Some Sex Related Questions

(Warning: these could get a bit Squicky)

• Are there any euphemisms/slang terms to refer to a clitoris that don't sound ridiculous?

I've heard that one should try to avoid using clinical terms like 'vagina' and 'penis' in sex scenes, unless you're going for Beige Prose. Both of them have some substitutes that don't sound too flowery or vulgar, but I haven't been able to find any for clitorus.

• Are there any lubricants that would have existed before the industrial era that one could use without risking getting a yeast/ass infection?

edited 1st Mar '14 3:11:44 PM by TheMuse

Might wanna pop on by The Nunnery for these type of things.

Only sex thread allowed

After some discussion among the mods, we've decided to let this thread stand until the OP's questions are answered, since the Nunnery would be of dubious assistance, and it's not opening conversation about sex, just asking two questopions: one about vocabulary and one about technology. At that point, we'll be locking it up.

No idea for the first question but vegetable oils like olive oils can be used as lubricants.

But would they have a good chance of leading to problems? Or would it only be over long term use?

Olive oil was apparently a big thing lubricant wise? For added irony, use extra virgin.

edited 1st Mar '14 10:04:10 PM by Hermiethefrog

Goose fat, idk where I heard/read this. No idea if it's safe against vaginal infection but the B port should be ok.

Any pointers for the first question?

love button, pearl, clit, man in the boat... There really is no such thing as a euphemism for the clitoris that doesn't sound worse than the actual word.

Clit, pearl, button. That is about it, before you start getting into the silly-shit cute names. I wouldn't say those three are worse than "clitoris", they're just more casual. During sex, I'd venture that most people aren't concerned with using the biologically-correct term any more than they're concerned with using grammatically-correct full declarative sentences with proper syntax.

edited 2nd Mar '14 12:15:28 PM by Madrugada

Yeah, that's what I was trying to accomplish. A character probably isn't going to think of a 'clitoris' during a love scene anyway and the word itself could pull a reader out of the action (it isn't a very sexy word)

edited 2nd Mar '14 12:20:40 PM by TheMuse

"clit" seems to work fairly well in practical applications. Thought or spoken aloud.

edited 2nd Mar '14 1:12:10 PM by Wolf1066

In a book that I was reading about homosexuality in pre-twentieth century Japan, peaches were referenced several times as a lubricating agent; a jelly made from grated Korean yams (tororojiru) was also apparently quite common, to the point that a woman eating foods made from the roots was considered extremely impudent.

In the Middle East and the rest of the Mediterranean, olive oil was generally the go-to for that sort of thing for both sexes before the modern era. It also had a number of other important purposes, as everything from a cooking oil to the basis of many soaps. Basically, olive oil does everything, and people were very much aware of that.

For anything further on that subject, Google really is your friend.

The major problem I had with looking up methods of lubrication online was that a majority of sexual education websites were devoted to modern day personal uses and assumed the lubricant would be used with latex condoms and essentially said "do not use anything except water soluble lube (which definitely wouldn't have existed until recently) to have sex."

This made a good deal of online sexual resources a bit unhelpful.

edited 2nd Mar '14 5:39:12 PM by TheMuse

Any slick substance could have been used as lube. Oils would be the most common, with olive oil probably in the lead anywhere it was available. This is purely guesswork on my part, but I would suspect butter in areas where olive oil wasn't available or was a luxury item.

Also, it's worth keeping in mind that germ theory of disease transmission is relatively late, so the connection between infections and what lube was used would be tenuous. Some people might notice a correlation and suspect that there was causation involved, but it wouldn't be well-established.

edited 3rd Mar '14 4:35:35 AM by Madrugada

Aha~ Double posting because my google-fu is strong today:

an entire page on historical lubes

Did you put the word "historical" into your search? That should be kind of a no-brainer here...

Very interesting! Thank you.

This might assist you. Here is an entry from the book The SE Xaurus: Sexy Words for Writers.

Vagina Bush, canal, cervix, channel, clitoral hood, pussy, clit, labia core, cunny, cunt, depths, flower, folds, g-spot, gash, her sex, hymen, inner lips, labia, lips, love button, bud, maidenhead, melons, mound, mouth of, nodule, nub, nubbin of flesh, opening, passage, petals, puss, quim, ridge, sheath, slash, slit, snatch, tunnel, twat, vagina, vulva, womb.

^ Most of those don't refer to the clitoris, though. They're referring to other parts of the female genital array, or to the whole thing.