this post was submitted on 18 Sep 2023
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[–] creditCrazy@lemmy.world 29 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Genuinely curious what does fanny mean in Australia

[–] OutlierBlue@lemmy.ca 47 points 1 year ago (2 children)

It's slang for 'pussy'. It's the same in the UK.

[–] GreenMario@lemm.ee 15 points 1 year ago (3 children)

So question for any language experts: why is it different?

[–] MadBob@feddit.nl 9 points 1 year ago

I'm not an expert, but "cunt" is related to similar Germanic words meaning "arse". Etymonline just says the American "fanny" came from the British: https://www.etymonline.com/word/fanny#etymonline_v_1119

[–] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Because Australia is upside down.

[–] Thisfox@sopuli.xyz 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

And England, where we got it from?

[–] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Who knows why those limey bastards do anything.

[–] CileTheSane@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Americans are obsessed with being different from England. See: Football / Soccer

There's a Christmas song that became a classic in the US largely because it was hated in England.

[–] Virual@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The English were the ones that created the term soccer. It grew in popularity in America as soccer, then eventually fell out of popularity in Britain. In fact, a lot of the differences between words in the US and Britain are that Brits started using a different version of the word and Americans kept using the old one. Not all, but a lot.

Source: https://time.com/5335799/soccer-word-origin-england/

[–] GreenMario@lemm.ee 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

So one American circa 1776 decided "know what, mate? I think 'fanny' should refer to ass, not pussy"

Why?

"Coz fuck da bri'ish!!"

🍻 🍻 👏🥂

[–] CileTheSane@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Sounds like the most American thing I've ever heard.

[–] GreenMario@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Same guy also had a hatred for useless letter "u"s.

[–] CileTheSane@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Nah, that's just Americans being illiterate and obstinate about being corrected.

[–] GreenMario@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Naw we're just efficient 😁

[–] CileTheSane@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Do Americans spell 'island' with an 's'? Then it has nothing to do with efficiency.

[–] GreenMario@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago
[–] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago
[–] creditCrazy@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

Well at least saying shove it up your fanny is indicating a similar location in both amarica and Australia

[–] kraftpudding@lemmy.world 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Wait, what does fanny mean in America?

[–] OneWomanCreamTeam@sh.itjust.works 30 points 1 year ago (2 children)

It's a word for butt. It sort of has a childish connotation, like a pre-school teacher might direct their class to "keep your fannys on the ground."

[–] torvusbogpod@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Only in the US. In Commonwealth countries it's a slang for vulva

[–] fubo@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

Fanny was a nickname for Frances or Francesca.

Both the "buttocks" and "vulva" meanings may have originated from the scandalous 1748 novel Fanny Hill, or Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure.

[–] orphiebaby@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] Thisfox@sopuli.xyz 1 points 1 year ago

Yanks get tetchy.

[–] IvanOverdrive@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago

Not just the US. Canada too.

[–] xX_fnord_Xx@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

I worked for a UK based fashion retail business and they always found it blushingly charming when I referred to what they called a 'bum bag ' a 'Fanny pack'.

Also, 'Pardon me!' Doesn't mean excuse me in UK English. It's more an excuse for if you do something disgusting that you are ashamed of, like if you fart or burp.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but that was my take away the couple years I worked with British people.