Euphemsims: What What?

Have you ever wondered to yourself, “Self, I wonder what Sarah thinks about at 6:40 am before she’s had caffeine?”

Well, wonder no more. Here’s a sample!

Following the discussion during our last liveblog about the use of the word “prostate” during a sex scene in K.A. Mitchell’s Custom Ride, I got to thinking about the word “prostate.”

Within the context of m/m romance and sex scenes, the prostate is big pimpin, as stimulation thereof can yield mad happy pants, if you know what I’m saying.

Yet the discussion we had questioned the use of the word itself, since it’s rather clinical and we’re so used to the euphemism buffet when we talk about ye olde boot knockin’.

So I got to thinking some more: if m/m romance were written during the 80’s heyday of historical romance, what words would the major authors have used to refer to the prostate?

The clitoris was called anything from a “love nubbin” to “her center of pleasure.” There were rampant pikes, rigid arousals, and hardnesses everywhere.

So what would would they have used for the prostate? Butt nubbin? No, can’t use the word “butt.” Pleasure ridge? Deeply passionate tubuloalveolar exocrine gland?

Got any ideas?

Comments are Closed

  1. Ishie says:

    The cherry tomato in his exquisite salad?

  2. Dena Hankins says:

    Sorry, but my favorite male-anatomy euphemism is for the “root” or “bulb” of the penis – the snackbar.  Of course, right behind the snackbar, if you push up, you may be able to press fevered carresses upon his ticking time-bomb…

  3. The tender skin hiding between his muscular thighs, behind his manly treasure. Or behind the seat of his maculinity. The essence of his male power?

  4. Dena said:

    the snackbar.  Of course, right behind the snackbar,

    Snicker!  Well, if we’re going for “things located behind the snack bar for five-hundred, please, Alex,” how about “smoothie maker”?

  5. J.C. Wilder says:

    I vote for Butt-Nubbin. Then again, if women have a G-spot then maybe it should be called the B-spot?

    Oh, and don’t add that second letter – you’ll have to brush your teeth if you do. 🙂

  6. Lori says:

    Actually, it’s often referred to by a G spot equivilent, but it’s P spot, not B.

  7. ev says:

    Damn and the kid took her sex thesarus with her cause even with caffeine I am having no luck at all.

  8. joanne says:

    Buried treasure.

  9. Elizabeth Wadsworth says:

    umm…
    “base of the stick-shift of his purring engine of masculinity”

  10. Sarah Frantz says:

    I just recently read a m/m romance that was all about the medical terminology. So we had “he pushed his penis into partner’s rectum” all over the place. Yes, rectum is, in fact, the correct word. But really? Ew. While I’m all for correct terminology—if I had a girl, she would know all about her vagina, thank you—using “vagina” or “rectum” during the sexx0ring is strange to my ears. Or eyes, I guess.  Prostate, though, I’m willing just to go with.  I like the sound/look of the word. But not so much with rectum. Wonder why.

  11. Rachel B. says:

    It should get the same treatment as the clitoris, definitely. Something like this:

    “. . .her slender fingers tenderly searched out his most secret places, gently touching, penetrating his masculine mystery, enflaming his raging arousal to towering heights. As her digits discovered and stimulated his innermost point of arousal, his mind was overwhelmed with a dark haze of lust.”

    There. How’s that? Nothing like a little sexx000ring to make my morning coffee sit right.

  12. I use “his spot” interchangeably with “his prostate” in most of my books.  I do assume if someone is reading m/m erotic romance my book is *probably* not their first and as such will know what spot I’m referring to.  I also try not to abuse the use of the prostate, because really it’s not the same as a clit where every time gay guys have sex they’re messing around with it.  I tend to use playing with the ‘spot’ as an extra oomph to a scene, like if one character wants to push their partner just a *little* farther.

  13. “The exquisite hidden seed of pleasure.”

    “The cherry that went with the Burma Sauce.”

    “Massaging his man-nubbin.”

  14. JoanneL says:

    Absolutlely a gender gap.
    When I see/hear the work prostate
    all I think about is ‘what were the numbers and is there something wrong and/or signs of cancer’.
    Soooo no erotic thoughts with that one.

    @Jessica Anderson: But there’s something about a Snickers Bar *g*

  15. Anne Douglas says:

    No no!

    “base of the stick-shift of his purring engine of masculinity”

    “The OVERDRIVE BUTTON at the base of the stick-shift of his purring engine of masculinity” 🙂

    I don’t know why, but ‘nailed his gland’ gets me every time. I’m really not sure why I dislike the phrase… maybe it has something to do with the psychological torture of helping my Dad with fencing on the farm as a kid, who knows. (My dad, not to tolerant of the girl (who was not a boy) not getting it right first time.)

  16. Ann says:

    I always remember a book that called it the “Taint”.  As it ain’t the penis and ain’t the anus.  (I just snickered like a fourteen year old girl and my coworkers are looking at me funny).

  17. bitterdark says:

    Didn’t Robin Schone once called it a walnut in one of her short stories?

