There are two words I keep running into in romances, and I have to talk about them.
First: when a heroine is barefoot and she's ambulating from one location to another, what verb will be used to describe her movement?
Padded.
All barefoot people pad. Count on it.
I searched “padded” on all books on my Kindle, and came up with 20+ examples referring to people walking barefoot. Because it's new, I have a total of 10 books on this device, so granted this is a very limited sample. But when I search my archive of books online, I get a similar flash flood of people paddling around. These are some of the results – sound familiar?
- “She padded into the kitchen.”
- “She padded into the living room.”
- “Her bare feet padded against the hardwood floor.”
- “She tossed the covers off, padded naked to the table…”
- “I changed into my sweatpants and padded out to the living room in my bare feet.”
- “He padded back to the bedroom.”
- “She kicked off her heels and padded toward the kitchen barefoot.”
Perhaps I'm unconsciously drawn to books wherein someone will be barefoot, but that's a lot of padding.
This is starting to remind me of when I found references to “scudding clouds” in the sky in about six different historical romances within a two month period. It's like words go through surges in popularity within a subgenre. So with contemporary romance, there's a higher likelihood of small towns with aspirational names, baked goods and pastries, irascible secondary characters, and barefoot people padding all over the place.
It's not as if “pad” isn't a verb. It totally is and it's been around for awhile:
And now that I've been thinking about it, I admit to having a difficult time coming up with an alternate word. The only thing better would be if there were a specific word for those who walk around in the shoes with toes, like Bikram Five Fingers.
“She five fingered her way through the living room.”
Well, no, that doesn't work, does it?
It's not as if there's a better word, or that the usage is wrong – it's not. It's one of those words that read more than said aloud – have you ever said to someone, “I padded my way to the kitchen,” or “Pad your way up the stairs right now, young man”? I have not. And it seems as if that word is in so many books of late, I'm adding it to my cliche bingo card.
And while I'm on the subject of letters beginning with the letter 'P,' I do need to ask WHY all the nipples are PERT. We've talked about how nipples are fruity (and nipples on men are (a) flat and (b) male) but we haven't really examined the use (or overuse, depending on whether or not you're me) of pert.
Have you noticed how many pert nipples there are? THERE ARE SO MANY.
Her already pert nipples crinkled into tight buds. He grinned.
Lila Dubois
Red Ribbon
Her pert nipples were enlivened and visible against the bodice of her gown. He vividly recollected how those nipples had been pressed to his chest after he'd rescued her from the stream.
Cheryl Holt
Double Fantasy
Then with a light shaking movement I'd ease my red semi-see-through bra over my breasts and down across my nipples.'
'Wait do your nipples feel like?'
'They're haaaard,' I panted. 'And they're pert.'Amanda Brunker
Champagne Kisses
He couldn't resist the invitation and licked at onepert nipple, stroking his tongue over it and then tugging gently with his teeth.Christine Feehan
Deadly Game
He tweaked her pert nipple and she moaned.
Lorelie Brown
Jazz Baby
…his head had dropped lower, and suddenly his mouth closed over one pert nipple, teeth biting gently, then lips suckling hard, as his long fingers tangled in the soft curls at the juncture of her thighs.Jacqueline Baird
Untamed Italian, Blackmailed Innocent
Her thumbs smoothed over her pert nipples, bringing them into even more prominent life.
Celia M. Hart
Made for Sin
She arched her back and her breasts pushed forward, the pert nipples standing up like little pebbles set in a round of pale caramel.
Charlotte Boyett-Compo
WyndRiver Sinner
Now honestly, who does that to caramel dessert?!
Those pert nipples are not just in romance either:
“I would love to tease your pert nipples with my tongue.”
“You don't have a tongue.”
“Yes, all right, but if I did have a tongue, I would love to tease your pert nipples with it.”
Dean R. Koontz
Demon Seed
And this example which just made me laugh:
It is a cliche to say “pert nipples”. What does “pert” mean? Pert; fucking stupit word. Now she was leaving. Nay wonder.
James Kelman
You Have to be Careful in the Land of the Free
Aside from Pert 2-in1 shampoo, is there anything else that is so frequently described as pert?! I've seen a handful of pert noses, but mostly, it's nipples. Why are nipples always pert? Is there no other word, aside from fruity references?
I pondered “pert” WAY too much and had to learn more about it. Much like “pad” as a verb, “pert” is an adjective with a long history:
So nipples are trim and stylish and jaunty? Or are they high spirited, vivacious, bold and saucy? Or saucily free and forward? For God's sake, it's a nipple, not hired entertainment leaping out of a giant cake.
“Pert” can also mean “attractive due of neatness,” “jaunty,” or “lively.” I do not want lively nipples. I have enough trouble with pokey nipples when wearing sheer shirts.
Perhaps the reason the almost ubiquitous usage bothers me is within the etymology: “pert” comes from Middle English meaning “unconcealed, bold” and traces back to the Latin word “apertus,” for “open.” So basically the nipples are much like the hero's dick-as-divining rod, and the erect nipple is a signal that she's bold, unconcealed, and open for, ahem, plundering. They're the equivalent of an erection in signaling arousal, or signaling piquant stimulation. Even if she says no, her pert nipples say yes.
The usage in romance sex scenes seems to have more in common with the older definitions of “pert,” particular the Middle English one, and not the contemporary definitions I've found. But the word “pert” in romance has become almost exclusively connected with “nipple,” to the point where looking too closely at the meaning conjures up some very alarming nipples indeed.
