Sex-related metaphors in different languages

[zompist]

I've often wondered why European French uses sex-related swearwords, whereas the Quebecois go for religious words; but I never found a satisfying explanation. This might be recent. "Nom de Dieu" feels quaint now, but it was still relatively serious in the early 20th century.

I think it is recent— Tintin uses the taboo-deformation sapristi and saperlipopette which are from sacristi. Or maybe that's just Belgians.

[xxx]

Since the revolution, blasphemy has been encouraged in France,
although this could change with the new religions,
while Judeo-Christian modesty remains deeply ingrained,
the sexual revolution is not so old...

[jcb]

The first example I can think of, although it's so thoroughly associated with sex by now that there are probably few people who still think of it as a metaphor, is one of the most common German slang words for having sex with someone: "vögeln", which translates literally as "birding" or "to bird". That might give you some idea of how people in the past used to get their sex education.

English has "dogging", which means "to have sex in a public place".

"X sucks" is one of these, which has been bleached to the point that few (to my knowledge) think much of its etymology.

As an example of how much it's been normalized, I recall that when Obama was president, he said something like "That sucks." during a press conference once, and the Republicans didn't even get upset!

Does anyone have a handy link to studies on the popularity over time of these terms? I am aware, as an adult, of their origin but my gut thinks of 'it sucks' as being less sexual than 'it blows' when I am not consciously thinking about the origins. I think I was allowed to say the first when under the age of 10 but suspected that my parents/teachers would disapprove of the second, once I became aware of the term.

My intuition says the opposite, because "that blows" could be some metaphor about the wind, but "that sucks" couldn't.

I looked up some phrases on Google Ngram Viewer ( https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?c ... moothing=3 ), and it shows that "sucks" is more popular now, but "blows" used to be more popular in the past, but I have no way to check whether each mention is literal or sexual.

[Arzena]

Sometimes you'll hear that two pieces fit together 'comme papa dans maman', ie as daddy into mommy, ie perfectly.

Suddenly I understand Guattari and Deleuze's asides about "daddy-mommy-me" a lot more...

[Raphael]

English has "dogging", which means "to have sex in a public place".

What, the English language in general? I thought that was just the British version of the English language.

[Ares Land]

Sometimes you'll hear that two pieces fit together 'comme papa dans maman', ie as daddy into mommy, ie perfectly.

Suddenly I understand Guattari and Deleuze's asides about "daddy-mommy-me" a lot more...

Oh, that was just the 70's

[Man in Space]

“Raw-dogging” (intercourse sans condom) has infamously started to be generalized to any reckless, ill-advised, or done-with-a-lack-of-preparation execution of some act.

[So Haleza Grise]

I've often wondered why European French uses sex-related swearwords, whereas the Quebecois go for religious words; but I never found a satisfying explanation. This might be recent. "Nom de Dieu" feels quaint now, but it was still relatively serious in the early 20th century.

I don't really know that much about the history of Quebec, but my understanding is that it was quite rural and quite religiously conservative up until the 30s. Possibly (who can say) they held onto their Catholicism as a badge of difference from their more numerous anglophone neighbours, in the same way that Ireland was quite rural and quite commiftedly to Catholicism in its public mores for much of the C20th. When one's catholicism is so closely linked to one's social identity, it doesn't surprise me that it would be a source for, well, profanity.

Meanwhile of course over the same time period, republican France was both more urbanised, and more determined to "escape" the church's shadow, since Catholicism was so associated in the minds of the people who ran the country with monarchism, reaction, and rural backwardness.

[rotting bones]

I have never been good at slang. This song is not in comprehensible language AFAICT. All of it sounds either vaguely or explicitly dirty: https://banglatangla.com/shingho_rashi.html (This site has a video and mouse over definitions for the lyrics.)

বেমক্কা বিকার, আলটপকা শিকার

bemɔk:a

sudden

bikar,

fever,

altɔpka

impetuous

ʃikar

hunting

"It's a sudden fever, an unplanned hunt"

আমিতে ই-কার, বাড়ছে বাড়ুক ক্ষতি কি ক্ষতি কি

ami-te

1s.loc

i-kar,

ি,

baɽtʃʰe

grow.3.cont

baɽuk

grow.3

kʰot̪i

harm

ki

what

kʰot̪i

harm

ki

what

"My ি (i-kar), it's growing, let it grow, what's the harm? What's the harm?"

