fanny
fanny Lexical Profile
fanny Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American A person's buttocks or rear end (informal).
"He slipped on the icy sidewalk and landed squarely on his fanny."
British The female genitals; the vulva or vagina (vulgar slang, also used in Australia and New Zealand).
"American tourists in London are often surprised to learn that a 'fanny pack' is called a 'bum bag' there because of the local meaning of fanny."
British A foolish, inept, or obnoxious person (slang, especially Scottish).
"Stop acting like such a complete fanny and help us carry these boxes inside."
• verb
British To waste time, procrastinate, or mess around aimlessly (usually used with 'about' or 'around').
"If we stop fannying around and focus on the task, we can finish before noon."
Word Nuance & Usage
Notice the sharp regional difference: in North America, 'fanny' is a mild, family-friendly slang term for the buttocks, whereas in the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, it is a vulgar slang term for the female genitals.
• Rhymes for fanny
Word Origin & Etymology
Dating to the 19th century, the word is generally thought to derive from the female given name Fanny (a diminutive of Frances), popularized in part by John Cleland's 1748 erotic novel 'Fanny Hill'.