''Cornhole'' (sometimes ''corn hole'') is a

sexual slang Sexual slang is a set of linguistics, linguistic terms and phrases used to refer to sexual organs, processes, and activities; they are generally considered colloquialism, colloquial rather than formal or medical, and some may be seen as impolite ...

vulgarism In the study of language and literary style, a vulgarism is an expression or usage considered standard language, non-standard or characteristic of uneducated speech or writing. In colloquial or Lexical definition, lexical English, "vulgarism" or "v ...

for the

anus The anus (Latin, 'ring' or 'circle') is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to control the expulsion of feces, the residual semi-solid waste that remains after food digestion, which, d ...

.Munier, Alexis (2010). ''The Big Black Book of Very Dirty Words.'' Adams Media, The term came into use in the 1910s in the United States.Green, Jonathon (2006). ''Cassell's Dictionary of Slang: A Major New Edition of the Market-Leading Dictionary of Slang.'' Sterling Publishing Company, Inc., Its

verb A verb () is a word (part of speech) that in syntax generally conveys an action (''bring'', ''read'', ''walk'', ''run'', ''learn''), an occurrence (''happen'', ''become''), or a state of being (''be'', ''exist'', ''stand''). In the usual descri ...

form, ''to cornhole'', which came into use in the '30s, means 'to have

anal sex Anal sex or anal intercourse is generally the insertion and thrusting of the erect penis into a person's anus, or anus and rectum, for sexual pleasure.Sepages 270–271for anal sex information, anpage 118for information about the clitoris. ...

'.Burke, David (2003). ''The Slangman Guide to Dirty English: Dangerous Expressions Americans Use Every Day.'' Slangman Publishing,

Connotations and variants

The term is apparently derived "from the practice in the days of the

outhouse An outhouse is a small structure, separate from a main building, which covers a toilet. This is typically either a pit latrine or a bucket toilet, but other forms of dry toilet, dry (non-flushing) toilets may be encountered. The term may als ...

of using dried

corn cob A corncob, also called corn cob, cob of corn or corn on the cob, is the central core of an ear of corn (also known as maize). It is the part of the ear on which the kernels grow. The ear is also considered a "cob" or "pole" but it is not full ...

s for

toilet paper Toilet paper (sometimes called toilet tissue or bathroom tissue) is a tissue paper product primarily used to clean the anus and surrounding anal region of feces after defecation, and to clean the perineal area and external genitalia of u ...

."McConville, Brigid; Shearlaw, John (1984). ''The Slanguage of Sex.'' Macdonald, Richter, Alan (1987). ''The Language of Sexuality.'' McFarland, By the middle of the 20th century, the term was used among American criminals.Monteleone, Vincent Joseph (1949). ''Criminal Slang: The Vernacular of the Underground Lingo.'' The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd., According to a 1944 report on male-male

prison rape Prison rape or jail rape refers to sexual assault of people while they are incarcerated. The phrase is commonly used to describe rape of inmates by other inmates, or to describe rape of inmates by staff. China In February 2021, BBC News rep ...

, the term had taken on a more specific meaning of taking the penetrative role in anal sex.Greco, MC; Wright, JC (1944). The correctional institution in the etiology of chronic homosexuality. ''

American Journal of Orthopsychiatry The ''American Journal of Orthopsychiatry'' is a bimonthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering orthopsychiatry. It is published by the American Psychological Association on behalf of the Global Alliance for Behavioral Health and Social Justice ...

'', Volume 14, Issue 2, pages 295–307, April 1944 It was also popularized in part through use in

gay culture Gay men are male homosexuals. Some bisexual and homoromantic men may also dually identify as gay, and a number of young gay men also identify as queer. Historically, gay men have been referred to by a number of different terms, including '' ...

.Baker, Paul (2004). ''Fantabulosa: A Dictionary of Polari and Gay Slang.'' Continuum International Publishing Group, Reuter, Donald F. (2006). ''Gay-2-Zee: A Dictionary of Sex, Subtext, and the Sublime.'' Macmillan, In a similar context, a ''corn husk'' is a "

condom A condom is a sheath-shaped barrier device used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are both male and female condoms. With proper use—and use at every act of in ...

