# American Obscenities *Language Warning*



## Pete_C (Jan 24, 2018)

I'm after some feedback on obscenities and the understanding/interpretation of US readers. My WIP is a bizarre and absurd story with an almost childrens' story feel, but it is very much aimed at an adult audience. As such, I want some of that character to be present in the type of language used. I am writing for a specific US publisher as my genre isn't too widespread, so am aware a large portion of the audience will be significantly States-side.

There are certain phrases that can be both offensive and comical in English, but I don't know how they would translate to an American audience. I'm not talking about the big hitters, but more unusual words. 

For reasons known only to my characters, there are a few occasions when anal sex is used as a display of control. It isn't meant to convey anything pornographic or sexual, nor is it violent or perverted. It's more an ownership thing. As such, I don't want it to come across as love or sex or rape or eroticism. I want it to have some degree of absurdity. 

I worked through a raft of expressions and none really conveyed what I wanted to express. They either seemed offensive or aggressive or gave a connotation of obscenity. In the end I hit upon the use of 'bumhole'. I felt the addition of the 'hole' part made was what made it work.

In the UK it's quite childish, but can also have a certain degree of humour if associated with doing sex to someone's bumhole.

I've researched many of the words and phrases I've used, but I'm stumped on how this one will go down with US readers. Short of spending a night randomly ringing people in America and saying it to see how they react, I need feedback.

Any thoughts welcomed...


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## seigfried007 (Jan 24, 2018)

Yup, "bumhole" is a funny sounding term for it. Heard a lot of goofier expressions for the north facing side of a south facing horse.

Rear end, bottom, derriere, butt cheeks, heinie, buns, (junk in) the trunk, bunghole...


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## bookmasta (Jan 25, 2018)

Pete_C said:


> I'm after some feedback on obscenities and the understanding/interpretation of US readers. My WIP is a bizarre and absurd story with an almost childrens' story feel, but it is very much aimed at an adult audience. As such, I want some of that character to be present in the type of language used. I am writing for a specific US publisher as my genre isn't too widespread, so am aware a large portion of the audience will be significantly States-side.
> 
> There are certain phrases that can be both offensive and comical in English, but I don't know how they would translate to an American audience. I'm not talking about the big hitters, but more unusual words.
> 
> ...



I don't know how helpful this post is going to be, but I would recommend trying to find some source of media that reflects the use of obscenities and explicatives in America's popular culture. Maybe some sort of TV show perhaps? The best that comes to my mind right now is the show Archer.


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## velo (Jan 25, 2018)

I'm an American with a large anglophilic bent, but 'bum' in the US is a lazy person.  Bumhole would make most Americans either giggle (not in a way that it sounds like you are aiming for) or be confused.  

Arsehole is pretty close to our asshole.  While a common term asshole still comes off as a bit nasty but I wonder if arsehole would be less so to an American audience?  There is an unconscious tendency in the US to think of anything delivered with a British accent as more classy than something said in an American manner.  

Butthole is an option but even that carries a bit of a childish tone.  There are, as you might imagine, a lot of terms that go beyond those in terms of offensiveness.  And I can't help but hear 'bunghole' in Beavis' voice.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHv2dIM3t9I 

Without an understanding of the WIP it's hard to really say.  And, of course, America is quite large with a fair few dialects.  You're going to find different words used in many places.


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## Terry D (Jan 26, 2018)

Putting on my most academic tweed jacket (with suede elbow patches, of course), lighting my pipe (tobacco), and settling into my leather Chippendale wing chair, I must ask, "Are we discussing a word for the act, the body part involved, or the participants?" Each has its own nomenclature and any high-level discussion will depend upon knowing the proper parameters.


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## Pete_C (Jan 27, 2018)

Terry D said:


> Putting on my most academic tweed jacket (with suede elbow patches, of course), lighting my pipe (tobacco), and settling into my leather Chippendale wing chair, I must ask, "Are we discussing a word for the act, the body part involved, or the participants?" Each has its own nomenclature and any high-level discussion will depend upon knowing the proper parameters.



