Cunt

Cunt is an English vulgarism most commonly used in reference to the female genitalia or, more generally, the region extending from the mons veneris to the perineum and inward from the labia into the vagina. Historically, the term did originate as an anatomical reference. The earliest citation of this usage appears in the Oxford English Dictionary, in reference to a London street known as "Gropecunt Lane," circa 1230. The word and prefix "cunt" have since been incorporated into the colloquial and technical speech of nautical and other occupational traditions.

Many consider cunt obscene and therefore highly offensive, though as with all verbal profanities, others regard it merely as informal but not vulgar slang. A comparable vulgarism is pussy, usually used specifically in reference to the vulva and vagina and generally considered less offensive than its counterpart. The term is sometimes used as a non-specific derogatory epithet in reference to a person of either sex (in Australian English, specifically male; the Macquarie Dictionary defines cunt as "a despicable man"), in which case the use is an instance of synecdoche. Use of the term as a vulgar insult is, however, a relatively recent development, the earliest citation dating from 1929.

The term also has various other uses (see usage below).

Etymology

Cunt is an old Germanic word (Proto-Germanic *kunton), and appeared as queynte in Middle English and kunta in Old Norse. It has cognates in most Germanic languages, such as the Swedish, Faroese and Old Norwegian kunta, Frisian kunte, Dutch kut, and German kott. While kont in Dutch refers to the buttocks, kut is considered far less offensive in Dutch speaking areas than cunt is in the English speaking world. However, kont, the Afrikaans equivalent of cunt, is considered more offensive to Afrikaans speakers than cunt is to English speakers.

The etymology of the term is however disputed. It may have arisen by Grimm's law operating on the Proto-Indo-European root *gen/gon = "create, become" seen in gonads, genital, gamete, genetics, gene, or the Proto-Indo-European root *g^wneH₂/guneH₂ = "woman" seen in gynaecology. Relationships to similar-sounding words such as the Latin cunnus (vulva), and its derivatives French con, and Spanish coño have not been conclusively demonstrated. Other Latin words related to cunnus: cuneatus, wedge-shaped; cuneo v. fasten with a wedge; (figurative) to wedge in, squeeze in, leading to English words like cuneiform (wedge-shaped).

Vulgarity and offensiveness

Like many vulgar words, cunt owes some of its potency to its phonetic characteristics. Its monosyllabic nature, combined with the initial hard k and terminal sharp t make it well suited for use as an epithet or interjection. Its connotations are so strong that it may arguably be the most offensive word in the English language―perhaps more so in the United States than in other English-speaking countries.[1] In fact, some commentators argue that the growing acceptance (as they see it) of the word fuck in print and broadcast media has rendered cunt the last genuinely unprintable and unutterable expletive.

On the other hand, this rule is far from universal. In certain circles the word is considered merely a common profanity with an often humorous connotation. For example, in Australia and Great Britain and among some Europeans who speak English as a second language, the word may be used as a colloquial term of endearment (e.g., in such phrases as "You're a funny cunt, Rodney!" or "Sick cunt!"). Moreover, there is an increasing number of instances of the term both in print and in speech, usually in derogatory reference to a person rather than to the anatomical part.

Usage: pre-20th century

Cunt has been in common use in its anatomical meaning since at least the 13th century. It did not appear in any major dictionary of the English language from 1795 to 1961, when it was included in Webster's Third New International Dictionary with the comment "usu. considered obscene". Its first appearance in the Oxford English Dictionary was in 1972, which cites the word as having been in use since 1230 in what was supposedly a current London street name of "Gropecunte Lane."

The word appears several times in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (c. 1390), in bawdy contexts, but it does not appear to be considered obscene at this point, since it is used openly. A notable use is from the Miller's Tale "Pryvely he caught her by the queynte." The Wife of Bath also uses this term, "For certeyn, olde dotard, by your leave/You shall have queynte right enough at eve . . . What aileth you to grouche thus and groan?/Is it for ye would have my queynte alone?" In modernised versions of these passages the word "queynte" is usually translated simply as "cunt" [2] [3]. However, in Chaucer's usage there seems to be an overlap between the words "cunt" and "quaint" (possibly derived from the Latin for "known"). "Quaint" was probably pronounced in Middle English in much the same way as "cunt." It is sometimes unclear whether the two words were thought of as distinct from one another. Elsewhere in Chaucer's work the word queynte seems to be used with meaning comparable to the modern "quaint" (charming, appealing).

