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Add Yiff to the Oxford English Dictionary

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1Report
Frosted Lynx at 23 Apr 2007: 20:33


Sign the petition to have "YIFF" added to the Oxford English dictionary.


http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/petition-sign.cgi?yiff


2Report
itoril#e0pMofP/AM at 23 Apr 2007: 20:54

Good God no. I lost all faith in them when they added "va va voom".

3Report
Raven//Puck at 23 Apr 2007: 21:37

There are times when some words should stay out of the dictionary and firmly in the hands of a select few who coined the term.

This is one of those times.

4Report
Nick at 23 Apr 2007: 21:58

>>3 Truth

I dunno about the OED, but personally terms like "podcast", "Web 2.0", and *shudder* "blogosphere" make me want to smack somebody upside the head. Is it just me or do those drive anyone else crazy?

5Report
at 24 Apr 2007: 00:46

Hells no.

I think the word is well-known enough already.  It doesn't need to be in a dictionary XD

And I personally can't picture the folks behind Oxford paying too much heed to an online petition in the first place, but then again, I may be wrong...

6Report
Anon at 24 Apr 2007: 11:50

>>3

What they said.

7Report
at 24 Apr 2007: 14:46

>>3
>>6
Agreed, those who need to know know, and those who don't don't care

8Report
Sabre at 24 Apr 2007: 15:49

I'm surprised it isn't already in. They added the word 'bo' dispite no one knowing what it ment. Also what >>2 said.

9Report
at 24 Apr 2007: 18:47

>>1 Explain to me why a slang term stolen from gay culture of the late 70's needs to be enshrined in such a thing? Sorry furries, you didn't invent it and as much as you like to use it in the place of 'sex' annd whatnot, it should remain in the dank pit much slang does.

>>5 Well known among furries and older gay people but other then that, no. Nor does it need to be.

10Report
at 25 Apr 2007: 22:23

Stupid, stupid idea IMO.

11Report
at 25 Apr 2007: 22:28

As much as the petitioner has heard the sounds mating foxes make, or that anyone has ever had proof of that completely BS statement, this is about the dumbest idea i have yet to see spawn out of a person of this fandom. I hope, when this fails, each petitioner at least realizes how much they have humiliated themselves by even thinking of doing this or even wanting it to happen. Also, after reading the "uses in a sentence" those sound awfully like recycled phrases from the 'urban dictionary's definitions of yiff, which I would not even be suprised if this was completely picked off of that site.

12Report
somberfox#Y5tgt8uBeE at 26 Apr 2007: 11:27

>>9
>a slang term stolen from gay culture of the late 70's

Say WHAT?

13Report
Foxon at 26 Apr 2007: 14:44

Why critisize? Its a matter of opinion, and I think its a good idea. Its still a word that has a meaning, so either way, it should be in the dictionary. ^_^

14Report
at 26 Apr 2007: 21:17

>>13 No. You would think it's a good idea though. I bet you eat, breath and sleep furry also.

>>12 Yes, it's a gay slang term that ended up in the fandom with the Mark Malanto flood of the 80's/early 90's. Furries just ran with it as the sound foxes make in sex.

15Report
at 26 Apr 2007: 21:48

>>14

So how come a search of the internet turns up zero results for this?

16Report
at 26 Apr 2007: 21:51

>>15

And hasn't been listed in any gay slang dictionary I've seen?

17Report
at 26 Apr 2007: 21:58

>>14

No, it isn't.  While it's exact origins are foggy the idea that the word comes from gay slang is both completely unfounded and doesn't match with the slang from any perido both the late 90s.

For those unfamilar with the idea (and unless I miss my mark this is what the previous poster is talking about), some people think yiff is an acronym that stand for "Young Incredably Fuckable Fellow".  It's late at night so I'm not going to look up all the evidence against that statement, but regardless it's still a prime example of a backronym.

Seriously, I know asking for testimony on an anonymous message board is more or less useless, but can anyone from this period actually claim they used this word?  Honestly, I don't think there ever been a period of time were people would say "My, isn't that lad a young incredibly fuckable fellow?" so much as to warrent it becoming an acronym.  I really can't picture anyone ever having said that at all, as a matter of fact.

18Report
at 27 Apr 2007: 00:55

>>17
That has been discussed numerous times here. Dig up old topics, I'm sure they're still around. It's been proven over and over again where it originated from: gay slang.

