Sexual slang
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Sexual slang is any slang term which makes reference to sex, gender and gender identity, sexuality, sexual activity, the sexual organs, or matters closely related to them.
[edit] General usage
In the popular jargon of many cultures, the use of sexual slang is a form of humor or euphemism that often creates controversy over its public use. Sexual humor has been seen in many circles as crude and unsophisticated, as well as insulting towards the subject it describes. The popularity of various comedians who indulge in sexual humor, from George Carlin to Andrew Dice Clay, reflects the appeal of this form of speech. It is often seen as a form of taboo, in which much of the appeal lies in the shock value of daring to speak "forbidden" words in public.
Related to sexual slang is slang related to defecation and flatulence (toilet humor, scatolinguistics). References to the anal tract are often given a sexual connotation in the context of anal sex (in particular in a context of male homosexuality).
While popular usage is incredibly versatile in coining ever new short-lived synonyms, old terms with originally no pejorative colouring may come to be considered inappropriate over time. Thus, terms like ass, cunt, fart and fuck should not be considered "slang," since they are the inherited common English terms for their referents, but they are often considered improper and replaced by euphemisms or scientific terminology in polite language.
Some examples are "Pussy," for Vagina, "Jacking Off," for masturbation, and "Sucking off," for oral sex.
[edit] Business Usage
In recent years, with the introduction of more and more hip 'business speak' terms, the phrase 'reach out' was coined within the entertainment industry. Per example, an agent or manager might ask a director or producer to 'reach out' to his or her client, meaning to establish communication. This was given an ironic twist by the younger generation, who quickly saw the similarity to its crass relative, 'reach around.' Using the same example with this modification, an agent or manager might ask a director or producer to 'reach around' to his or her client.[citation needed]
[edit] Pejorative usage
Slurs are used to refer to members of a given sexual minority, gender, sex, or sexual orientation in a derogatory or pejorative manner. They are used as insults against persons who are not or do not wish to be associated with the group in question. For example, gay may be used as a self-description by homosexual men, but when applied to a heterosexual man, the term is insulting (often generic, and not indicative of any homosexual characteristics the man may possess). Which terms are used as slurs is determined by a society's or subculture's set of values, especially its biases against genders (sexism). Sexual slurs are attested from all cultures and historical periods. The most common slurs directed against men include accusations of being a passive homosexual (Aristophanes notably enjoys using such allusions) and of being a woman (or like a woman, see effeminate; for example, in the Hittite military oath, oath-breakers are threatened with being made into women, a promise of either actual castration, or of divine revenge on the traitors' manhood).
[edit] External links
- Sex Dictionary — mostly non-slang terms; some slang also
- Urban Dictionary — all types of slang
- The World's Largest Collection of Masturbation Synonyms
- An Intro to Dubious Sexual Terminology
