Spunky

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I always think of spunky as an "Our Gang" sort of word or as a synonym for plucky. By the way, your idiolect has overlays of southeastern British, but I would still never place it as anything other than AmE. I am almost tempted to use the forbidden phrase, just because MSF is such a great organisation! I don't know whether it's the result of reading too many Nancy Drew books in childhood, but my first understanding of spunk or spunky is the sense of pluck or gumption as well, though I am aware of the slang meaning. Late 30s, south-west England native BrE speaker.

As the anonymous poster pointed out, The Mary Tyler Moore Show made spunk a household word for a woman with an excess of gumption.

I think it's a generational thing, though. I haven't heard any teens or younger use spunk or spunky.

In the film Down In The Valley a character describes a teenage girl as having spunk and her younver brother hopefully asks whether he has spunk too. Presumably to avoid any awkward connotations. As noted in the previous thread, I often hear spunk as a verb, as in 'to ejaculate'.

spunky (adj.)

Or more commonly 'spunked'. I have memories from school some 35 years ago of a whole class of us pubescent English boys collapsing in giggles much to the disgust of our teacher at the references in Tom Sawyer to "spunk water". The meaning of if I have it right water in tree stumps is one you don't observe here.

So, this USA Today headline probably wouldn't please the royal in-laws? England hosted two extremely popular Australian soap operas a day during the s. There was so much prime time spunk being exchanged on the television that it wouldn't surprise me to learn that the preconceived notions of the term, by the youth of that decade, had been replaced by a completely different definition. Of course, I carefully chose "preconceived notion" because in the s a friend of mine spat on the floor and declared "That's spunk! As an independent and self-opinionated six year old I decided to ignore her.

In Australian English, the semen usage has spawned so to speak spunky, meaning sexy, and spunk, meaning a sexually attractive person. These terms have a slightly raunchy flavour to them, but are freely used in the mass media. A spunk could be someone of either sex, and so could a 'spunk rat' I think.

Protester banned on FB as Spunky Squaw owner wears headdress, rep uses n-words

But a 'hunk of spunk' is most likely male. This latter expression was popularised by the TV comedy series 'Kath and Kim', but Google Books reveals it was in use in the s. And not just people under 50 I was born in East Anglia 64 years ago and the 'sementic' connotations of spunk are primary for me. There are quite a few terms where we are naughtier in the UK: I lived for many years in Swillburg. PS You may find this marginally amusing.

I have used these words, particularly spunky , but not very often — partly because of the potential for lewd reinterpretation. You could say spunk is a bit skunked.

spunky - Dictionary Definition : www.farmersmarketmusic.com

Recently I saw an ad looking for a "Thrusting, funky editor". Thrusting with spunk, or just funk? I loved your interview with Patrick Cox, and included it in my latest round-up of language links. British Comedy's of the 80's and the forbidden phrase put me in mind of this scene from Filthy Rich and Catflap: The boys are shown as orphan children in a Dickensian setting, above them is a portrait of a woman; it is implied they may be her children, and that she has died. Two men stand beside them in conversation, one indicates the portrait. These young boys look just like my Fanny! In other news, I've discovered that my Americanised accent vanishes mere minutes after entering the UK to be replaced by my native Welsh , as does my ability to put them on.

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It, returns in the airport Stateside. The reverse is not true, I can do a variety of British accents on either side of the pond. As a BrE speaker I 'd say both meanings of spunk are now archaic. What makes me wince are the porn words for semen: But 'spunk' as semen is solely from reading. I've never heard it used in that sense, in either the US or UK.

Perhaps I'm living a sheltered life. Hi Lynn e , I'm curious Somewhat satisfyingly, in your interview you said 'grain of salt' rather than 'pinch of salt'. I am familiar with most of the terms, but chemists's is new for me. Likely have heard it used and not made the connection. As a Br child I was puzzled for a while by the reference in Tom Sawyer to spunk-water, found in a spunk-water stump.

I guess this must be about the fungus? I was born in In the s in the UK spunk was the usual slang term for sperm. An early porn magazine - with loads of airbrushing - was called Spick and Span, seemingly with allusions to spunk. Also jack was an erection. I don't know any young person in the UK that would think of anything but semen when they heard the word "spunk". There would be some pretty weird expressions if you had an american girl say "I'm full of spunk" to and English guy, I can tell you.

However BrE always has been a lover I'm thinking famously of certain Shakespeare plays of wordplay particularly with double entendres sp? Although I always say: Of course that in itself can be taken either way! Hunky and Spunky are fictional characters , appearing in the series of animated short subjects produced by Fleischer Studios for Paramount Pictures from to Filmed in Technicolor , the series revolves around a mother burro and her son.

Observations on British and American English by an American linguist in the UK

Hunky is a mother burro and Spunky is her young son. The initial film, titled Hunky and Spunky, takes place in the Old West , where a prospector attempts to make Spunky into his pack animal.

Fleischer Studios went on to produce six more cartoons featuring Hunky and Spunky: The series ended in with Vitamin Hay. A positive contemporary review of Hunky and Spunky in Film Daily praised the short for introducing "funny new characters", and stated that the short's device of having the animals speak in "donkey talk" "will amuse the kids" [1]. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Review of Hunky and Spunky. Film Daily , Vol. Max Fleischer Dave Fleischer.

Gulliver's Travels Mr.

Bug Goes to Town Retrieved from " https: Fictional characters introduced in Film series introduced in Fleischer Studios series and characters Television series by U. Views Read Edit View history. Languages Deutsch Italiano Edit links.

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This page was last edited on 16 November , at By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. This story takes place in the Old West , where a prospector attempts to make Spunky into his pack animal.

Hunky and Spunky in Always Kickin'. Hunky is teaching her son Spunky how to kick properly. She has him practice with a mattress propped against a tree.

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