English is not my first language, so I experience funny feelings which result in wacky questions such as, "when you say 'pussycat' do you think of 'pussy'?"
Nobody does. But that's how I get to know this anecdote. An actress was on a talk show and she had her cat sitting on her lap. For a friendly conversation she said to the host, "do you want to pet my pussy?" The host replied with a straight face: "Sure! Move the cat."
Still, I can't get rid of the image of a dog in the word "underdog". Same thing happens when someone mentions "peacock".
I think of pea, of course.
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
5 years ago
To my great embarrassment I was recently, when admitting my penchant for nice tits, NOT immediately recognized as a lover of little birdies.
ReplyDeleteI am not a native English speaker as well though I've been living in the us for some 25 years. Funny that I am only sensitive to the word "pussy" whether it's pussycat or pussy willow. Don't know if it's a dyke thing or what but if someone had said "You want to pet my pussy?", I would have blushed and gone blank on the spot even though I knew she meant her cat.
ReplyDeleteJust watched "I'm Not There", a movie about Bob Dylan with Cate Blanchett playing Dylan. Among the six aspects, Blanchett plays the misogynist Dylan saying, in public, "she has the sweet, little pussy, overly protected..." when that woman was talking about her cat. Jerk. After that scene I feel the need to say that the TV host I mentioned in the post is not far from a jerk either.
ReplyDeleteTalking about dyke, watching Cate Blanchett is a treat. People see Bob Dylan in her performance; I see a butch in her.