Those of us who were around back then know this to be a fact.

19Report
at 27 Apr 2007: 01:05

>>17
Oh, and it was in semi-common use back in the 70's or so - not 90's. It's no wonder most of you don't remember it.

20Report
Pip Halsey at 28 Apr 2007: 21:18

Yiff? Meh, I rarely ever use the word, never seriously. I always found it silly. I just say sex, and fuck, etc.

21Report
Anon at 28 Apr 2007: 21:57

>>20

If only more furries were like you.

22Report
Foxon at 28 Apr 2007: 23:37

>>21 then we almost wouldnt be furry. We need something, even sayings like Yiff.

Its what seperates us from the mundanes! :P

23Report
at 29 Apr 2007: 05:07

>>22 Please stop. Your lack of brains is showing and any humor you have is lost.

24Report
at 29 Apr 2007: 08:35

>>22

If you think that being furry puts us above the mundanes, I'd like to know what you're ON and why you're NOT SHARING.

25Report
at 29 Apr 2007: 23:12

I really want to hurt wheover the loser is that makes up words like "yiff", "fursecution", "mmrrrrr", and pretty much any other "fur-insertportmanteauofverbhere".


I also want to hurt people that think furry lingo is somehow special and deserves to be an actual word. Do gamers care about how words like "leet" and "pwned" aren't in the dictionary? Nope. Only furries care that words like "yiff", which might be one of the stupidest words invented after fursecution, are not recognized by Oxford enough to start a serious petition. Still don't know why furries seem to be so incredibly intent on seeking outside justification for their hobby.

26Report
Foxon at 30 Apr 2007: 00:40

Who really would be proud that "yiff" is in the dictionary anyways? Thats my only remaining question...

27Report
at 30 Apr 2007: 18:17

>>18
The word was actually coined by littlefox as part of the foxish language, and its meaning wasn't sexual back then - see http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=yiff

28Report (sage)
at 30 Apr 2007: 21:15

yiff, in a dictionary? How incredibly retarded.

29Report (sage)
at 30 Apr 2007: 23:53

>>27
Don't believe everything that you read on the internet. If you were around back then like me, you'd know that it was used long before 1990. First time I heard it being used by furries was back in 1986 or so - long before FurryMuck or foxish language. The same people had used the word in the gay community for over a decade.

'course, the correct reference has even been removed from the WikiFur now. I guess it's important for the furry community to force everyone into thinking that they invented the word. >_>

30Report
at 1 May 2007: 00:12

>>28

You win the thread.

31Report
Buster at 2 May 2007: 15:39

Have any of you looked through the Oxford English Dictionary? There are FAR stupider words in there than "yiff"

Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, as an example

32Report
at 3 May 2007: 00:49

>>31
...
I was under the impression that they still had the "only words in general usage are added"-rule. I guess not.

Anyway, if yiff was added, what would the definition be? I haven't ever met two furries who quite agree exactly what it means.

33Report
Buster at 3 May 2007: 15:02

>>32

The sad thing is, not only can I define that word (an infection in the throat caused by breathing in fine silica gel particles), but I can pronounce it too

The petition has a list of definitions that would be listed under the word. All of them are fairly accurate as to anyone's different definitions

34Report (sage)
at 4 May 2007: 04:13

>>33
1) (Noun) Sound made by mating foxes.

Accurate? Not even close. I've seen mating foxes (grew up on fur farm), and they don't make any sounds that even remotely sound like "yiff". It's not a good start if the first definition is complete nonsense.

35Report
Buster at 4 May 2007: 21:50

>>34

I said to anyone's different definitions. Whether that's YOUR definition or not, I couldn't care less

36Report
Buster at 4 May 2007: 21:59

>>34

Incidentally, unless you got up close and personal, how on earth could you know that foxes don't make any sounds while they're mating? I mean REALLY up close, too. You'd have to have been within 1 foot of them to be able to tell that accurately

37Report (sage)
at 4 May 2007: 23:20

>>36
I see that you don't know how fur farms work. Cages, remember? Not that it was pleasant to get within 1 feet of them - foxes smell rather foul.

38Report
at 19 Aug 2007: 14:45

sweet

39Report
at 19 Aug 2007: 14:56

>>37
haha, you just insulted a good chunk of the fandom.  :D

^_^

And yes we do!  I mean, ever been to a con before? :P

40Report
at 19 Aug 2007: 15:09

>>1

No.

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