A linguistic peeve
Etymologically, the vulgar sense of the word pussy and the sense that means cowardly or weak do not seem to be related; at any rate, Webster's does not acknowledge any relationship. According to them, a cowardly person is called a pussy as a shortening of "pussycat," a softy or a wuss, whose origins are unknown. They speculate that the word for the female genitalia, however, is descended from the Old Norse word for pocket or pouch.
And yet, the connection seems to be unavoidably present the way we use them today. Perhaps it developed after the fact; perhaps it's only in my mind. At any rate, it always sounds to me like when men call one another pussies, there seems to be an inherent scorn for female sexuality, perhaps because of the longstanding perception of women as the weaker, passive partner.
This leads me to my point (not a new one, I am aware): men should try squeezing a watermelon out their urethra and then think about how weak women's "passive" sexual organs are.
As long as I'm airing a few gripes, I'd like to mention that I also hate the increasingly accepted transitive use of intransitive verbs, like "grow" or "elevate." You can grow a garden, but you shouldn't be able to grow a business; it's long had a limited transitive use, but lately it's being expanded, and I hate it. Irritates me every time I hear it.
ETA
I had that last one mixed up, actually: elevate is the other way 'round. I don't care for its intransitive use. So a patient can elevate a broken leg, but I don't like phrases like "His voice elevated to a shout," the example quoted in the dictionary.
(What? Of course I'm allowed to edit myself. ;) )
Webster's [Eleventh Collegiate, the editorial standard in America] takes a descriptive approach to grammar, though, and since people are using these constructions, they include them. Doesn't mean I have to like 'em.
And yet, the connection seems to be unavoidably present the way we use them today. Perhaps it developed after the fact; perhaps it's only in my mind. At any rate, it always sounds to me like when men call one another pussies, there seems to be an inherent scorn for female sexuality, perhaps because of the longstanding perception of women as the weaker, passive partner.
This leads me to my point (not a new one, I am aware): men should try squeezing a watermelon out their urethra and then think about how weak women's "passive" sexual organs are.
As long as I'm airing a few gripes, I'd like to mention that I also hate the increasingly accepted transitive use of intransitive verbs, like "grow" or "elevate." You can grow a garden, but you shouldn't be able to grow a business; it's long had a limited transitive use, but lately it's being expanded, and I hate it. Irritates me every time I hear it.
ETA
I had that last one mixed up, actually: elevate is the other way 'round. I don't care for its intransitive use. So a patient can elevate a broken leg, but I don't like phrases like "His voice elevated to a shout," the example quoted in the dictionary.
(What? Of course I'm allowed to edit myself. ;) )
Webster's [Eleventh Collegiate, the editorial standard in America] takes a descriptive approach to grammar, though, and since people are using these constructions, they include them. Doesn't mean I have to like 'em.