Ass or Arse ... the definitive poll

[pohbear]

my great gandfather; i am told, would tell the family we're in america now, we will speak english. so with that said, ass seems to be the north american standard. which is better than saying 'man pussy"

 

[EasyRory]

I'm writing a story in the Gay Fiction Forum that is set partly in the UK. The UK/US characters use arse/ass as appropriate to their nationalities.

I agonized over this. I probably would mangle any attempt to write colloquial UK English, so I have the British characters speak very correct English, which is increasingly foreign-sounding to American ears, and maybe to British ones as well.

 

[FanofFiction]

I say ass. Many of the old people I know say arse, so it has just always seemed like an "old person expression".

 

[frankfrank]

Somebody at our Christmas Day gathering/party mentioned a synonym for asshole/arsehole (referring to a person, not his or her anatomy), which I love!

burro burrow

burro = donkey = ASS
burrow = hole

 

[resonance]

Well it's ARSE.for me all the way, the word ASS, just sounds weak.

Definitely "ass". The "ar" sound is feminine compared to the "as" sound.

Also, I'm not a fan of arse or farce or any word with the "arce" sound. Awful sounding words they is.

 

[cabsterman]

In some areas of the South the word ASS can almost sound like the word ICE

kind of like "eye-us"

Yelp! My baby brother does that, two syllables. He does the same thing with gas.

For me, it's just one syllable, ass.

These responses cracked me up! (He said "crack").... anyway, just grew up hearing "ass" for the butt. But honestly, never referred to a donkey as an ass just always said donkey. I've heard "donkey-dick" though.

"Arse" is sooooo...... "British". Now I'm going to have some tea and crumpets and seek out some man ass (arse).

 

[PKMO]

I use both. For example, I would say:
"He fell on his ass"
"Fuck my arse"
But if I wrote these sentences down, I would most likely swap them around to:
"He fell on his arse"
"Fuck my ass"

 

[blackbeltninja]

^Treason!

-d-

 

[blackbeltninja]

Well, EVERYONE knows that in the US and A your fanny is your arse.

Not your minge. /TheOffice

-d-

 

[bankside]

In my parents' generation, people said "arse" unselfconsciously and without irony. In my generation it is probably 60/40 in favour of "ass." I say both. In younger people in Western Canada, almost entirely "ass."

Another example of pretending to gain our independence from the Commonwealth by merely imitating Americans.

 

[iwantbig]

ok i spell it asshole , but say "arse "

 

[RaKroma]

Arse is just what grumpy Brits say when they reminisce on how great they once were until America stole their spotlight.

 

[blondie79]

I'm 100% ARSE

 

[eddielee]

I grew up with ass and I'm sticking with it.

That post didn't age well.

 

[72-Jay]

I've always said it as 'ass' .

 

[Rickrock]

I have always known it as "ass".

 

[pigface]

"Ass" comes across as a schoolboyish way to get a vulgar word in but be able to pretend afterward that you didn't actually say the word. Then you can titter over using a naughty word in front of the grown-ups.

 

[Enigmaticat]

I'm not nearly English enough to be using arse.

 

[rareboy]

Arse just sounds like butter wouldn't melt in your mouth english public school boys.

It is ass.

Pure.

And simple.

 

[unloadonme]

Arse just sounds like butter wouldn't melt in your mouth english public school boys.

It is ass.

Pure.

And simple.

I don't associate "arse" with public school boys at all. It's much more widespread than that.