“Dogging” Sign Elicits Shock in UK, Confusion in America
Offbeat, Travel News, UK — By John Curran on May 6, 2010 at 2:18 pmBritish English and American English don’t always get along when it comes to slang. When you knock someone up in the UK, you’re dropping by, while the quaint “fanny” in America could get you slapped across the pond. A joke sign that sprouted up near Cotswold would strike most Americans as meaningless, as it advertises “dogging.”
But, unlike birding which is the hobby of ornithologists who like to practice their avian spotting techniques, dogging is a little different. Actually, a lot, as in UK slang it’s the practice of having sex in public areas, and often not among friends or lovers.
While the sign is down, observers noted that it looked like official government documentation for local attractions, and the Daily Mail notes that residents have been shying away from the area to reduce the number of propositions that they might receive.
The government there has taken several different tacks to solve the problem as families express concerns about children witnessing sex acts: police have vowed to crack down on offenders, while the National Health Service has taken to distributing condoms in known areas of “dogging.”
If you’re considering becoming more than amorous abroad, it pays to keep up with the local lingo. Not only do you stand a better chance of being able to talk without it seeming stilted, but as the residents of Cotswold can readily attest, you’ll also be able to keep yourself out of situations you hadn’t been planning on trying when you head overseas.
[Image: Metro]
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