriate if the topic is socially acceptable at the time. I mean we don't talk about these things except to close friends.


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## manfy

Parla said:


> There's informal, there's slang, and there's vulgar slang. "Pussy" is vulgar slang.


 
Hmmm, from an international and global point of view I'd have to say, those days are looong gone! Anybody who grew up in the 80's or 90's (and assuming that person wasn't brought up in a cave) the term 'pussy' has certainly become acceptable, albeit it's still considered informal and slangy.
If a medical doctor would show any sign of problem with that, I'd change the doctor rather than my language use.

There's an endless list of much worse and really degrading vulgar slang & taboo terms for this anatomical feature (and that probably justifies the change of register for this word in modern English).


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## shop-englishx

Copyright said:


> In your sentence, you're mixing a medical term with slang.
> 
> I haven't got any suggest because you obviously come from a different culture than I do. I don't know of anyone who has so little respect for his wife that he discusses their lovemaking with other people, including friends. But time may have passed me by.



I might have a usage problem, here, about the sentence (#14), Copy; what I'm curious to know is what I've posted in #14 -- i.e, 'pussy' is so vulgar a term that it can't be used in more formal settings, i.e, when you are with your family, or with your friends, or when you're writing for a newspaper, right?

I'm still puzzled as to when to use that term (pussy),  I think I need some examples, but no one in this forum would ever do it.


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## Rover_KE

If in doubt, leave it out. You never _*need*_ to use it. There are plenty of examples of its use in the above posts anyway.

Let's not give irresponsible lechers free rein to talk dirty with the excuse of contributing to a respected English learning forum.


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## natkretep

Shop-english, it might be helpful for you to think of _pussy_ as a salacious term, which makes it inappropriate in medical and family contexts. As Rover says, you need never use it.

But by way of example, I will say that a woman might talk about her pussy if she is intending to seduce someone or invite them to have sex. Others might talk about a woman's pussy if they view her as a sexual object.


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## manfy

shop-englishx said:


> I'm still puzzled as to when to use that term (pussy),  I think I need some examples, but no one in this forum would ever do it.


 
I'm afraid nobody will be able to give you a definitive answer on that. It depends on your environment - geographic, sociological, and age-related (and many more factors, I'm sure).
I guess, Rover's recommendation is best: If in doubt, don't use it. (and my addition: When in Rome, do as the Romans do.)

I just posted my previous comment because MissHeidi and some others acted as if it were a deadly sin to utter the word 'pussy', and that's simply not correct any more in the 21st century.
It's the topic that's offensive to some people, NOT the word in itself. In my opinion (and I'm neither 15 nor am I 'end of life' yet), pussy is simply a colloquial euphemism for vulva/vagina for all those people with the irrational fear of saying those words aloud.
Actually, it's very similar to using the term boobs for female breast. Do you consider the word boobs vulgar, offensive, insulting??


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## JulianStuart

manfy said:


> I'm afraid nobody will be able to give you a definitive answer on that. It depends on your environment - geographic, sociological, and age-related (and many more factors, I'm sure).
> I guess, Rover's recommendation is best: If in doubt, don't use it. (and my addition: When in Rome, do as the Romans do.)
> 
> I just posted my previous comment because MissHeidi and some others acted as if it were a deadly sin to utter the word 'pussy', and that's simply not correct any more in the 21st century.
> It's the topic that's offensive to some people, NOT the word in itself. In my opinion (and I'm neither 15 nor am I 'end of life' yet), pussy is simply a colloquial euphemism for vulva/vagina for all those people with the irrational fear of saying those words aloud.
> Actually, it's very similar to using the term boobs for female breast. Do you consider the word boobs vulgar, offensive, insulting??


I agree completely with your first paragraph but almost completey disagree with your second paragraph.   It seems to imply that anyone who moves in a different social sphere than you do, and therefore has different sensibilities, is somehow "irrational".  What is "considered to be vulgar and offensive" is not likely to be identical for everyone and your expectation of such might be considered irrational.  Different people draw the line in different places - true those lines may move as time passes - but even in the 21st century, the OP needs to know that there is a significant fraction for whom it _is_ correct to say that many such words are "a deadly sin and extremely offensive". (I expect even within the group you say finds _pussy_ unremarkable, there is probably a large fraction that would _not_ like the c*** word).