  18. Jennie says:

    Clearly I need more coffee—this conversation is making my brain hurt.  🙂

  19. Madd says:

    Can’t it just be his sweet spot? Simple and unsquicky.

  20. robinb says:

    I will NEVER look at a walnut the same again.  🙂

  21. Lita says:

    I seem to recall seeing it referred to as the “pleasure peanut” in m/m erotica, written by a man.

  22. Stelly says:

    I don’t think I’ve ever seen it referred to as anything but the prostate even in all the m/m fanfiction I’ve read.  Fanfic writers can be very floral in their writing.

  23. Delia says:

    Someone hasn’t been reading enough slash fanfiction. 😀

    Spam word: long73

  24. Becky Ann says:

    Thinking of the 80’s I would say “hidden love knot” for a quick phrase, but I love

    “. . .her slender fingers tenderly searched out his most secret places, gently touching, penetrating his masculine mystery, enflaming his raging arousal to towering heights. As her digits discovered and stimulated his innermost point of arousal, his mind was overwhelmed with a dark haze of lust.”

    from Rachel B.

    Spamword: “plant99”
    Out of planting 99 you should get at least one walnut!

  25. Suze says:

    how about “smoothie maker”?

    Ew, ew, ew!  And especially, Ew!  Said the girl stuck with toilet-cleaning duties in a household of men.  With insufficient fibre in their diets.

    I’ve recently learned the term “gooch”, referring to “guy cooch”, which apparently means the taint.  (Learned from my cousin who formerly had the nickname “Gooch”.  Until he learned the term.)

  26. Lisa says:

    Well If they can shorten a word to, say, the clit how about we call it the Tate.

    Maybe a littole to close to taint, though

  27. Lori says:

    And here I am again showing that I somehow know way more about this than I should probably admit to in public.

    I always remember a book that called it the “Taint”.  As it ain’t the penis and ain’t the anus.

    The “Taint” isn’t the prostate, it’s the space between the vagina or penis and the anus.  A really sensitive area for some people, for others not so much. 

    The prostate is inside.  It really is more analogous to the G spot than to the clit.  Not all guys enjoy having it stimulated and liking it or not isn’t a gay/straight thing, it’s individual.  It’s just that a lot of het guys are freaked out by it because it’s associated with “teh gay”.

  28. JenB says:

    Ann, the taint is different from the prostate. A man’s taint (actually called the perineum) is the smooth section of outer skin between his scrotum and the anus. A woman’s taint is the smooth section of outer skin between the vagina and anus.

    I think prostate sounds fine in m/m romance. It’s a lot better than “love button” or “pleasure gland”. I hate flowery language, especially when it’s applied to men.

    Enough with the stroking of the soft, warm satin over steel. Just fuck already.

    BTW, those of you that are clearly unfamiliar with the prostate’s location might find this helpful:
    http://www.liv.ac.uk/researchintelligence/issue21/images/prostate.jpg

    And if you’d like to dig for the buried treasure on your own, check this out:
    http://www.askmen.com/dating/vanessa/23_love_secrets.html

  29. JenB says:

    Lori, we were writing at the same time. Great minds… 😉

  30. elianara says:

    I don’t know, but I recall having heard it called “his happy button” or “wild button” by someone.

  31. Aunt Lynn says:

    I pretty much only read m/m right now, so aside from just plain “prostate” (which may be the most common), I’ve heard it referred to:

    butt nut
    love nut
    love button
    magic button
    hot button
    the (or that) spot
    special spot
    hot spot
    sweet spot
    perfect spot
    happy spot
    magic spot
    pleasure knot
    pleasure center

  32. snarkhunter says:

    Butt…nut?

    Oh, dear.

    (captcha: even79. As in, even 79 uses of that will not make it palatable.)

  33. West says:

    His magical walnut button… (tongue firmly in cheek).

    As long as it’s not called a “magical” or “walnut” anything, I’m good with just about any description.

  34. Lori says:

    JenB thank you for making it not just me.  Great minds indeed 🙂

  35. JenB says:

    Lori – Clearly we both know far more about the ass than we should. I wonder what that says about us. o_O

  36. rebyj says:

    The ” you’re so horny you’ll actually touch a dude’s butthole” button.

    I asked the male unit what he’d call it, he said “Off limits”

  37. Jessa Slade says:

    I asked the male unit what he’d call it, he said “Off limits”

    Okay, snorted my milk AND cookies out ma nose.  Maybe instead of the external female “mound of Venus” we could have the internal male “button of Hades.”

  38. Lori says:

    Lori – Clearly we both know far more about the ass than we should. I wonder what that says about us. o_O

    That we’re fun at parties?

    Seriously, I tend to have these sorts of conversation in real life too.  One group I used to hang out with included a woman I did not know well who was, let’s say, more conservative than I.  At parties she would inevitably come around the corner just as I was offering my knowledge of something vaguely outre.  She would then look at me like I was the second coming of the devil and flee the room.  It became a running joke, but I felt bad about making her uncomfortable.

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