Okay, it’s Engrish time again! This time, it’s about some Fanny Photos! Yes, for the native English speakers out there, this sounds totally rude and offensive, but it’s just one of those funny things that you can spot when travelling that grabs your attention and makes you have a bit of a giggle because it’s one of those phrases that just doesn’t translate very well into English.
Well, this silly article is about a sign I spotted on a trip to Indonesia a while back which made me look twice when I first saw it.
Apparently, Fanny is a common name in Indonesia. And in previous decades, the term Fanny was a popular name for women in the English speaking world.
But the name is not really at the forefront of many parents English wired brains any more for a very good reason, and it’s all to do with some silly slang and colloquial meanings!
Fanny Photos – The Fanny Cottage!
You’ll see what I mean in a minute! The sign below is an billboard for a local hotel called Buki Permai, or otherwise known as ‘Fanny Cottage’. It’s probably named after the owner, but I don’t really know because I didn’t stay there.
Just on a side note, the billboard is sponsored by a drink called ‘Tehbotol’, which literally means ‘Tea in a Bottle'(I like it when the band name is the actual product at the same time!).
It’s a popular iced tea which is pretty refreshing on a hot humid day, which is every day in Java!
Anyway, I digress! The English language is an evolving beast. It has the most words of any language in the world. The main reason for that is because English has stolen hundreds of thousands of words from other languages and cultures and in many cases, they have evolved new meanings for no particular rational meaning at all.
And fanny is one of those words that have changed meaning over time. Once known commonly as a name, the word ‘fanny’ is commonly used as a slang term for ‘vagina’.
It’s pretty unfortunate for anyone in the world whose real name is Fanny, but I’m guessing most people in Indonesia wouldn’t know the double meaning English slang interpretation for this word because they would not have been subjected to the slang associated with it. I’m sure there are some English words which sound funny in Indonesian!
This isn’t the first time I’ve seen Indonesian products or business names that seem to have unusual names in English.
I’ve personally bought and used some men’s shower gel that had a fragrance described as ‘perfumed floral woody‘ which made me laugh (and was probably the main reason I had bought it in the first place!). My first thoughts were that this shower gel was spiked with the same substance present in those little blue pills that some men take with them for a little help along in the amorous liaisons department, but it didn’t do anything like that for me!
Then there is also the Bong Collection shop that would have all the potheads from Nimbin become really excited.
Oh well, never mind! I’m guessing these weren’t the Fanny Photos some people were searching for on the net!
Fanny is not a rude word in North America. Just uk.
I know! Weird how English mutates around the world!
This post made me smile! 🙂 Come to think of it, English has really evolved and if you won’t be careful in using it especially when you are in another part of the world you may send a wrong signal to people. It is really very important to learn language as well as how it can be used appropriately.
haha great photo! too funny… small things 🙂
Yeah, I know!