GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post - BBC apologises for 'offensive' Gardeners' Question Time debate

Nick Maclaren

In article ,
Sacha writes:
| On 9/2/08 10:36, in article
| , "Des
| Higgins" wrote:
| On Feb 7, 10:02*am, Amethyst Deceiver
| wrote:
|
| Flowers may have been compared to the vulva, but in general don't have
| names like "fat woman's fanny" or "white lady's ****". Because they're
| offensive.

Only since Victorian times, in the 'proper' classes of the UK. More
traditional usage was often very vulgar and, in many countries, still is.
Indeed, Linnean taxonomists often were, too - Phallus impudicus, anyone?
The French still refer to ****-en-lit.

| As for the black
| mans willy name, you would want to be pretty dense not to realise the
| name would offend a lot of people. I guess what offends goes in
| cycles.

Yes. When I was young, Little Black Sambo was popular among all races.

| And I've wondered often what gross name was given to 'long purples':
| "There with fantastic garlands did she come
| Of crowflowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples,
| That liberal shepherds give a grosser name,
| But our cold maids do dead men's fingers call them. "

An interesting question. A quick Web search indicates probably Orchis
masculata (search on "long purples" and look the JSTOR abstracts), and
the OED indicates that orchids were called ballock-wort.

Apparently, the name "long purples" has now attached itself to purple
loosestrife, but that does not fit Shakespeare's use, not at all. Also,
if I understand correctly, purple loosestrife was a very local plant in
his day and unlikely to be commonly used in garlands.

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.