If you've ever read a romance then you might have noticed that sometimes authors choose rather flowery terms to describe intimate parts. All right, actually, some of the terms can be downright ridiculous! This is a collection of such terms gleaned from blog posts and forum threads. If there is a chance this might induce shock and pearl clutching, please do not go any further. However, if your interest has been piqued, then check out The List!
The idea (and name!) for this website comes from Oopsie Doodle. She thought it would be great if all the ridiculous, overblown terms for body parts that you would find in a romance novel were collected in one place.
I have read romance books but it's been a while since I've read any that used such - descriptive - language. I compiled this list from old blog posts and forum threads. If your favorite term isn't here, e-mail me!
This website is a work in progress. I have ideas to include sections on other terminology and, possibly, even a quiz so do check back!
If you'd like to follow, help yourself to a button!
Female parts
- aching rainbow
- the apex of her thighs
- berry
- bud
- chalice
- cove
- feathery down
- flower
- forbidden passage
- gateway to paradise
- the heart of her femininity
- honeypot
- jewel
- knot/center of pleasure
- love button
- love canal
- mossy grotto of venus
- mound of Venus
- mountain of pleasure
- mouth of her arousal
- nub
- pearl
- petals
- pink pearl
- pool of moisture
- rosebud
- silken heat
- silken warmth
- sugared walls
- throbbing vent
- the vaults of her love chamber
- velvet haven
- velvet sheath
Male parts
There are many euphemisms for penis but, sadly, it seems that in the romance world most of the flowery descriptions go to lady parts.
- bulge
- great silky spearhead of his desire
- girth
- length
- jade pillar/sword/pipe
- manhood
- manroot
- member
- rod
- shaft
- stalk
- steel wrapped in velvet
- sword/sheathed to the hilt
- throbbing scepter of priapus
- throbbing tor
While researching for this site, I came across several sites that were interesting but didn't entirely fit within the scope of "fanciful terms for parts from romances." I thought I would go ahead and share them here.
- Reddit Thread - Long List of Creative Anatomy - There are whole subgenres of paranormal/sci fi/fantasy romance that deal with nonhuman beings and their associated parts. There is a link to a Google doc that the thread author keeps updated - in fact, the original doc got too big and that one has links to other docs.
- The Difficulties of Writing Really Old Erotic Historical Romances - Interesting blog post from an author on why there aren't a lot of erotic novels set in ancient times.
- Before A Penis Was A Penis: Sex Slang Throughout History - Article discussing the first usages of "penis" and "vagina."
- WTF Fanfiction - Words Used to Describe Genitals - Tumblr post with terms the author found in fan fiction. In addition to sections for penis and vagina, there is an "others" section for associated things.
- Croatia has enchanting words for genitalia. Why doesn't the UK? - Opinion piece on how the Croatians have better slang words for some body parts.
Sources
- Laurel Clarke - The Sexy Thesaurus 3
- Euphemisms For Body Parts In Romance Novels : A Ranking
- Reddit r/RomanceBooks - Words for Lady Parts
- Reddit r/RomanceBooks - What ARE acceptable synonyms for vagina and labia??
- Reddit r/RomanceBooks - I'm writing down every terrible phrase...
- Reddit r/RomanceBooks - I'm sick of metaphor of 'my core'
- Reddit r/RomanceBooks - A MEMBER .. why oh why do they call it a member?
- Reddit r/RomanceBooks - Body Part Euphemism Awards
- Bryn Donovan - Synonyms for Parts of the Body
- Deb Stover - The Purple Prose Eater
- MetaFilter - Words Used to Describe Genitals in Fanfiction