", especially one manufactured for anal intercourse.Victor/Dalzell eds (2007). ''The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English.'' Psychology Press, According to linguist Jonathan Lighter, ''to cornhole'' and variant non-derived

synonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

have developed as compound verbs: ''to corncob''

975 Year 975 ( CMLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor John I raids Mesopotamia and invades Syria, using ...

and ''to corndog''

985 Year 985 ( CMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – Henry II (the Wrangler) is restored as duke of Bavaria by Empress Theoph ...

Lighter, Johnathan E. (1997). ''Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Vol. 2: H-O.'' Random House Reference, Linguists have noted the verb form as an example of possible compound verbs in English. There is debate whether such words are genuine compounds or pseudo-compounds.Erdmann, Peter (1999). Compound verbs in English: are they pseudo? In Dekeyser Xavier; Tops, Guy A. J.; Geukens, Steven ''Thinking English Grammar: To Honour Xavier Dekeyser, Professor Emeritus.'' Volume 12 of ''Orbis / Supplementa.'' Peeters Publishers, Cornholio, the alter ego of

Beavis Beavis is a fictional character who serves as one of two protagonists from the MTV/Paramount+ animated series ''Beavis and Butt-Head''. He is voiced by the show's creator, Mike Judge. In the movie ''Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe'', Beavis' ...

from ''

Beavis and Butt-head ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' is an American adult animated series created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, lack of intelligence, lowbrow humor, ...

'', is a play on the word ''cornhole'', as his

catch phrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

is “I am the Great Cornholio! I need TP for my

bunghole A bunghole is a hole bored in a liquid-tight barrel to remove contents. The hole is capped with a cork or cork-like stopper called a ''bung''. Acceptable usage includes other access points that may be capped with alternate materials providing ...

!"Weinstock, Jeffrey Andrew (2008). "''Simpsons'' Did It!" ''South Park'' as differential signifier. in ''Taking South Park Seriously''. SUNY Press, Kellner, Douglas (2004). ''Beavis and Butt-Head'': No Future for Postmodern Youth. In Steinberg, Shirley R.; Kincheloe, Joe. ''Kinderculture: The Corporate Construction Of Childhood. Westview Press, The personality of Cornholio, in turn, became inspiration for the

cocktail A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink. Most commonly, cocktails are either a combination of spirits, or one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients such as tonic water, fruit juice, flavored syrup, or cream. Cocktails vary widely across ...

called the "Flaming Cornholio".Gatti, Susan Irvin (2003). Fuzzy navels and slippery nipples: A sociolinguistic reading of the cocktail menu. The Journal of American Culture, Volume 26, Issue 1, pages 104–110, March 2003 Comedian

George Carlin George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American comedian, actor, author, and social critic. Regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of countercul ...

performed a short skit about the word ''cornhole'' in his 2005 show " Life Is Worth Losing", praising it for being tough-sounding and thus more honest than

politically correct ''Political correctness'' (adjectivally: ''politically correct''; commonly abbreviated ''PC'') is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in socie ...

terms like ''anal intercourse'' or ''anal rape''. He elaborated on the word repeatedly in earlier shows, including a famous rant about the

euphemism treadmill A euphemism () is an innocuous word or expression used in place of one that is deemed offensive or suggests something unpleasant. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others use bland, inoffensive terms for concepts that the user wishes ...

which caused the term ''

shell shock Shell shock is a term coined in World War I by the British psychologist Charles Samuel Myers to describe the type of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) many soldiers were afflicted with during the war (before PTSD was termed). It is a react ...

'' to evolve into ''

post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...

''. He then imagined its use in a

forensic investigation Forensic science, also known as criminalistics, is the application of science to criminal and civil laws, mainly—on the criminal side—during criminal investigation, as governed by the legal standards of admissible evidence and crimina ...

scene of a

police procedurals The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on eith ...

television series ("That there is a posthumous, multiple cornhole entry wound") and pointed out that "in prison it's a social activity".

References

{{Sexual slang Sexual slang English profanity English words Anus

Connotations and variants

See also

References