Heck, you need to be aware that there are quite a few members on the forum who dislike the use of "guys" as a form of address to strangers and especially to females.  Back to Rover's suggestion


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## MissHeidi

If I had any doubts that the OP was being mischievous, I no longer have any. The OP's insistent requests for 'examples' make it clear that he (she?) is having fun at others' expense.



manfy said:


> I just posted my previous comment because MissHeidi and some others acted as if it were a deadly sin to utter the word 'pussy', and that's simply not correct any more in the 21st century.



Just to set the record straight, I do not believe it is a 'deadly sin' to utter this word. Please, don't put words in my mouth. What I said was that I do believe that it is inappropriate for most occasions outside the bedroom and maybe your local pub at closing time (provided you speak quietly). It is NOT an appropriate word in a doctor's office, whatever your age or generation, and the responses of other users above corroborate that. If you think that it is OK, that's fine, but telling others that it's okay to use it in a medical setting is just bad/irresponsible advice.


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## london calling

EdisonBhola said:


> I believe many people consider the word offensive.


Very true. We're in the 21st century but it is still considered by many as sexist, although obviously it depends on the context and who says it.


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## bennymix

Times are a-changin'.    _New Stateman_ is quite a respectable magazine as far as I know.   Note the article's title, which obviously had editorial approval.   The group is also called
'feminist', quite often.

*Reading the Pussy Riot act

Reading the Pussy Riot act***

Nadya Tolokonnikova, of female punk protest collective Pussy Riot, on the danger of UK conservatism, living in Moscow, and how the middle-class anti-Putin movement is waning.
--

**Note for English learners, "reading the Riot Act" is an idiom meaning to warn someone of
dire consequence.   Literally of course it's a legal act in front of a crowd suggesting that they face arrest.   The magazine is playing with the idiom.


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## JulianStuart

Bbbbut that's a "proper" name and not a _direct_ reference to genitals


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## MissHeidi

bennymix said:


> Times are a-changin'.    _New Stateman_ is quite a respectable magazine as far as I know.   Note the article's title, which obviously had editorial approval.   The group is also called
> 'feminist', quite often.
> 
> *Reading the Pussy Riot act
> 
> Reading the Pussy Riot act***
> 
> Nadya Tolokonnikova, of female punk protest collective Pussy Riot, on the danger of UK conservatism, living in Moscow, and how the middle-class anti-Putin movement is waning.
> --
> 
> **Note for English learners, "reading the Riot Act" is an idiom meaning to warn someone of
> dire consequence.   Literally of course it's a legal act in front of a crowd suggesting that they face arrest.   The magazine is playing with the idiom.



Pussy Riot is a radical feminist group in Russia. There is a reason why they use the English word and not its Russian equivalent - it would be deemed too obscene if rendered in Russian. So they went with that English word because most people in Russia didn't know what it stood for (until the infamous church kerfuffle anyway). Of course, since it's part of the band's name, the media, including the Anglo one, can use it at their leisure without risking to appear smutty.


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## bennymix

Speaking of proper names.
A woman in the Bond movies--hardly porno, barely risque'-- is named 'Pussy Galore', but pronounced 'Poossy' {rhymes with goosey}so as lessen any offense.


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## bennymix

MissH,
And why do you think a radical feminist group (admittedly punk) would use the term?  



MissHeidi said:


> Pussy Riot is a radical feminist group in Russia. There is a reason why they use the English word and not its Russian equivalent - it would be deemed too obscene if rendered in Russian. So they went with that English word because most people in Russia didn't know what it stood for (until the infamous church kerfuffle anyway). Of course, since it's part of the band's name, the media, including the Anglo one, can use it at their leisure without risking to appear smutty.


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## MissHeidi

bennymix said:


> Speaking of proper names.
> A woman in the Bond movies--hardly porno, barely risque'-- is named 'Pussy Galore', but pronounced 'Poossy' {rhymes with goosey}so as lessen any offense.





bennymix said:


> MissH,
> And why do you think a radical feminist group (admittedly punk) would use the term?



