OK - we went close to this idea in the "blow-in" discussions, but it makes me wonder. How did the slang "blow job" come about? At the risk of being too risque . . . although there is sometimes some blowing involved, isn't the opposite usually what is happening???

I also wonder what other common slang terms there are for this, particularly in the UK or other languages.

I've often (well, not that often!) wondered about that phrase too, for exactly the same reasons. I even spotted a letter to an agony aunt once asking "am I doing it wrong?", all because of the confusion over the name!

In France a blow job is 'une pipe' (lit. 'a pipe'), and at least the imagery of that gives more clue to young people as to what they're supposed to do than a phrase describing the exact opposite.

What other phrases exist that work in a similar paradoxical fashion?

One also hears it referred to as a "hummer," but that seems as odd as "blow job." To me, the high-falootin' "fellatio" has a better sound, even though it sounds like the name of a character in "Midsummer Night's Dream."

Well, "hummer" is actually a type of bj. <blush> Just so you know. And it really does involved humming.

The Italian verb meaning 'to pump' (pompare) is related to both 'fireman' (pompiere) and 'act of fellatio' (pompino). Though one can see the connection, it does create an unfortunate potential for misunderstanding.

As an aside, the site on which I just confirmed part of this (The Alternative Italian Dictionary, which is devoted purely to vulgar Italian slang) also teaches that ammucchiata means 1) orgy; 2) political alliance, from the verb meaning "to heap up". No doubt an apt description of Italian politics.

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Originally posted by wordnerd:
The Italian verb meaning 'to pump' _(pompare)_ is related to both 'fireman' _(pompiere)_ and 'act of fellatio' _(pompino)._ Though one can see the connection, it does create an unfortunate potential for misunderstanding.

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I guess this explains why Italian firemen are so proud of their hoses.

I posted earlier about frequent themes on this forum. How could I have forgotten sex?

How indeed.

[wink]

the high-falootin' "fellatio" has a better sound

The Romans had two words for blow job: fellatio and irrumatio. Both words describe the same act, but the former is from the POV of the person being fellated and is viewed positively, and the latter is from the POV of the irrumator and is viewed negatively.

jheem, some sources (e.g., Ms. Bryne) define irrumation as synonymous with fellation; others distinguish the terms -- but not by the distinction you indicate. Details of the distinction can be found by googling fellatio irrumatio. Suffice it to say that the distinction is whether the mouth is inciting or passive.

"..... googling fellatio irrumatio"


golly that sounds like fun

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Originally posted by Kalleh:
How could I have forgotten sex?

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poor poor shufitz

Suffice it to say that the distinction is whether the mouth is inciting or passive.

I was talking about the distinction in Latin, not English. I just googled, and see that irrumation has been adopted by the porn community. The Romans, as well as the ancient Greeks, also distinguished between other active and passive sex acts.

fellatio irrumatio"
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I think I read that once on a musical score of an opera. It was music for the seduction scene.

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Originally posted by Asa Lovejoy:
fellatio irrumatio"
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I think I read that once on a musical score of an opera. It was music for the seduction scene.

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OMG - I'm laughing so hard! That is what it sounds like! I'm going to be singing that all day! I bet you could write an entire libretto with "naughty" words and few would even know!

This is beginning to remind me of discussion about naval lint.

Tinman

Originally posted by caterwauller, way back when: "although there is sometimes some blowing involved, isn't the opposite usually what is happening???

From a fine etymology source: [The sexual] slang sense is from 1933, as ~ (someone) off, originally among prostitutes (~ job first recorded 1961 in the sexual sense; as recently as 1953 it meant "a type of airplane")

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as recently as 1953 it meant "a type of airplane")

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While I've heard people refer to the Cessna Airmaster, an unique propellor equipped airplane with an engine on the nose, and another in the tail, as a "suck and blow," I hadn't heard "blow job" in an aviation context for a long time. Chances are your source is referring to jet aircraft, which suck air in and blow it out.

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Originally posted by tinman:
This is beginning to remind me of discussion about https://wordcraft.infopop.cc/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=441607094&f=932607094&m=9556095793&r=9556095793#9556095793.

