Keywords

Codpiece

Language, Politics

Back in May people were discussing how enlarged President Bush’s genitalia looked in his famous Top Gun” photo-op. It seems that this was a result of The former fighter pilot” [being] too stupid to release his parachute harness crotch straps as soon as he was on the deck.” Probably causing considerable discomfort. This came up again over on the excellent blog, Corrente, which listed it as the #9 reason not to hate Bush”:

He can wear a codpiece with the best of em.

Which brings us to the subject of this post — because some alert reader sent in a link to this hilarious mock-history of the codpiece. It points out that the word does not come from the fish:

In Middle English, Cod” (or Codd” in Old English, Coddd” in Exceedingly Old English) meant bag” or scrotum”…

(I recall also reading something of the sort in Mark Kurlansky’s book Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World.)

And, in related news, Chirac Presents Bush With the Codpiece of Freedom.”

UPDATE: From a page advertising the audiobook version of Cod”:

the word cod” being Middle English slang for bag,” sack” or scrotum,”

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