By Shakespeare's day, the word seems to have become obscene. Although Shakespeare does not use the word explicitly (or with derogatory meaning) in his plays, he still plays with it, using wordplay to sneak it in obliquely. In Act III, Scene 2, of Hamlet, as the castle's residents are settling in to watch the play-within-the-play, Hamlet asks Ophelia, "Lady, shall I lie in your lap?" Ophelia, of course, replies, "No, my lord." Hamlet, feigning shock, says, "Do you think I meant country matters?" Then, to drive home the point that the accent is definitely on the first syllable of country, Shakespeare has Hamlet say, "That's a fair thought, to lie between maids' legs." Also see Twelfth Night (Act II, Scene V): "There be her very Cs, her Us, and her Ts: and thus makes she her great Ps." A related scene occurs in Henry V: when Katherine is learning English, she is appalled at the "gros et impudique" English words "foot" and "gown," which her English teacher has mispronounced as "coun." Presumably Shakespeare intends to suggest that she has misheard "foot" as "foutre" (French, "fuck") and "coun" as "con" (French, "idiot," although literally "cunt").

The 1675 Restoration comedy The Country Wife also features such wordplay, even in its title.

By the 17th century a softer form of the word, "cunny," came into use. This was probably derived from a pun on "coney", meaning "rabbit", rather as "pussy" is connected to the same term for a cat. (Philip Massinger: "A pox upon your Christian cockatrices They cry, like poulterers' wives, 'No money, no coney.'") Largely because of this usage, the word "coney" to refer to rabbits changed pronunciation from short "o" (like money and honey) to long "o" (cone, as in Coney Island), and has now almost completely disappeared from most dialects of English, much in the same way that the word "pussy" is now rarely used to refer to a cat.

Usage: contemporary

Referring to genitalia
Considered highly taboo, this usage rarely appears in the media or in polite conversation. In the film The Silence of the Lambs, a caged prisoner tells the female protagonist, "I can smell your cunt!" The line is used to illustrate his grotesquely despicable nature. The point is utterly lost in the television version as the line is overdubbed to say, "I can smell your scent."

Referring to women
In referring to a woman, "cunt" is a derogatory or abusive term, often considered the most offensive word that can be used in this context. It can imply that the named person is extremely nasty and unpleasant in a way that exceeds the vehemence of the word "bitch." In the film One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, the central character McMurphy, when pressed to explain exactly why he doesn't like the tyrannical Nurse Ratched, says: "She's something of a cunt, ain't she, Doc?"

It is sometimes used, somewhat less abusively, in vulgar reference to supposed female inferiority: "Why should I let some dumb cunt tell me what to do?"

In 2004, University of Colorado president Elizabeth Hoffman fanned the flames of a football rape case when, during a deposition, she was asked if she thought "cunt" was a "filthy and vile" word. She replied that it was a "swear word" but had "actually heard it used as a term of endearment." A spokesperson later clarified that Hoffman meant the word had polite meanings in its original use centuries ago. In the rape case, a CU football player had allegedly called female player Katie Hnida a "fucking lovely cunt."

Referring to men
In the United Kingdom, cunt is additionally used to refer to men, usually in a derogatory sense. "Nick is such a cunt" would express disdain for Nick.

In Australia, New Zealand and, to a lesser extent, the UK, it can have a comic quality and even be used as a term of endearment. For example, the phrase "How about I buy you a beer, you big cunt," could be easily taken without any offence and possibly with a hint of affection. A perfect example of this is in the British comedy film Shaun of the Dead, in which one character, Ed, says to a group of four people (which includes his best friend Shaun, Shaun's girlfriend and her friends)in a very light-hearted and casual manner: "Can I get any of you cunts a drink?"

Usage in Scotland
Cunt is used extensively in Scotland in a non-derogatory way to simply refer to a person when no insult is intended. For example, "Any cunt kens [knows] that!" or "That poor cunt was just minding his business when the bus ran over him."

Referring to inanimate objects
Cunt is used extensively in Australia and also in some parts of Scotland as a replacement noun, more commonly among males and the working classes, similar to the use of motherfucker or son of a bitch among some Americans in extremely casual settings. For instance, "The cunt won't start," in reference to an automobile; or "Pass me that cunt," meaning "Pass me that item I need"; or "Those cunts down the road," referring to people in the vicinity. When used in this sense, the word does not necessarily imply contempt nor is it necessarily intended to be offensive.