দিতে পারো foo job, sugar free গুজব

d̪it̪e

give.part

paro

able.2.imp

foo

foo

job,

job,

sugar

sugar

free

free

gudʒɔb

gossip

"You can give foo job, sugar-free gossip"

বলতেই পারো বেয়াদব বাকিরা সব সতী কি সতী কি

bolt̪e-i

say.2.part-emph

paro

able.2

bejad̪ob

delinquent

baki-ra

remaining.pl

ʃɔb

all

ʃot̪i

saint

ki

what

ʃot̪i

saint

ki

what

"What, I'm a delinquent? Are the others saints or what?"

ক্ষতি কি ক্ষতি কি

kʰot̪i

harm

ki

what

kʰot̪i

harm

ki

what

"What's the harm? What's the harm?"

মগজে ভরপুর পুষ্টি, রাজযোটক বলছে কুষ্ঠি

mɔgodʒ-e

brain.loc

bʱɔrpur

absolutely.full

puʃʈi,

ripeness,

radʒoʈɔk

match

boltʃʰe

say.3.cont

kuʃʈʰi

horoscope

"Head feels full, horoscope says it's a match"

আজ শ্রাদ্ধ কার অন্ত্যেষ্টি, জমায়েতে rocker বরণ

adʒ

today

ʃad̪d̪ʱo

marriage

kar

whose

ɔnt̪oʃʈi,

rite,

dʒɔmajet-e

party.loc

rocker

rocker

bɔron

welcome

"Whose marriage is today, they want a rocker at the party"

বেশ চলো ধরছি বাজি, ডালে ঝোলে মাখতে রাজি

beʃ

great

tʃɔlo

go.2

d̪ʱortʃʰi

catch.1.cont

badʒi,

bet,

ɖal-e

lentil.loc

dʒʱol-e

stew.loc

makʰte

mix.part

radʒi

agree

"Sweet! It's a bet, let's mix stews and lentils"

Pituitary-র কারসাজি, হয় তাতে অন্তঃক্ষরণ

pituitary-r

pituitary.gen

karʃadʒi,

effect,

hɔj

be.3

t̪a-t̪e

that.loc

ɔnt̪oʔkʰɔron

hemorrhage

"It's the pituitary's effect, it makes your head burst"

ওহো, ওহো, পুট পড়লে বকরি শনি

oho,

oho,

oho,

oho,

put

one

poɽle

throw.cond.part

bokri

reverse

ʃoni

Saturn

"Oho, oho, if I throw a one, it's Reverse Saturn"

ওহো, ওহো, আধ-সেদ্ধ macaroni

oho,

oho,

oho,

oho,

ad̪ʱ-ʃed̪d̪ʱo

half-boiled

macaroni

macaroni

"Oho, oho, half-boiled macaroni"

আমি সিংহ রাশি রাক্ষস গণ

ami

1s

ʃiŋɡʱo

Leo

raʃi

sign

rakkʰoʃ

monster

gɔn

dude

"I'm a Leo signed monster dude"

খেতে চাই তেড়ে যাই যখন তখন

kʰet̪e

eat.2.part

tʃai

want.1.imp

t̪eɽe

rush.part

dʒai

want.1.imp

dʒɔkʰon

what.time

t̪ɔkʰon

that.time

"Wanna eat, rush at them, whenever I want"

সিংহ রাশি রাক্ষশ গণ

ʃiŋɡʱo

Leo

raʃi

sign

rakkʰoʃ

monster

gɔn

dude

"I'm a Leo signed monster dude"

Amplifier পেলে করি গর্জন

amplifier

amplifier

pele

get.2.cond.part

kori

do.1.imp

gɔrdʒon

roar

"Put me before a mic, I roar"

গন্তব্যস্থলে, লালবাতি জ্বলে

gɔnt̪ob:ost̪ʰl-e,

destination.loc,

lal-bat̪i

red-light

dʒɔle

burn.3

"Where I'm going, the red light burns"

মুলতুবি বৈঠক হবে চল্লিশ ডিগ্রী রোদে কি রোদে কি

mult̪ubi

pending

boiʈʰɔk

meeting

hɔbe

be.2.fut

tʃol:iʃ

forty

ɖigri

degree

rod̪-e

sunlight.loc

ki

what

rod̪-e

sunlight.loc

ki

what

"My future meeting is in forty degrees sunlight *nudge nudge wink wink*"

কুমির তোর জলকে, নেমেছে বল কে

kumir

crocodile

t̪or

2s.gen

dʒɔl-ke,

water.obj,

nemetʃʰe

go.down.part

bɔl

say.2.imp

ke

who

"Crocodile in your water, who is going down?"

