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Word of the Week (179): PATOOTIE (probability 3182), by David Sutton

PATOOTIE is one of the many colloquial words for the human bottom, backside, rump or fundament. Its usage is mainly American, and the Americans also give us KEESTER/KEISTER/KEYSTER/KIESTER, HEINIE, WAZOO and FANNY (this last having a somewhat different meaning in British English, where it refers to the female genitals, offensive but perhaps not quite as offensive as MINGE or COOZE).

The Scots seem particularly unable to call a DERRIERE a DERRIERE, giving us DOUP or DOWP, HURDIES and HINDERLAND(S), HINDERLANS, HINDERLINGS and HINDERLINS. Yiddish gives us TUSHIE/TUSHY, and Australian slang gives us COIT.

Then there is JACKSY/JACKSIE/JAXIE/JAXY.

The British contribution, apart from the still vulgar ARSE, seems to be the hypocoristic BOTTY, though we did once have the more dignified CROUPON, now obsolete.

And note the word RUMPLESS, which seems especially designed for today's supermodels with their deplorable lack of RONDURE.


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