Complimentary
In New Zealand and Australia the term "good cunt" is often used as a compliment. As in "you are a real good cunt" or "he's a real good cunt eh?". "Mad cunt" is also used. The term is usually used to refer to men but sometimes for women as well. THe term is also used extensively in a non-derogatory manner aswell as in "The poor cunt can't cop a break". "[4]

Other uses
The word is sometimes used as a general expletive to show frustration, annoyance or anger. "I've had a cunt of a day!" or "This is a cunt to finish."

Australians have a habit of pairing the word with another to give a more specific meaning or simply a greater effect. Common examples include: cuntstomer (merger with the word "customer", used in retail when "off the floor" to describe a problem customer; cuntstable (merger with constable, to denote a police officer); and cunt-rash (visible disorder of the female genitalia, again normally a general insult). The phrase "sick cunt" is sometimes used as a compliment by such sub-groups as Australian surfers; e.g., "Man, that guy can charge the goon—he is a sickmcunt." (Ironically, this term, though having become common Aussie parlance, originated within non-Anglo groups—particularly those of Arab descent—who combined their use of the term "sick" with what they saw as a typically Aussie expletive.) The term "cunt-rag" is often used to refer to people in derogatory manner; e.g., "I hate that guy, he's such a cunt-rag." Some have suggested that this refers to the use of "rag" as a slang term for the sanitary pads used to absorb menstrual blood, as in the term "She is on the rag."

"Cunt" may also be used as an acronym to describe a stupid person, body of people, or thing. C.U.N.T. can stand for: "Can't Understand Normal Thinking," and is used this way in the Southeastern United States. "C U Next Tuesday" has been used in England as well.

A modern derivative adjective, "cuntish" (alternatively, "cuntacious"), meaning "frustrating," "awkward" or (when describing behavior) "selfish," is increasingly used in England and has begun to appear in other regions, such as Scotland and Ireland. Another one, gaining popularity amongst clubbers, is "cunted", meaning "incoherent," "intoxicated" or "exhausted."

"Cunting" is routinely used as an intensifying modifier, much like "fucking."

The word "cunty" is also known, although used rarely: a famous line from Hanif Kureishi's My Beautiful Laundrette is the definition of England by a Pakistani immigrant as "eating hot buttered toast with cunty fingers," suggestive of hypocrisy and a hidden sordidness or immorality behind the country's quaint facade. The term was originally attributed to British novelist Henry Green [5].

There are also other forms of the vernacular such as "King Cunty" and "Cuntis Maximus" that are used by a small group of Australians that implies a term of respect or leadership. "Cuntox" is employed as a term of derision.

Also used in the expression "I'll cunt you up," meaning "I'll make you look like a cunt" (i.e., through physical or verbal humiliation). Another phrase originating in London is "cunted in the bastard" meaning to have been hit in a non-specific area of the body.

Feminist viewpoints

Some feminists seek to reclaim cunt as an acceptable word for the female genitalia, in the interest of removing the power associated with its use. Some abhor the word and regard it, based on its more recent connotation, as degrading and misogynistic. It has also been suggested that "vagina" is equally offensive as it literally means "scabbard" in Latin [6].

Some reject an exclusively negative connotation as inherently sexist towards women, and claim that insult is an inappropriate usage for a word used to epitomise femaleness.

Critics of the word claim that the lack of any comparable term for the male genitalia demonstrates a profound cultural contempt, not only for specific females, but for women in general. Defenders of the word argue that terms for male genitals are used in an equally insulting way, though they claim the degree of this "equivalence" differs between English speaking cultures (examples include "cock", "prick", "dick-head", "utter balls" (or "bollocks") [British], etc). However, these words generally aren't held to be as offensive or taboo as cunt. Despite these criticisms, there is a small movement amongst some feminists that seek to reclaim cunt as an honorific, in much the same way that "queer" has been reclaimed by homosexuals [7]. Proponents include Inga Muscio in her book, Cunt: A Declaration of Independence, and Eve Ensler in her monologue "Reclaiming Cunt" (from "The Vagina Monologues").

The word was similarly reclaimed by Angela Carter who used it in the title story of "The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories"; a female character describing female genitalia in a pornography book: “her cunt a split fig below the great globes of her buttocks”.

More recently, Germaine Greer discussed the origins, usage and power of the word in the BBC series Balderdash and Piffle, which examines the etymology of many English words and phrases, most especially those whose origins have limited written evidence (required to be included as citations in the Oxford English Dictionary). Greer suggests at the end of the piece that there is something precious about the word, in that it is now one of the few remaining words in English that still retains its power to shock.

