Fanny means front in the UK?
The "front bottom", as it were.
Fanny means front in the UK?
The phrase "American English, from earlier British" means it derives from the British term, so the British term must have existed there in the Victorian era or just after.Lots of changes can be put down to American prudery, such as titbit/tidbit and cockerel/rooster, but yeah if it's a British Victorian term, it likely wouldn't have been used in the US at the time.
Yes, but only ladies.
This is literally the first time in my life I've encountered this particular difference in American & UK language.fanny
"buttocks," 1920, American English, from earlier British meaning "vulva" (1879), perhaps from the name of John Cleland's heroine in the scandalous novel "Fanny Hill or Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure" (1748). The fem. proper name is a diminutive of Frances. The genital sense is still the primary one outside U.S., but is not current in American English, a difference which can have consequences when U.S. TV programs and movies air in Britain.
My first thought is that people who ride bikes a lot might (a) use a fanny-pack for carrying what you'd normally just keep in your pants pockets, and if you didn't want to wear a whole backpack, and (b) sling it around to the back.Followup musings:
1. Why would anyone wear a fannypack in the back, above the buttocks? What are the benefits of doing this? Does it look cooler?
I think so.Was "Fanny" a common first name before it began to mean a lady's front parts?
Richard's who call themselves Dick come to mind.Imagine that happening to you, your first name is Bob, and all of a sudden Bob means something obscene
Since I looked it up:Richard's who call themselves Dick come to mind.
In the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Little John's wife's name is Fanny. A quick Google mentions it as a diminutive of several other names, including Frances and Stephanie.Was "Fanny" a common first name before it began to mean a lady's front parts?