A good point, Terry. Apologies for the confusion. Odd that you mention a pipe, given what follows! To aid in clarifying the question, I've included the specific sentence.

"His wife was on her hands and knees, skirt around her waist, and behind her was the mange-ridden stone-eating dog, smoking a pipe and doing sex to her bumhole."

Hope that helps!


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## Olly Buckle (Jan 27, 2018)

Don't you need a comma between mange-ridden and stone-eating ? 
Sorry, I can't really help with the core enquiry, being British, but this, "spending a night randomly ringing people in America and saying it to see how they react," sounds like it might be worth trying anyway, just for the craic.


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## sas (Jan 27, 2018)

Not your question, but Americans would not say "doing sex". We'd say, "having sex".  Actually, Americans would be more crass, but I don't think you want that.

Ok, as to word you asked for:

I know no one who would use anything other than "ass" (and, I know plenty), but when a bit of humor is wanted some say "brown eye".  My personal favorite.  Hope helpful. Sas

BTW: I have three.


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## Kevin (Jan 27, 2018)

'Bum' is a vagrant, or your ex brother in-law.
Mmm... We have no history of the British navy /cabin boys, or public school...the  term 'bugger' or 'bug-rhee' (bow-gah-rhee?) is not known. We did have some notion or past usage of telling others to "shove it" or "stick it" ( to insert) (...which is a shortened version of  '...up your ass'), and perhaps additionally "sideways" ( twisting?) for added textural effect,  but that has long fallen out of usage (which is great because to the kids nowadays it's all new ; old joke - new shock value) .  
Okay, I was kidding around the first line (speculating on significance/origins), but seriously case by case usage is different here. For instance _Old Lady Martin crushed the kitty with her fanny when she sat upon the sofa in the parlour_ - has a completely different meaning for us, and...


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## Kevin (Jan 27, 2018)

Sas- of note: "brown eye" had to be explained to me, perhaps regional, as a sib had  brought it back from the mid-west.  West coast it is fairly unknown,  but the poetic imagery did work, once explained ( as I passed it along to others).


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## seigfried007 (Jan 27, 2018)

Pete_C said:


> A good point, Terry. Apologies for the confusion. Odd that you mention a pipe, given what follows! To aid in clarifying the question, I've included the specific sentence.
> 
> "His wife was on her hands and knees, skirt around her waist, and behind her was the mange-ridden stone-eating dog, smoking a pipe and doing sex to her bumhole."
> 
> Hope that helps!




I'm American, by the way, and what I had trouble following was why a dog was having buttsex with her. I have no idea what mange-ridden and stone-eating mean. If said dog has mange, we'd just call it mangy. 

I get "bumhole" just fine, but I've watched a fair chunk of British TV. We typically use bum for vagrants/lazy people, but that doesn't mean no one over here understands the term. A lot of people here have watched enough British TV, read British books (like the Harry Potter series, which was phenomenally popular here), or, you know can infer by context clues that "bumhole", being an orifice he could reach back there, must be one of two holes... and nobody's going to use that term for lady bits, iffen you catch my drift. So long as you've got context clues, I think you're better off just using British English and slang. We don't mind looking stuff up or making wild inferences, if you give us the chance.


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## velo (Jan 28, 2018)

Pete_C said:


> "His wife was on her hands and knees, skirt around her waist, and behind her was the mange-ridden stone-eating dog, smoking a pipe and doing sex to her bumhole."



I'll second that stone-eating will be very unclear to most.  As a dog guy I know that dogs will sometimes eat small pebbles or rocks when they have dietary deficiencies or some GI problems like worms but I think most readers will not.  

Will also second that "doing sex" sounds very awkward and not at all vernacular.  

I have some phrases that come to mind but they really change the tone depending on what you want.  

_His wife was on her hands and knees, skirt around her waist, and behind her was the mangy dog, smoking a pipe and_ [1- humping her bumhole.] [2- pounding her in the ass.] 

