This is an Ass.
This picture also usefully illustrates Arse (or it would if I were not wearing the most enormous pair of knickers known to humankind. I suspect a nappy may be involved under that lot).An Arse is a bottom, a bum, your posterior, your buttocks, your gluteus maximus.
An Ass is a donkey.
You are inviting folk to kiss your donkey, which is not as big an insult as I suspect is intended. I have kissed several donkeys on their soft velvety muzzles and can report it's a rather nice thing to do (no tongues).
An Arse is NOT a Fanny, nononononono, most definitely not.
A Fanny is, umm, well, the bit you would see if a (supremely confident) woman, was displaying her nekkid Arse to you and suddenly turned around, 180 degrees.
So when an American talks about their "Fanny pack" or says "I fell down flat on my Fanny", we other English speakers generally blush (I know I did the first time I heard the term Fanny pack, I couldn't imagine what this item could possibly be), stifle a giggle or express concern for your person.
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16 comments:
But ass breath might still work as an expression, right?
But of course, especially if the Ass breath person has been eating grass ;)
As an American, I am confident that an ass is a fanny, and an arse is something YOU have. I'm a little confused about what your fanny might be... Don't answer.
Well CC, only girls have em and it ain't boobs!
There's a quote out there somewhere along the lines of, Americans & the English, separated by a common language ;)
Amazing. I don't think Americans have any "nice" words for your fanny region. Is fanny considered a nice word?
Some English & American bloggers have taken up the term, Lady Garden, which is rather quaint, even twee.
As for is it nice? Well, I can think of a lot worse.
I don't think there are many nice words for it anywhere really, bits (as in girl bits or boy bits) is pretty innocuous and could be used in mixed company or in front of one's grandmama (though why you'd be discussing you bits with your grandmama I cannot think!).
how interesting you should post this ... i was asking B just last night what a fanny was in Ameri-speak. he said it was a person's bottom..which i found strange.
didnt you call a fanny-pack a bum-bag? in WA, we called it a bumbag, but it was worn at the front - not at the back of a person's anatomy, which is what a bona fide 'bum' bag would be.
the english language really is a bit of a mish-mash. in fact, i don't know why we call it 'english'. perhaps i should start a petition to call it 'mash-lish'.
Hi -
I would have sworn I left a comment here the other day...
I always thought "arse" was a quaint way of saying "ass" and that they both referred to a human posterior!
As for fanny - I had no clue! I will never be able to look at a fanny pack or say the phrase without thinking of this educational post!
But this did help explain a line in the BBC show "Life on Mars" when Hunt said something was "about as real as a Tranny's Fanny"!
Thanks for the information!
;o)
- Lee
Lee, I loved Life on Mars, glad to be of some use, translation-wise.
CAW, I never understoond why the bumbag went at the front either, perhaps they are referring to the, ehem, front bum *blush*.
Fanny can also be nickname for Francine. Can you imagine if Francine and Richard got together...it would be absolute mayhem!!
A new polite American term for the female part is a "Betty." In surfer speak, a Betty (namesake was Barney's wife from the Flinstones) is also a cute woman.
In fact, if you want to be creative with your Betty, you can be...http://www.bettybeauty.com.
As for the fanny pack - I think the original, appropriate use was to wear it with the pack on the backside, but silly fashionistas switched it around.
Haha! I love that Australians and Brits have this in common. Why Americans chose to bastardize the English language I'll just never know.
My first experience with the blushing was at about age 18 when I was doing a Kathy Smith workout video and she told me not to put my fanny below 90 degrees. I about fell on said "fanny". Was this a workout video only for forward women, I wondered?
And don't get me started on taking the "u" out of "colour" or the "y" out of "tyre"... we could have heaps of fun making fun of American speak.
Thanks CAW for the mish-mash comments - I think it's more like Mish-Has, however.
Incidentally I've become a pretty good English to MashHashlish translator, which CAW herself can attest to. Remember the lemonade vs. Sprite/7Up incident when GerliLife visited Sacraghetto?
I meant, obviously, "Mish-Hash" not "Mish-Has" which makes no sense at all. (Well, I am actually a naturalized American citizen now, so perhaps that has something to do with it)
BV, this is why I try first for books from Amazon UK, because they will be spelled properly !
And the dear yankies, we only tease because we are so terribly fond of them, no?
(PS it's LEMONADE).
As an American, I never knew. I dont know if I can ever say fanny again without thinking of this post. My daughter wont let me say thongs when I'm speaking of footware but that is what we called them when I was young. Before the underware that went up your ass (lol) was sold. (at least here in the states)
Megan, we call "thongs" g-GG-strings, so just imagine how Australian guitar players feel now :)
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