Breaking taboo

The taboo status of the word has been the cause of many deliberate challenges: in January 2005, the BBC courted controversy after it broadcast Jerry Springer - The Opera on British television. The performance included the phrase "cunting, cunting, cunting, cunting cunt" (a description of the Devil). This echoed appearances in well-known US movies and TV shows,such as Taxi Driver and Saturday Night Fever. The horror movie, The Exorcist, included the line: "Cunting hun" uttered by the character Burke Dennings, and the Tom Selleck film An Innocent Man (film) saw a female character referred to as "your crusading cunt of a wife", while Ricky Roma (Al Pacino) refers to Williamson (Kevin Spacey) as "You stupid fucking cunt, you idiot!" in Glengarry Glen Ross. The word was used repeatedly in the 1996 film Trainspotting and also in Irvine Welsh's novel on which it was based.

The critically acclaimed HBO TV shows Sex and the City, The Sopranos, Deadwood, and The Wire also make frequent use of the word; and two episodes of the sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm ("Beloved Aunt" and "The Shrimp Incident") are devoted to the comical repercussions of its inadvertent use. Another HBO program Lucky Louie, featured an episode ("Flowers for Kim") revolving around Louie ruining his entire weekend by calling his wife a cunt.

In Silence of the Lambs, the memorable scene when Agent Starling meets Dr. Hannibal Lecter for the first time, she has to walk past several cells full of the most psychotic criminals known to humanity. One nasty individual - "Multiple Miggs" - comes up to the bars of his cell and says to Agent Starling "I can smell your cunt."

"I, myself, can not." replies Lecter when told of the claim.

The climax of Kill Bill, Volume 2 - the dying Bill makes some affectionate remarks to the Bride but concludes that she "can be a real cunt." Finally, the movie The Way of the Gun highlights phrase: "Shut that cunt's mouth or I'll come over there and fuck-start her head," in the opening sequence.

Double act Peter Cook and Dudley Moore are often credited with having made the word more acceptable and accessible in the United Kingdom in the 20th Century through their Derek and Clive dialogues. In one sketch from 1976 called "This Bloke Came Up To Me", the word is used 31 times in the course of two minutes.

The first time the word was used on television was by Felix Dennis in 1970 on the The Frost Programme. It was Bernard Manning who first said on television the much-copied line "They say you are what you eat. I'm a cunt." [8] [9]

Some 30 years later, it was used by the model Caprice Bourret while being interviewed live about her role in The Vagina Monologues in the UK daytime programme This Morning. [10]

It was used extensively in the New Zealand cult TV series "Back Of The Y". Of particular note is host Danny Parker's weekly closing line "I'll see you cunts next week".

The black metal band Cradle of Filth printed a shirt depicting a nun masturbating with a crucifix on the front, and on the back, in big white letters, reads: "JESUS IS A CUNT". This shirt has sparked much controversy, mostly in their home country of Great Britain, where a fan was arrested for wearing it in public, as was their former drummer in Russia. They continue to print the shirt, championing their right to free speech.

Variants and derivatives

Various euphemisms, minced forms and in-jokes derive from or signify "cunt".

Spoonerisms

• Cunny Funt - An amusing individual
• Cunning Runt - spoonerism derived from the punchline of a well-known joke.
• Condescending Runt is used by Linda La Hughes in Gimme Gimme Gimme.
• "Cunning Stunt" - Originally from a dirty joke. "Cunning Stunts" is also the name of a Metallica CD/Video compilation release.
• Kenny Everett introduced a female character in his TV shows, which aired during "family viewing time", called Cupid Stunt and got away with it.
• Graffiti has appeared around Sydney at times claiming, "John Hunt is a Coward", a spooneristic reference to the Australian prime minister, John Howard.

