September 2, 2008


You Know a Word I Like?

Whorish.

comments

22 Responses to “You Know a Word I Like?”

  1. Sheila Ryan on September 2nd, 2008 at 3:40 pm

    When you speak it, do you say hoar-ish or hoor-ish?

  2. Cindy Scroggins on September 2nd, 2008 at 3:41 pm

    I like it both ways.

  3. Mike Dresser on September 2nd, 2008 at 3:43 pm

    It’s almost onomatopoetic.

    You said she was fast?
    Whor-ISH!!

  4. Sheila Ryan on September 2nd, 2008 at 3:45 pm

    I am experimenting with all of the different ways I can manage to say it.

    It is a good thing I work out of an office at home.

  5. Cindy Scroggins on September 2nd, 2008 at 3:46 pm

    It’s a good word, all right.

  6. vin. on September 2nd, 2008 at 3:58 pm

    Good word.

    I’m a big fan of “fundic stomach.”

  7. Kris on September 2nd, 2008 at 5:14 pm

    Do you manage to fit it in to conversation on a daily basis?

  8. vin. on September 2nd, 2008 at 5:21 pm

    Me or Cindy?

  9. Kris on September 2nd, 2008 at 5:28 pm

    Anyone who’d care to answer.

    I told my boss once that the reason he was being invited onto a number of boards was that he had a certain “whorish charm”. I meant it as a compliment, but he took it as an insult.

  10. Lucy on September 2nd, 2008 at 5:38 pm

    In Ireland we say ‘hoor’, and it has a different meaning. The phrase is one I think you will like: we say, ‘cute hoor’. This is a classic case of Irish colloquialism being radically different in meaning from the same words in American. So, in this context, ‘cute hoor’ means ‘wiley coyote’ or ’shrewd one’. It does not mean, ‘attractive prostitute’ or even ‘hot sassy woman’.

    As with all things in culture, Irish people have taken to American colloquialisms like a cute hoor to um, water, and words I cherish, like ‘arse’, ‘feck’, ‘hoor’ are on the critically endangered list. Other words are losing their Irish meanings and gaining American ones: ‘pissed’ for instance, used to mean ‘drunk’. It now means, ‘angry’. This is a terrible pity.

    Whorish, however, is a proper grown up fabulous word, the kind that rolls around in a certain kind of female psyche and makes her want to wear high heels and smoke cigarettes and look fierce men square in the eye.

    Other words I like: the use of bollock as a verb, as in, to bollock around; also a bollock-load; I don’t give a bollock. Thank you for this opportunity to bollock around like a cute hoor.

  11. vin. on September 2nd, 2008 at 5:50 pm

    I get to say “fundic stomach” several times a day at work. Unfortunately, I’m usually talking to a dictaphone when I say it.

  12. Cindy Scroggins on September 2nd, 2008 at 7:34 pm

    I’ve used “whorish” in conversation 6 times today. I have yet to say “fundic stomach” today, but it’s still early.

  13. Daniel on September 2nd, 2008 at 9:49 pm

    I’d just to congratulate everyone for being able to talk about the word ‘whorish’ intelligently and without commenting inappropriately when Cindy said ‘I like it both ways’.

    Lucy, we’re having a bit of that in Australia too, but at least here ‘pissed’ still means drunk. You know it’s time to put up the barricades when it becomes acceptable to say ‘I could care less’ and ‘I couldn’t care less’ to mean the exact same thing.

  14. Tracy on September 2nd, 2008 at 10:02 pm

    I don’t know if this helps but I did manage to have this conversation tonight:

    “Fun! Dick stomach!”

    “Dick stomach?” she asked.

    “Yeah,” I clarified. “It’s when some asshole is being whorish.”

    “Hoorish? What the fuck does that mean?”

    “I don’t know,” I conceded. “It’s something they say in Ireland.”

  15. Daryl Scroggins on September 3rd, 2008 at 9:37 am

    Lucy: splendid comment here; it’s great fun to hear of such things in Ireland, expressed in such a delightful way.

    I had a friend who came here (to Texas) from London, and she mentioned a strange experience she had as soon as she arrived. At the airport, a man and a woman with a daughter who appeared to be about five or six years old suddenly shouted at the child, saying “Megan! Get your fanny over here!.” My friend noted that where she comes from the word “fanny” refers to female genitalia. Here it just means “butt”–as in: “Get your butt over here!”

    If you don’t mind me asking, what is the comparable word used in Ireland for…well…female genitalia?

  16. Cindy Scroggins on September 3rd, 2008 at 11:55 am

    For God’s sake, Daryl, why all the beating around the bush? Just ask–is it cunt, cooch, what? People are busy.

  17. Lucy on September 3rd, 2008 at 1:20 pm

    Good question, Daryl. There are many variations. To be honest, fanny is a bit coy, and for some reason I have only really heard it used by skinny working class drag queens, but I wouldn’t say that is an exhaustive scientific study.

    Cunt is the other end of the linguistic spectrum, I would say it is rarely used in an affectionate way, but it is used.

    You know, I just don’t get around here much since I moved away. This is apparent to me now. I am currently living with my parents, what can I say. I don’t know what Irish people say for ‘cooch’. I am stumped.

  18. Lucy on September 3rd, 2008 at 1:24 pm

    Ghee. I’ve just figured it out. Ghee. No, not Indian clarified butter, but a variation on the slang for cunt theme. Again, I am seeing it spoken by aforementioned skinny working class drag queen. Maybe these are the only people who talk dirty here these days.

  19. Cindy Scroggins on September 3rd, 2008 at 1:27 pm

    Ghee!!! This is such great news. Thank you, Lucy!

  20. Lucy on September 3rd, 2008 at 2:34 pm

    Happy to help.

  21. Lucy on September 3rd, 2008 at 2:36 pm

    Daniel, I agree. “I could care less” is unfortunate.

  22. Texas State Fair Porn? : clusterflock on September 5th, 2008 at 12:38 pm

    [...] Ghee servants?  Wow. [...]

Leave a Reply