Tinman

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Thanks for the link! I've just spent a delightful 20 minutes or so reading this to myself, and parts aloud to Hubby. Funny! Thank goodness Ohio doesn't have such laws! I even went to a home-sales party a few months ago where we all (all women) got to see and giggle over several such products (dildoes, if you recall the thread of discussion), as well as sampling several "lotions". What fun we had!

Are there different words for different kinds of blushing???

This is beginning to remind me of discussion about naval lint.

Oh, yes, our "official dildo" thread. That was a fun thread...and all because I wanted to know the word for navel lint. And, you know what? After all those posts, I still don't know the word!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kalleh,

My son calls it "crust". Ew!

naval lint

What's wrong with navel lint? (I'd vote for belly button down.) What is the obsession with reducing all lexical terms to one word? What's wrong with periphrasis? Sheesh! Perhaps if navel lint were a more important thing in our culture it would rate a single word term.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jheem,

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Originally posted by jheem:
_naval lint_

What's wrong with naval lint?

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Nothing, if you're a sailor; but what do land lubbers have?

Nothing, if you're a sailor; but what do land lubbers have?

Sorry to have misspelled the word navel. I've corrected it now, so the Earth won't fall out of its orbit and crash into the sun. Now answer the question, please.

I once heard a great story about a man with a golden belly button. Anyone else know it? Maybe I should type it out, although it's been a long time since I heard it.

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Originally posted by Caterwauller:
I once heard a great story about a man with a golden belly button. Anyone else know it? Maybe I should type it out, although it's been a long time since I heard it.

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No, I've never heard that one. Maybe you can tell us (pretty please!). I have heard the story of the golden arm, though!

Tinman

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Originally posted by Caterwauller:
I once heard a great story about a man with a golden belly button. Anyone else know it? Maybe I should type it out, although it's been a long time since I heard it.

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I am reminded of a Mercedes-Benz training session I attended way back in 1971, in which we were all presented a picture of a man examining his belly button. It had a slot in it, so our hero stuck a screwdriver in the slotted belly button and began turning it. Pretty soon a screw came out, and his buttocks fell off. The moral of the story was, "Don't screw with something you know nothing about or you'll lose your ass!"

Asa wins! That's basically the story - each storyteller finds a different way to build up the specialness of the golden navel . . . until finally the owner of the thing twists and his butt falls off. When I heard the story, the teller made us all think it was going to have great meaning and significance, and then it turned out to be just a joke.

I figured someone on this board would have heard something similar!!!!!!!!!!

Right, didn't think so.

jheem, you probably copied my misspelling of "navel," since I copied Tinman's! I didn't even think it looked right, but, "hey," I thought, "this is Tinman!"

What is the obsession with reducing all lexical terms to one word? What's wrong with periphrasis? Sheesh! Perhaps if navel lint were a more important thing in our culture it would rate a single word term.

Now, now, jheem. I may have to fly to SF and take your blood pressure!

If you read the beginning question in that original belly button lint thread, you will see that I thought I had remembered that there was a word for belly button lint. I even contacted my logophile friend (he knows everything!), but he didn't know of one. So...I posted the question here. That's all. I was curious. I wasn't obsessed that all "lexical terms" need to be reduced to one word.

There, now is that better?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kalleh,

Maybe we should start making up words for things like this! We all have such varying influences, and such a wide span of geography, we could actually influence the evolution of the language!

Reminds me of another book!

_Frindle_ by Andrew Clements. "When he decides to turn his fifth grade teacher's love of the dictionary around on her, clever Nick Allen invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly moves beyond his control."

Only 121 pages - a quick read for the likes of you!

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Now, now, jheem. I may have to fly to SF and take your blood pressure!

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Ummm, Kalleh, when a cute nurse takes MY blood pressure, it goes WAAAY up!

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Originally posted by Caterwauller:
Maybe we should start making up words for things like this! We all have such varying influences, and such a wide span of geography, we could actually influence the evolution of the language!

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CW, I've been promoting "etrahation" as a more accurate term for what passes as "education" most of the time. From the Latin word, "trahere," to drag, rather than "ducere," to lead.

There, now is that better?

No, sorry, but it doesn't. Thanks anyway.

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What's wrong with periphrasis? _

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It sure beats the German habit of making one word out of half a dozen! Just looking at German makes me dizzy!

Asa, there are any number of things that make ME dizzy . . . but that doesn't mean they aren't fun!