Initialisms

• Cambridge University Netball Team - This may be apocryphal that this ever existed as a title, also:
• City University of Newcastle upon Tyne did exist at its inception, but was only noticed when the stationery was produced...
• Caring Understanding Nineties Type - As in "He's not so much a Sensitive New Age Guy (SNAG) as a Caring Understanding Nineties Type (CUNT)."
• See you next Tuesday - C U Next Tuesday. Originating from the London area, but now having more widespread use, especially within the south of England. An example of usage would be: "Oh that bloke is such a see you next Tuesday". (It must be noted, however, that not many situations arise where one would want to refer to another as a cunt and not use the term itself.) Other versions include "See you next time" and "Catch you next Tuesday" (the latter appearing in an episode of "American Dad")
• Can't Understand Normal Thinking - "That woman has a problem, she just can't understand normal thinking".
• "Civilian Under Naval Training." - US Naval term.
• "Computer User, Non-Technical", "Computer User Needs Training", "Completely Unqualified Non-Technical Staff" - Used in the information technology field, referring to unsavvy users.
• Clark Unleashed Nineteen Tigers - reference to 80s BBC travelling lion tamer Daniel Clark.
• In Chewin' the Fat, a Scottish comedy programme, a character was wearing a shirt which spells C.N.U.T, which makes fun of F.C.U.K shirts (French Connection United Kingdom)
• Committee for Unstigmatised Nationally Televised Swearing - Used in the artswhole swearing special

Puns

• See You, Auntie - When said aloud, the speaker sounds as if he's spelling "cunt". Published in the liner notes of Tool's album, Ænima.
• Mike Hunt - an normal-sounding gag name which when said quickly can sound like "my cunt". Used in a scene from the movie Porky's, and also a character in the BBC radio comedy Radio Active. It is also used in a scene of the book Trainspotting. The gag name may have originated and come into popular use, with the "Tube Bar" infamous prank phone calls.
• "Cunt-ry music loving lady" - from comedy series Arrested Development
• "Cunt-ry Girl,take my hand..." Primal Scream's Country Girl
• The punk band NOFX say something similar on their song "Together on the sand" when the singer says "I had my finger up her, country music played on the radio"
• "Country matters" - from Shakespeare's Hamlet, as described above
• Mick Hunt - Lords Cricket Ground curator
• TV comedian Steve Coogan made a number of jokes based around the word. In the second series of BBC 2's 'I'm Alan Partridge,' a scene featured a South African businessman, who had the line, "Alan - you can't," to which Alan Partridge replies, " well there's no need for that!" - playing on the sounding of the word 'can't' when spoken in an Afrikaans accent. In one of Cougan's stand-up routines, as 'Paul Calf', he comments, "They call Jean Claude Van Damme the Muscles from Brussels. Well they do the same with me..... I come from a place in Yorkshire called Munt"
• In the mid-90s, comedian Jasper Carrott - during his mainstream BBC 1 show - commented, whilst talking about cult figures - "Some people have called me a cult..... at least that's what I think they said."
• Stephen Fry famously defined countryside on I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue as the act of 'murdering Piers Morgan'.
• Also in 'Chewin the Fat', a man would be out walking with his young son and would pass someone, for example, in an expensive cabriolet with the music blaring, and say, "Some people can and some people can't. He's a can't" (Sounds like "cunt" with a Glasgow accent)
• English Country Tunes by Michael Finnissy composed in 1977, the title being a play on the words 'English Cunt re: Tunes'.
• Two lines from the animated series Family Guy, where Brian is talking to Quagmire about what's written on the side of his winnebago:

Brian: "Isn't 'country' supposed to be spelled with a 'o'?"
Quagmire: "Nope!"

Rhyming slang

Various Cockney rhyming slang forms, which are considered only mildly risqué

• Berk - short for "Berkeley Hunt". "Berkshire Hunt" [11] [12]
• A "little All Quiet On The Western" was a phrase used by Australian TV personality Graham Kennedy, employing rhyming slang (from All Quiet on the Western Front).
• Roger Hunt - in reference to the 60's Liverpool and England forward.
• "Isaac Hunt" - another name that sounds like I's a cunt/I say cunt, or in colloquial slang in Northern England, sounds like 'He's a cunt' (pronounced eyes a cunt')
• Gareth Hunt - actor popular in the Seventies
• James Blunt - very new rhyming slang gaining acceptance in Britain. "He's a bit of a James"
• "Robert Munt" - New rhyming slang, popular in the south east of England after the well known and notorious butcher Robert Munt. Many people now use the term "Munts" as a more polite way of referring to somebody as a "cunt" also the term "Robert" is used as in "He is such a Robert".
• "Struggle and Grunt" Used in the movie Green Street
• "Rex Hunt" Australian television fishing personality as in "What rhymes with punt and smells like fish?"

Others

• Acid cunt a term of endearment used among those attending raves or other events where acid house may be played.
• Silly bunt - a joke in a Monty Python sketch, where a man with a speech impediment replaces the initial "c" consonant with "b" in all words.
• Punctuation cunt - drawn like so: \|/ (a type of ASCII art related to the emoticon)
• The name of the American grindcore band Anal Cunt. Upon getting signed to a bigger label, they shortened their name to AxCx.