টিপ টিপ ট্যাপ কলকে বন্ধ করে আমায় চোদে কি চোদে কি

ʈip

drip

ʈip

drip

ʈæp

tap

kɔl-ke

tap.obj

bɔnd̪ʱo

close.part

kɔre

do.3

ama-j

1s.loc

tʃode

fuck

ki

what

tʃode

fuck

ki

what

"Dripping, dripping tap, close it, fuck me, fuck me"

চোদে কি চোদে কি

tʃode

fuck

ki

what

tʃode

fuck

ki

what

"fuck me, fuck me"

কোন বৌদি কবে কোথায়, উঠেছিলেন চিলেকোঠায়

kon

which

boud̪i

sister.in.law

kɔbe

when

kot̪ʰi,

where,

uʈʰtʃʰilen

go.up.resp.3.past

tʃilekoʈʰaj

attic

"Some sister climbing the attic"

সূর্যের আলোতে নাকি, নষ্ট হয়েছেন তিনি

ʃurdʒ-er

sun.gen

alo-t̪e

light.obj

naki,

as.if,

nɔʃʈo

spoiled

hojetʃʰen

be.resp.3.perf

t̪ini

they.resp.1

"She says the sunlight spoiled her"

হ্যাঙ্গারে ভিজে গিটার, কাল rock show আছে আমার

hæŋgar-e

hangar.loc

bʱidʒe

wet

giʈar,

guitar,

kal

tomorrow

rock

rock

show

show

atʃʰe

be.3

amar

1s.gen

"Guitar wet in hangar, I have a rock show tomorrow"

কেচে নিয়েছি তাকে, কোনো খামতি রাখিনি

ketʃe

wash.perf.part

nijetʃʰi

take.1.perf

t̪ak-e,

they.1.loc,

kono

any

kʰamt̪i

undone

rakʰini

leave.1.perf.neg

"Did the full laundry on her, leaving nothing undone."

ওহো, ওহো, সেই কুন্তী নষ্ট যিনি

oho,

oho,

oho,

oho,

ʃe-i

they-emph

kunt̪i

Kunti

nɔʃʈo

spoiled

dʒini

they.1.who.resp

"Oho, oho, she's the spoiled Kunti"

ওহো, ওহো, আমি চিনি গো চিনি

oho,

oho,

oho,

oho,

ami

1s

tʃini

know.1

go

oh

tʃini

know.1

"Oho, oho, I know her, I know."

---

The lyrics are a bit desperate if you ask me. I liked the ই-কার.

[hwhatting]

The Tocharian reflex of IE *yebh-, yäp-, means "to enter", while cognates in all other daughters mean "to fuck" (Greek οἴφω, Sanskrit yábhati, Russian ебать). Is it an archaism, or an hyperbole on the model of French foutre (which is rarely used in its original sense anymore at least in my generation)?

Hm, now I wonder: Given that Tocharian is, you know, extinct, and has been for a while, can we be sure that the scholars who deciphered it got the meaning of this particular word right? Long ago, I read an article somewhere (though a journalistic one, not a scholarly one), which claimed that back in the days before the Sexual Revolution had reached the parts of Academia concerned with studying Classical Antiquity, classicists were sometimes pretty euphemistic when they translated certain passages from surviving ancient Latin texts.

I don't know about the attestation of this word specifically, but most Tocharian texts we have are translations of Buddhist religious texts where we know the originals, so we have a pretty good idea what the words mean.
Plus, in most models I know, Tocharian is supposed to be the second family to branch off after Anatolian (where this root doesn't seem to be attested), so at least to me, it makes more sense to assume that Tocharian kept the original meaning and the other branches innovated the sexual use (a development "enter" -> "fuck" seems more likely to me thant the other way round; "enter" is not the kind of emotionally loaded meaning that has developed from "fuck" or "foutre".

[hwhatting]

Sometimes you'll hear that two pieces fit together 'comme papa dans maman', ie as daddy into mommy, ie perfectly.

In Russian, when talking about parts that get to be plugged into other parts, the part with the plug is usually refered to as papa and the part with the opening as mama. A similar metaphor is behind German Mutter "nut (for a bolt)".

[WeepingElf]

Sometimes you'll hear that two pieces fit together 'comme papa dans maman', ie as daddy into mommy, ie perfectly.

In Russian, when talking about parts that get to be plugged into other parts, the part with the plug is usually refered to as papa and the part with the opening as mama. A similar metaphor is behind German Mutter "nut (for a bolt)".

Well, we have male and female connectors in English, too.

[þeprussianfrog]

Speaking of PIE words related to genitals.
Latin has verpa "erect penis" and Lithuanian has várpa "penis, especially in medical context".
Does anyone know anything on the potential connection between the two?