Taint (slang)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Taint is a term used to refer to the perineum (the region of the human body between the testicles or vagina and the anus). This term has no basis in medical terminology and is most often considered lewd and mildly obscene.
The word taint is supposedly derived from the combination of the words "it" and "ain’t" run together to form the portmanteau "taint." The joke commonly being: "It ain't your balls (or pussy) and it ain't your ass." Despite its dubious origins, the term taint has become relevant to pop culture, having been used by several television programs and stand up comedians. Such programs include SNL where Horatio Sanz played a man with no taint in a sketch with Conan O'Brien.
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[edit] Contemporary usage
One example is episode #406 of the HBO program, Mr. Show with Bob and David. The episode was entitled It’s insane this guy's taint! and contained a comedy sketch about a man who makes a small fortune through the publication of an adult magazine centered on the taint (one of the magazine's stars allegedly had a 5 inch taint). David Cross has continued to use the term in his stand-up comedy, and has become closely associated with the term.
Though the term has become widely known in the U.S. part of its allure is that it has not become part of mainstream vocabulary. Starting in the year 2003 a person claiming to be David Cross began writing to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and inserting the term "It’s insane this guys taint!" in their correspondence. Several of the letters were published and are now widely available on the internet. It has not been established if the writer was in fact David Cross.
[edit] During sexual practice
The taint is in close proximity to the sensitive prostate gland, and thus is sometimes used to enhance the male orgasm. Putting pressure on the taint to increase pleasure is a practice prevalent in the gay community, but common in the straight community as well. Anilingus performed on the taint is often referred to as a tainted salad (a word play on the more common term tossed salad).[citation needed]
Pressure on the taint has also been used as a means to control external male ejaculation. This is believed by some to increase the longevity of the sex act.[citation needed] This practice has been called riding the taint.
[edit] Popular culture
Taint is a rarely used term, but its use in popular culture is not new. In the Olympia Press book Play This Love With Me ISBN 1-59654-165-2, published 1955, the term, along with its colloquial origins, is mentioned.
Modern television has used the term in a number of comedic shows including the March 3, 2001 episode of Saturday Night Live, in a sketch featuring Conan O'Brien as a doctor who discusses how taintless Americans, including "your friendly announcer," are valuable members of society (a parody of a public service announcement for blindness from the early 1980s). The Daily Show has made repeated use of the term including the episode broadcast on January 17, 2006, when the term taint was repeatedly used in an exchange between host Jon Stewart and "Senior Political Analyst" Ed Helms, after Congressman John Shadegg (R-Arizona), seeking the position of House Majority Leader, claimed he had less of a "level of taint" (referring to corruption) than his opponents. Comedian Dane Cook also once mentioned the word taint in a stand-up act hosted by Dave Attell. In a routine about performing oral sex on his girlfriend Cook claimed that he would "uppercut her taint" so that she would never want him to perform oral sex on her again.
Animated adult series such as Drawn Together and American Dad have also employed "taint" for comedic value in recent years, as the use of the relatively obscure term is often allowed by network censors. The HBO series Deadwood featured the use of the term when one of its characters was facing a hazardous surgical procedure to remove a kidney stone. The Showtime series Weeds also featured the use of the term while characters Doug and Andy argued over what it was actually called while sitting in Nancy's living room. Andy insisted it was called a "taint", while Doug disagreed, claiming that it was called a "runway." This led them to ask the housekeeper, "Lupita, what do you call the thing between the dick and the asshole?" Her response: "The coffee table."