Other meanings

The word "cunt" forms part of some technical terms used in seafaring and other industries.

Nautical usage

File:CuntSplice.gif

Unfinished cunt splice

A cunt splice is a type of rope splice used to join two lines in the rigging of ships. The two ends are side spliced together with a gap between the two parts, forming a short section where the two lines lay side-by-side when taut. In recent times its name has been bowdlerised to "cut splice".

The Dictionary of Sea Terms, found within Dana's 1841 maritime compendium The Seaman's Friend, defines the word cuntline as "the space between the bilges of two casks, stowed side by side. Where one cask is set upon the cuntline between two others, they are stowed bilge and cuntline." [13] The "bilge" of a barrel or cask is the widest point, so when stored together the two casks would produce a curved V-shaped gap.

The glossary of The Ashley Book of Knots by Clifford W. Ashley, first published in 1944, defines cuntlines as "the surface seams between the strands of a rope." Though referring to a different object than Dana's definition, it similarly describes the crease formed by two abutting cylinders. With this more general notion in mind, the side-by-side section of a cunt splice could be seen as forming a cuntline. Examples of Ashley's usage of "cuntline" can be found in the descriptions for illustrations #3338 and #3351.

US military usage

A cunt cap. This one happens to be worn by a woman, but most are worn by men.

U.S. military men refer privately to a common uniform item, a folded cover (hat) with a seam at the front and back, an opening along the top, and major and minor invagination, as a cunt cap. The proper name for the item is garrison cap or overseas cap, depending on the organization in which it is worn. The cap is widely available as an ex-USSR (and satellite state) surplus item in Army/Navy stores. The Russian name being a "pilotka".It is also in use in the United States Armed Forces, notably in the United States Air Force as part of its dress uniform and service dress uniform, and in the U.S. Army from World War I until the 1960s. The cap has also been part of U.S. Navy and Marine Corps uniforms, and was used by the Boy Scouts of America up until the mid 1980s when the uniform was redesigned.

Unit of measurement

The term cunt hair is used as a measurement in construction; an expansion of 'to move it a hair' or very small distance. A color may be added as an adjective to further define the degree of adjustment, such as RCH (red cunt hair as a coarse adjustment, a 'blonde' one would be a finer adjustment). These terms in electronics and metrology commonly refer to .001 and .0001 increments, with the "red cunt hair" being the finer increment and no reference to a 'blonde cunt hair' is used. The term is also used liberally in restaurant kitchens. A prep cook may ask his Sous chef or head chef how thin he should slice a certain vegetable. The chef may respond "Thinner than a cunt hair!" The term cunt hair is also used by aircraft mechanics when trying to make minor adjustments to castellated nuts or attempting to line up drilled holes while installing screws or bolts. If one mechanic can see what the other is doing, they'll say "move it to the left just a cunt hair." [14]

Hot-metal printing

In the traditional hot-metal printing industry, a cunt lead was a term that used to be used to describe a small additional inter-line gap, usually of less than 1pt. The term is derived from the term leading which describes more generally inter-line gaps (from the strips of lead that were used to provide the separations).

Testimonials

"I'm a really big fan of cunt over words like pussy, and especially, vagina. The word has this great guttural sound that lets you get right into it. Pussy and vagina are really dirty words – you only ever hear really greasy men saying things like that. Cunt lets women be vulgar without being derogatory."

• Calista Flockhart, at a staging of The Vagina Monologues

"Those words ('bullshit', 'prick', 'pissed off', 'fuck you', and 'cunt') are now liberated from shame. They're in the dictionary now, finally. And the reason they came to the dictionary, finally, was through continual usage. Enough guys said to their wives 'YOU CUNT!' Pow! And that's why it's in the dictionary now: C-u-n-t."

• Lenny Bruce, discussing the 1961 Webster's Third New International Dictionary

"I use the word cunt a lot, because the only way to get through to the youth of today is to use words that will grab their attention"

• Plan B

External links

• The Etymology of Sexual Slang Terms
• Cunt: A Cultural History
• Yoni Yagna - Celebration of Cunt

Further reading

• Inga Muscio, Cunt: A declaration of Independence [Seal Press]
• Barbara G. Walker, The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets [Harper & Row]
• Cunt, a 1999 novel by Stewart Home
• Lady Love Your Cunt, 1969 article by Germaine Greer and 1993 song by UK band SMASH
• The Kunda an article by Michael Lohr