Bennymix. The whole Bond thing is a parody. In popular culture, anything (or just about anything) goes.
The radical feminist group wants to be provocative. Sometimes they just don't know any better. Also, it's easier to use questionable words in a foreign language than in your own (I can tell you that for sure!) because foreign words don't really mean much to you.
A lot of African American rappers use the 'n' word in their music, but it doesn't mean it's acceptable to describe black people that way.

There is popular culture and then there is real life with its rules, tastes and decorum. Please let us not have an argument about this!


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## RedwoodGrove

"Vulva" is medical or technical. "Pussy" apparently is gaining acceptance in general speech, ... formerly slang or vulgar?


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## bennymix

Word for the day.  American psychobilly group.


Nashville Pussy | home

*"Ten Years Of Pussy” [album] will be released in Scandinavia on May 06th, in Germany on May 08th, in Europe on May 11th and in the USA on May 12th as a 2CD digipak and download through SPV/Steamhammer.*

[picture]
Nashville Pussy playing live at Hellfest. 


L to R: Karen Cuda, Blaine Cartwright, Jeremy Thompson, Ruyter Suys [Blaine's wife]


*Background information*
Origin
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.


*Genres*
Hard rock, psychobilly, southern metal


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## Kirusha

I suppose the global nature of English is to blame. Foreigners are more likely to promulgate vulgarities since they have a higher sensitivity threshold to them. 

Shop-englishx, if you enter the words into the google translate box, they will most probably come out as different words in your language (they do for my language). If you try the list vagina - vulva - pussy - c*nt, your native language might help you appreciate the difference.


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## bennymix

I don't quite follow you, Kirusha,

You are saying that Nadezhda Andreyevna Tolokonnikova is a foreigner?   Surely you mean non-English speaking locals [NAT]
have a higher threshold for a 'vulgarity' in English, than do, say, ordinary Americans or British people.



Kirusha said:


> I suppose the global nature of English is to blame. Foreigners are more likely to promulgate vulgarities since they have a higher sensitivity threshold to them.


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## RedwoodGrove

Kirusha said:


> I suppose the global nature of English is to blame. Foreigners are more likely to promulgate vulgarities since they have a higher sensitivity threshold to them.
> 
> Shop-englishx, if you enter the words into the google translate box, they will most probably come out as different words in your language (they do for my language). If you try the list vagina - vulva - pussy - c*nt, your native language might help you appreciate the difference.


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## Kirusha

bennymix said:


> I don't quite follow you, Kirusha,
> 
> You are saying that Nadezhda Andreyevna Tolokonnikova is a foreigner?   Surely you mean non-English speaking locals [NAT]
> have a higher threshold for a 'vulgarity' in English, than do, say, ordinary Americans or British people.



Clumsy phrasing and awkward geographical framing. I mean that non-native speakers of a language with insufficient insight into its register may savour profanities with the sort of relish that grates on native speakers of a certain cultural background. Drawing parallels with my language, I've met women who would use "pussy" or "c*nt" to refer to painful sensations in the vagina, and I can construe perfectly intelligible examples in my head but I would share the squeamishness exhibited by contributors to this thread if it ever came to uttering them out loud.

PS Why does "vulgarity" merit quotation marks? You mean that "pussy" should be "demoted" from vulgar slang to informal English?*

PPS Forgot to ask. I've heard of some gynaecologists in my country displaying posters with instructions to patients how their private parts should be referred to (sadly, for a proportion of the population the analogue of "c*nt" is the only word they know). I wonder if you have ever seen something similar.

Edit*: Actually, I'm going to reconsider. Does English have a better informal word to fit the "my [noun] hurts" context (as a foreigner I'm getting dangerously close to the line )?


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## Keith Bradford

Parla said:


> There's informal, there's slang, and there's vulgar slang. "Pussy" is vulgar slang.


Nonsense!

I can think of a dozen words that are more vulgar than 'pussy'; I would put it in the 'private-intimate-affectionate-joking' category.

Would I expect a woman to say it to her doctor?  Not if she was highly educated enough to have learnt the Latin alternative (= vulva).

