AF "As I pointed someone to your site
to read about all different names for menstruation because she asked what
AF stands for, I guess it belongs in your list of words for menstruation.
It is the abbreviation for Aunt Flo that some women use on Internet,"
writes a Dutch frequent contributor to this site. "Flo" of course
is short for [menstrual] Flow. (March 2004)
A friend comes to visit read about a film with this title
Are you in need? "When I was in college
in Berea, Ohio, if my female friends or I discreetly asked for a tampon
or a pad, we would get the equally discreet response, 'Are you in need?'"
writes the 26-year-old contributor from Parma, Ohio. (April 2001)
A little ketchup with my steak "I had
a boyfriend who lustily referred to it as 'a little ketchup with my steak.'
Those Arizona boys do like a little ketchup and a lot of steak. Thought
you might like a little extra positive terminology for your wonderful site.
Thanks, ******* (now a New Yorker)," writes the contributor. She entitles
her e-mail containing this information "That thing, that thing."
(February 2002)
A snatch box decorated with red roses (a) "snatch"
and "box" both are vulgar terms meaning "vagina" in
American slang
Ammunition "Hi! First off, great site!
I don't know if you're still collecting data, but I figured I'd email you
in case you were. When I was a pre-teen and teen, my dad referred to tampons
as 'photons,' which led to us calling pads and tampons in general 'ammunition.'
So if we were packing for a trip, he'd always ask 'Do you need to pack any
ammunition?' (I'm 23 and from Oregon.) Have a great week!" (October
2006)
Are you seeing red? (a)
At high tide "Performance artist Laurie
Anderson has a song 'Red Dress' in which she says 'at high tide,' her euphemism
for menstruation," writes the male contributor. (July 2001)
At war "I'm a college student and my roommate
always uses the term 'at war' when she's on her period. All of the girls
on my hall now use the term," writes the contributor. (February 2002).
In September 2004, a male wrote the following: "For the entry "at
war," I'd like to add that it may locally have been derived from an
Ani DiFranco song / monologue:
I woke up one morning
covered in blood like a war
like a warning
that I live in a breakable takeable body ...
I don't recall the title and am not near my CD collection at the moment,
but if you'd like the reference, just e-mail me back here and I'll look
it up."
Attracting the lesbian vampires see Moon's
blood
Aunt Aggie used by a writer to the Would you stop menstruating if you could? page on
this site (December 2002)
Aunt Flo[w] [is visiting, etc.] (a) Flo is
a short version of the name Florence. A contributor e-mailed MUM (March
2002), "I traveled to London on business. Of course, Aunt
Flow had to come along." See also Gramps.
"I am sure that you have heard this one before, but when I was
about 16 or so, if someone had their period and didn't want to join in an
activity or whatever with us, we would say, "Oh,
I'm sorry, I have a visitor this week, my Aunt FLOW is here!"
and the rest of us would know right away why. It was a nicer way of saying
it. Instead of "I got pms," plus the boys didn't know what the
heck we were talkin about! Love your site, D in Germany."
(February 2007)
Aunt Flo sent someone else in her place "My
friend and I use the term 'Aunt Flo' (which I saw on your site) for menstruation
but have several related words/phrases which I didn't see which we use for
other aspects. We call pads or tampons 'welcome mats.'
We call cramps 'muscular turbulance.' When I got pregnant, I told her 'Aunt Flo sent someone else in her place.' We use
the term 'reservations' to refer to the time
we expect menstruation to start. Oh, I'm from the U.S." (January 2004)
Aunt from Reading was in town "I'm from
Pennsylvania and a friend of mine used to say that her 'Aunt from Reading
[a town in Pennsylvania, I believe pronounced Redding] was in town'! I
loved that and use it all the time!" (March 2005)
Aunt Martha from the title of a painting by Judy Jones in the Art of
Menstruation series on this Web site; she said that was the term "we"
used for menstruation (August 2002)
Aunt Ruby The woman contributor, from
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania (U.S.A.), wrote, "We call it Aunt Ruby;
lots of people say their aunt is visiting, and we added Ruby after a character
on General Hospital [an American television program] back in the 1980s.
We always used to laugh at her name and say it sounded like a period. Now
it's my family's favorite way to refer to it." (2000)
Aunt Sally "Aunt Sally is one that my
friends and I often use. I have a great aunt named Sally, who always meant
well, but was constantly messing things up. and overstaying her welcome.
I think that it's a very appropriate name for such a time. By the way, I'm
13 years old," reads the e-mail. (November 2001)
Aunt Tilly is here (a)
[The] Axe wound "This one is my favorite. My brother came up with
it. He calls it ...The Axe Wound." (July 2008)
Bad week. "My delicate husband
and I refer to it as 'bad week' and I always warn him that I need to get
some 'woman things' from the store. I am in my early 30's and as a teen
we called it raggin'." (August 2006)
Back in the saddle again "When I was a
teen and the common protection consisted of the elastic sanitary belt and
pad, we referred to being 'Back in the saddle again.' That was in Texas
and Oklahoma," commented the contributor. (April 2001) See also a comment
under Period. Contributed again in March 2005:
"My mom always likes to sing the phrase from the old song 'back
in the saddle again.' - ha."
Band-Aids "'Your friend': this term is
used by my mother, aunts, and their cousins. And we need 'Band-Aids' when
it gets here." (November 2002)
The banks of the Nile are overflowing and running
red from "I'm having my euphemism" by Donna Lypchuk in
the Eye Weekly (4/20/00) at http://www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_04.20.00/columns/necro.html
(April 2004)
The beast the contributor writes, "I call
it 'the beast.' *giggle* I just thought it was appropriate and have been
saying it for years. My girlfriend calls it her 'visitor' or 'being visited,'
but you already have that one." (July 2001)
Been there, doing that
the contributor, "some 14 2/3-year-old girl from Texas," e-mails,
"What my friends and I say when we are on our periods is 'Been there,
doing that.' The 'been there' part offers consolation to those who recently
were on it or had cramps previously, while the 'doing that' part refers
to the fact that you are on your period currently. None of the guys have
been able to identify what we are talking about, so I guess it is a pretty
good nickname for our monthly 'friend.' We use the expression at school,
normally to give an explanation for doubling over in class, or as a sign,
'Hey, do you have a tampon/pad I could use?' Us girlees use it, and I think
the origin came from just joking around and saying, 'Well, I'm "doing
that,"' and it eventually metamorphazised into 'Been there, doing that.'
Been there, doing that . . . ." She added, "Just a note for all
you gals out there: I only started a year ago, so don't worry when you are
12 and you haven't started! So what if all your friends started. You can
go swimming without fretting! It's not that big a deal. Sometimes it's only
a big PAIN, (J/K) but not in the butt." (June 2001)
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