1- 'humping' is often used in relation to dogs.  _The dog humped his leg_.  Bumhole will sound VERY British to an American audience.  This has more of a silly, humorous feel to it.  
2- this is more violent but achieves the goal of showing control/power you mentioned.  Definitely a more brutal tone but also one that is (sadly, IMO) very commonly used in the states.


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## seigfried007 (Jan 28, 2018)

I'm not trying to shamelessly plug, but I just realized that I've got a piece in the Red Light Room that contains a lot of anal sex. Might be worth taking a look at, if you really want to know a whole bunch of ways an American actually used to describe said act. Like any other kind of sex, buttsex isn't a one-size-fits-all kinda thing, so there's angry buttsex, rough buttsex, tender buttsex, whole lotta buttsex. It's an erotica piece. MC's a guy, but he has sex with two guys and one woman throughout the novel. 

Might try "plugging away at" her butthole/tailpipe/cinnamon mistress/chocolate starfish/rump/rectum/fanny/buns/back end/rear/back pussy/cornhole/etc.


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## Pete_C (Jan 29, 2018)

Thanks all; the stone-eating reference is something of a red herring, as it is something that occurs prior to the anal sex event.

I'm currently happy with 'doing sex', because I want it to be awkward. The sex isn't for pleasure and shouldn't have connotations of any elements of erotica. It's meant to be a mechanical act denoting ownership. Equally, the intended use of 'bumhole' was there to remove any elements of vulgarity or sexual slang.

I guess the intention is to use anal sex as a non-sexual, non-vulgar methodology of control, whilst the description of it holds an absurd sound.

I might have to give it further thought.


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## seigfried007 (Jan 29, 2018)

Pete_C said:


> Thanks all; the stone-eating reference is something of a red herring, as it is something that occurs prior to the anal sex event.
> 
> I'm currently happy with 'doing sex', because I want it to be awkward. The sex isn't for pleasure and shouldn't have connotations of any elements of erotica. It's meant to be a mechanical act denoting ownership. Equally, the intended use of 'bumhole' was there to remove any elements of vulgarity or sexual slang.
> 
> ...



While your description certainly feels absurd, it still comes off as a bit sexual and vulgar. There's not going to be a whole lot of getting around that part though. Actual sex of any kind in print will come off as inherently sexual, usually vulgar, and often absurd. The notion of a literal mangy, rock-eating, pipe-smoking dog plugging/humping/chugging away at the bumhole of some lady with her skirts in her armpits is all of the above and acutely British. 

More context would probably set the record straight on such a literal interpretation, so I don't think your readers will be quite so confused as to whether or not you're implying a literal case of bestiality with Fido or that the husband is a "You sly/old/salty/hound dog" kinda guy. It'll hopefully give the readers more of a notion as to what you're meaning by his other descriptors, too.


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## Ralph Rotten (Jan 29, 2018)

Bumhole sounds very British.

Other terms to consider:
butthole
buttcheese
Hershey highway
All-seeing brown eye
back door
pone that ass
ring around the boner
put that thing in reverse!
pin the tail on the donkey

Your description of anal sex sounds much like prison sex.  It's all about the control in the big house.


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## sas (Jan 29, 2018)

Ralph....  Dovetailing prison sex with control nailed it.


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## Pete_C (Jan 29, 2018)

Well, a single sentence seems to have spiralled off into a world of anal penetration.

To put it in context, Victor has unleashed the contents of the bowels of hell through an act of sacrilege, which has left his wife as a living furball. The talking dog is actually the devil, probably, but he's also a transmogrification of Victor and maybe also of the Cardinal who has set Victor a penance. The Cardinal might also be Victor as well as the dog (when his belly is filled with stones), and might also not be the devil because he's trying to impose the penance to save the Holy Virgin who Victor tried to deflower. The one-legged whore is seemingly a bridge between Victor and the dog, but not the Cardinal, but in the end turns out to be clockwork. As to whether the bicycle plays any role in the celestial hierarchy is solely for the reader to decide.

Maybe I've put too much focus on the word 'bumhole'.


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