Would I expect the doctor to be 'laughing silently or be offended by the first sentence'?  Not if he's any good as a doctor.


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## bennymix

Hi Kirusha,
I think you mean 'promoted'.   I am not recommending.   Much of what we do here is_ describing_.   Learners should know what's out there, and most English dictionaries now are largely descriptive.   Of course learners should know what's considered
extremely vulgar in polite company.    I don't mind recommending, as above (post #11), that one not use 'pussy' in talking to your aunt.

I must say, the question of what to say to a doctor, a long-standing issue in this thread is quite puzzling to me.  I don't think doctors give a fig.   I don't think one should have to find a medical dictionary to describe something to a doctor.   As you say, many ordinary folks use the words of their milieu;   the idea of 'brushing up' one's language or its register to talk to the doctor seems misguided or useless.   One's relatives--esp. the older ones--- there's where guidance about word choice is useful.  

It's all a matter of context.   You might have a look at the British fashion store's page and the T shirt they sold thousands of to
the Vagina Monologues people.

KING CNUT -Fashion For The Fearless




Kirusha said:


> PS Why does "vulgarity" merit quotation marks? You mean that "pussy" should be "demoted" from vulgar slang to informal English?
> 
> PPS Forgot to ask. I've heard of some gynaecologists in my country displaying posters with instructions to patients how their private parts should be referred to (sadly, for a proportion of the population the analogue of "c*nt" is the only word they know). I wonder if you have ever seen something similar.


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## RedwoodGrove

Kirusha:

Your comments above are well received by me. _C**t_, or _cunt_ if you like, is known to be one of the most offensive words in the English language, after fuck. It remains a mystery why. I would say in general you are well advised not to spell it out. (Which is what you have not done, obviously.)

I agree that non-native or foreign speakers may not appreciate the complexities of English and it indeed might grate on our ears!


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## Hermione Golightly

_



Let's not give irresponsible lechers free rein to talk dirty with the excuse of contributing to a respected English learning forum.

Click to expand...

_
Rather against my gut feelings, I had decided to take the view that even if there is mischief afoot, surely there is some common cause in trying to help all learners through the complexities of sexual and anatomical terms, however bizarre their questions seem. 
It's not so much a question of answering an individuals's posts by an individual response, as creating a useful response to all those who read but never post, now and as a reference for some time in the future.

The forum is as much about how each learner may use the language as about how each of us uses it. We know nothing about the posters except what they post and occasionally the personal details they choose to write about themselves.

Surely the point is that the native speaker knows how and when to use the words? Assuming they have enough vocabulary to make a choice.
Whoever talked about _sin? _Perhaps that's meant- to- be -funny but like so many meant- to- be- funnies, it's simply insulting.

We're talking about_ register. _That means the right word in the right place.



> If I had any doubts that the OP was being mischievous, I no longer have any. The OP's insistent requests for 'examples' make it clear that he (she?) is having fun at others' expense.


I agree.


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## natkretep

manfy said:


> Actually, it's very similar to using the term boobs for female breast. Do you consider the word boobs vulgar, offensive, insulting??


It's not the same for me. _Boob_ does not have all that salaciousness associated with _pussy_. _Boob_ can be an unremarkable informal word in BrE. We talk about the boob tube (for the tube top) for example.


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## RedwoodGrove

natkretep said:


> It's not the same for me. _Boob_ does not have all that salaciousness associated with _pussy_. _Boob_ can be an unremarkable informal word in BrE. We talk about the boob tube (for the tube top) for example.



"The boob tube" does not refer to the female breast. A "boob" is also an idiot, or some such thing. The TV formerly employed a tube (technologically). A "boob" would watch it. I don't know why the word applies in both cases.

I think you would have to ask a woman if she accepts "pussy" or "boob'. I would not use the terms. Traditionally they are used as being vulgar.


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## natkretep

My wife and other women talk about boobs to me. Never pussies. They are different in BrE.

Oxford Dictionaries on _boob tube_:


> _British _A woman’s tight-fitting strapless top made of stretchy material.


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## RedwoodGrove

Guaranteed in AE "boob tube" has nothing to do with women's breasts!

Though I'm not quite sure what I would guarantee it by.


