Does "pussy" also mean…?

Question

I have always known that pussy means the genitals of a woman, and a coward person. But Babylon English and Cambridge dictionary say that it also means (noun) sex with a woman. But Oxford and Macmillan dictionaries don't.

So, is this meaning correct?

Answer 1

The definition of "pussy" in the two dictionary references you cited as meaning "[having] sex with a woman" are both mistaken, in my opinion, at least in common American English usage. I suspect Babylon borrowed the "unusual definition" from the Cambridge dictionary without doing a reality check to see if it was accurate. The word is used in phrases that mean having sex with a woman, but in itself, it simply refers to female genitals.

"Pussy" is not necessarily an offensive word, although calling someone "a pussy" certainly is. The late actor Robin Williams, while being interviewed by James Lipton on the television program, Inside the Actors Studio, was asked the standard question, "What's your favorite curse word?" To which Williams replied, "It's my favorite because I'm a big fan: Pussy." He then repeated it numerous times, savoring its implications with each utterance to the great delight and embarrassment of Lipton and the audience.

In contrast, Lipton asked Williams, "What's your least favorite word?" Robin Williams replied, "Cunt. Least favorite word because it's so negative. It's the one word that'll get me kicked out of the house." Unlike "pussy," "cunt" is always considered offensive, even though it effectively means the same thing (although with a decidedly negative connotation).

For more comments from the Lipton interview, see: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0611309/quotes

While some might think that Robin Williams was no authority on the English language, I would argue that he understood the meanings, nuances and usage of English better than most of us. I also believe it is important for English learners to know the meanings of English slang, even (perhaps especially) if they are considered vulgar and/or offensive.

Answer 2

As a description of a woman's genitals, pussy is about as vulgar as "dick" used to describe a man's genitals.

It gets really offensive when it's used to reduce a person to their genitals. "Look over there - that's some fine looking pussy." is really rude. For some reason I think it's much ruder than calling a man a dick (or a pussy). It is probably a cultural bias.

Pussy also means sex with a woman, as in "I went to the bar looking for some pussy, but ended up drinking alone all night ." You can use ass as a gender neutral substitute in the same context and it is about the same level of vulgarity. For example, "Ass, grass, or cash. No one rides for free." means pay me in sex, drugs or money if you want me to drive you somewhere .