Pert is ubiquitous, much to my dismay. Unfortunately, if one is looking for a different word (and not raspberry-like fruit references), the listed synonyms at merriam.com aren't much help: active, airy, animate, animated, bouncing,brisk, energetic, frisky, gay, jaunty, jazzy, kinetic,mettlesome, peppy, perky, lively, pizzazzy,racy, snappy, spanking, sparky, spirited, sprightly, springy,vital, vivacious, zippy.
Frisky nipples! Mettlesome nipples! ZIPPY NIPPLES. Oh, I cannot wait for the zippy nipples.
Have you noticed people padding with pert nipples in your romances? Or is there another word you see all the time? Does it bother you?
Liz, I was JUST reading an otherwise-awesome novella that mentioned a clenched womb at least twice.
I’d be all torqued up and then, “huh?”
Personally, I don’t mind reading the word ‘cock’ but for some reason the word. ‘Penis’ is a different matter 🙂
Ooh ‘jaunty nipples’ I like that one! (rushes off to insert it into current WIP)
Sometimes as an author I find a great word and I think, I love that! I’ll use that! And then find I’ve used it twenty-five times in a book and its lost its specialness… writing is hard. 🙂
Regarding nubbins, there’s the Friends episode about Chandler’s third nipple. Joey says, “You told me it was a nubbin!” Short video clip here:
http://youtu.be/hup7O0vD2Oo
Pert nipples aren’t the equivalent of an erection. They are an erection. And did you cut and paste those excerpts? Disturbing typos. And now I have to search for “padded”. What is a good substitute?
Fuzzy Nipple! That’s the drink name I was trying to recall. Why so many nipple references in cocktails? Oh cocktails. I see now.
Biggy in 50 Shades I’ve heard.
I have used “poinked”. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
Fie on autocorrect.
Can’t get away from “nub”. It just is. I am comment happy here. Must be piquant subject matter.
Love “spung”. Stealing.
heart
Pert nipples are definitely a thing, as are pert breasts. I’ve also seen a few pert posteriors/bottoms/asses.
I do feel like nipples get kind of a raw deal, though – no uncomfortable pun intended. I mean, they’re a perfectly acceptable erogenous zone. I wish they weren’t so frequently used as little lust barometers, but, you know, lots of people like it when you do stuff to their nipples. Fine. But there’s just no sexy word for them. You’ve got nipples, nips or nubbins, and they all sound like something you’d find in the Little DIY Shop Of Horrors.
Google ngram viewer lets us look at the frequency of words from all the books they have scanned.
Here’s the link for “pert nipples” vs. “pert nose”
http://books.google.com/ngrams…
I don’t know that padded will work in the ngram viewer, since it’s likely to be used as an adjective more than a verb.
Men are always roaring as they climax. And we’re not talking outdoor sex. Even in a manor house, as a party goes on downstairs- he roars. My man does not roar, perhaps I am doing something wrong, or something not quite right enough.
That’s so cool about the etymology of “pad” (and makes perfect sense as soon as you think of Dutch bicycle paths “fietspadden”). I like the word since it suggests a specific motion—but perhaps the cliche in this instance is not the WORD but the actual ACTION (e.g. not the signifier but the signified). A heroine getting out of bed and not wanting to wake the hero could tiptoe (perfectly good word, and accurate when barefoot on cold floors). A furtive heroine could creep or scurry. A confident heroine could stride or hurry. And if the action isn’t important and the destination is, why not just use “go.” (“She went to the kitchen to get coffee.”)
I tend to avoid “walk” for indoor usage (e.g. “she walked to the door”) because I’m an apartment dweller and walking to me implies a longer distance than the ten steps necessary to get across a modern room. (See Miss Bingley in Pride and Prejudice for a good use of indoor recreational walking. The first time I read that scene I was temporarily thrown out of the story by wondering just how big the rooms in Netherfield were that someone could walk back and forth in them without looking like a prisoner pacing off the dimensions of his cell like a lunatic. Incidentally “pace” is a good word too, although it does begin with “p.”)
Good outdoor perambulating p words include “pelt” or “pound” for run. The sound of (shod) feet sprinting DOES actually involve a pounding sound (and action, hence the knee damage of many runners), and going fast enough will raise the blood pressure to make the blood pound in a sprinter’s temples, so the verb neatly implies two distinct sensations, especially in the first person.
“Mounted”, as in “he mounted her”, specific to Mary Balogh. It makes me think of horses, every time.
Another p for you – PERKY nipples
Surely she could do something on her iPad? Maybe watch Padme? Or research how to make her nipples perter? (Don’t think that’s a word though!)
Yes! And the hero always wants to soothe said lip!
Big turn-off: “cleft” and/or “folds” instead of pussy, because “cleft” makes me think “chasm” and “folds” makes me think of the clean laundry that’s piling up as I read erotic romance books instead of folding it and putting it away. Also, from now on I’m substituting “mettlesome” for “pert”. Small thrills, but thanks!
I wish we could stay away from detailed descriptions of lady parts, in general, during romantic sexytimes. I mean, can’t we experience the sexytimes and not observe them?
IRL when I’m experiencing them I don’t think, “And he’s circling my clit with his thumb, curling his big finger into me.” No, I just go, “YEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my god, oh my god oh my god omigodomigodomigodomigodomigodoooooooooooomiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood”
Or something like that. I don’t even know. You’d have to ask him.