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## shop-englishx

412 number of views and 50 posts show that how much 'offensive' the word pussy is and how much interested people are in these terms, but no one is willing to use 'pussy' in formal speech. I wonder why people don't take 'vagina/vulva', 'boobs', 'buttocks' offensive, why just the word 'pussy', 

I agree that speaking of the word 'pussy' is a 'BIG sin' for the native-speakers of English, and it clearly implies that there is so much complexity in English language.


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## Cagey

I have reopened the thread to allow for additional questions -- but please *read the entire thread before posting* to be certain that the point you are about to add has not been covered already.  

Do not prolong the discussion unnecessarily.  

Cagey, 
moderator


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## ain'ttranslationfun?

natkretep said:


> A doctor would consider the vagina an internal part of a woman's reproductive organ together with the cervix and uterus or womb. Shop-English says that they are concerned about a woman's external organ - that would have to be vulva - or perhaps labia or clitoris.



This pretty well sums up this aspect of the discussion. "genitals/genitalia": the external (visible) parts (vulva, labia, clitoris), for which "pussy" - except for the President-elect of the US, apparently - (and a host of other words) are vugar slang, offensive to most people, especially by a man to/about a woman as something to have sex with, or between lovers; "reproductive organs": the internal parts (cervix, vagina for which "cunt* is the equivalent word, with the same cautions about its use), uterus, Fallopian tubes, ovaries).

Regarding pain, a woman could also say to her gynecologist "My (name of body part) hurts [when I make love, etc.]".

Addendum: Re usage, if you use "pussy" or "cunt" (or any part of the body that is covered by a bathing suit in most countries) in a post (other than in a direct quote), you might think about using the  emoji.


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## se16teddy

MissHeidi said:


> Even as a foreigner, I can definitely tell you that you should not, under any circumstances, tell your doctor that you are feeling pain in your 'pussy'.


 You should use with your doctor the language with which you feel most comfortable. Especially when discussing issues that people feel embarrassed about.

Thousands, maybe millions, of people die before their time because they do not feel free to discuss awkward issues with their doctor. Doctors in general want to help their patients, and to communicate in the patient's language, not to pander to absurd prejudice.


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## ain'ttranslationfun?

A very good point, teddy; doctors have seen and heard it all, probably much "worse" than "pussy", and wouldn't be likely to be offended.


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## Copperknickers

se16teddy said:


> You should use with your doctor the language with which you feel most comfortable. Especially when discussing issues that people feel embarrassed about.
> 
> Thousands, maybe millions, of people die before their time because they do not feel free to discuss awkward issues with their doctor. Doctors in general want to help their patients, and to communicate in the patient's language, not to pander to absurd prejudice.



I endorse this sentiment, however this is a website for teaching the English language to non-native speakers, so I don't think it's very necessary here. There's no reason why a non-native speaker should have any reason to use a vulgar word which they cannot have had the opportunity to develop any particular comfort or discomfort with when there are plenty of non-vulgar words they could use. A word in a foreign language is simply a tool, and you can knock a nail in with a sledgehammer if you wish, but it's not something that should be advised or encouraged.


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## Truffula

This is the best I can do for an example of usage:

Guess What Girlfriend Ray J Says ... The Shade Room  It is a gossip column about how Kim Kardashian's boyfriend Ray J thought she had a disease because she smelled bad.  

"What puts the nail in the coffin is when he says, “When I told KK … that was it. And that pussy was fresh. She went and … it was … most of the time, it was a yeast infection.” "

Ok, this was on page 7, when I did a search with Google Safe Search on for and keyword -porn to keep most of the worst of it out, it was the ONLY one that wasn't pornographic anyway.
So from that, I can tell you that most of the usage is in pornography or erotica.  There was a graphic Dr. Who fanfic on the list too.  You can find that yourself


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## ain'ttranslationfun?

Re my #53, make that "...(or any part of the body that is covered by a man's swimming trunks or a woman's bikini)...".


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## Forero

In describing pain to a doctor, the most important thing is accuracy, not register. "Pussy" and "vulva" are not very accurate.

The doctor needs to know what part hurts, what kind of pain it is, and what seems to make it hurt more or less.


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