Cornhole (sometimescorn hole) is asexual slangvulgarism for theanus.[1] The term came into use in the 1910s in the United States.[2] Itsverb form,to cornhole, which came into use in the 1930s, means 'to haveanal sex'.[2][3]
By the middle of the 20th century, the term was used among American criminals.[6] According to a 1944 report on male-maleprison rape, the term had taken on a more specific meaning of taking thepenetrative role in anal sex.[7] It was also popularized in part through use ingay culture.[8][9]
In a similar context, acorn husk is a "condom", especially one manufactured for anal intercourse.[10]
According to linguist Jonathan Lighter,to cornhole and variant non-derivedsynonyms have developed ascompound verbs:to corncob [1975] andto corndog [1985].[11] Linguists have noted the verb form as an example of possible compound verbs in English. There is debate whether such words are genuine compounds or pseudo-compounds.[12]
Cornholio, the alter ego ofBeavis fromBeavis and Butt-head, is a play on the wordcornhole, as hiscatch phrase is “I am the Great Cornholio! I needTP for mybunghole!"[13][14] The personality of Cornholio, in turn, became inspiration for thecocktail called the "Flaming Cornholio".[15]
ComedianGeorge Carlin performed a short skit about the wordcornhole in his 2005 show "Life Is Worth Losing", praising it for being tough-sounding and thus more honest thanpolitically correct terms likeanal intercourse oranal rape. He elaborated on the word repeatedly in earlier shows, including a famous rant about theeuphemism treadmill which caused the termshell shock to evolve intopost-traumatic stress disorder. He then imagined its use in aforensic investigation scene of apolice procedurals television series ("That there is a posthumous, multiple cornhole entry wound") and pointed out that "in prison it's a social activity".[16]
^Munier, Alexis (2010).The Big Black Book of Very Dirty Words. Adams Media,ISBN9781440509605
^abGreen, Jonathon (2006).Cassell's Dictionary of Slang: A Major New Edition of the Market-Leading Dictionary of Slang. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.,ISBN9780304366361
^Burke, David (2003).The Slangman Guide to Dirty English: Dangerous Expressions Americans Use Every Day. Slangman Publishing,ISBN9781891888236
^McConville, Brigid; Shearlaw, John (1984).The Slanguage of Sex. Macdonald,ISBN9780356103402
^Richter, Alan (1987).The Language of Sexuality. McFarland,ISBN9780899502458
^Monteleone, Vincent Joseph (1949).Criminal Slang: The Vernacular of the Underground Lingo. The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd.,ISBN9781584773009
^Baker, Paul (2004).Fantabulosa: A Dictionary of Polari and Gay Slang. Continuum International Publishing Group,ISBN9780826473431
^Reuter, Donald F. (2006).Gay-2-Zee: A Dictionary of Sex, Subtext, and the Sublime. Macmillan,ISBN9780312354275
^Victor/Dalzell eds (2007).The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English. Psychology Press,ISBN9780415212595
^Lighter, Johnathan E. (1997).Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Vol. 2: H-O. Random House Reference,ISBN9780679434641
^Erdmann, Peter (1999). Compound verbs in English: are they pseudo? In Dekeyser Xavier; Tops, Guy A. J.; Geukens, StevenThinking English Grammar: To Honour Xavier Dekeyser, Professor Emeritus. Volume 12 ofOrbis / Supplementa. Peeters Publishers,ISBN9789042907638
^Weinstock, Jeffrey Andrew (2008). "Simpsons Did It!"South Park as differential signifier. inTaking South Park Seriously. SUNY Press,ISBN9780791475669
^Kellner, Douglas (2004).Beavis and Butt-Head: No Future for Postmodern Youth. In Steinberg, Shirley R.; Kincheloe, Joe.Kinderculture: The Corporate Construction of Childhood. Westview Press,ISBN9780813391540
^Gatti, Susan Irvin (2003). Fuzzy navels and slippery nipples: A sociolinguistic reading of the cocktail menu. The Journal of American Culture, Volume 26, Issue 1, pages 104–110, March 2003doi:10.1111/1542-734X.00078
