Where was the term 69ing first used, and how did it effect people culturally in 1969?
August 11, 2011 4:50 PM Subscribe
I am looking for two things. (1) The first instance of the sexual use of the term "69ing." (2) If the term was in use in 1969, I am interested in finding articles or books on the effect the term had on people during the year 1969. Thanks!
It was around in 1888!
Oxford English Dictionary
online version June 2011
soixante-neuf, n.
Simultaneous cunnilingus and fellatio. Cf. sixty-nine n. at sixty adj. 2c.
1888 P. Perret Tableaux Vivants xiii. 109 In familiar language this divine variant of pleasure is called: faire soixante neuf (literally, to do ‘69’).
1970 E. M. Brecher Sex Researchers iv. 98 By a delicate turn of phrase, van de Velde awards his post-Victorian nihil obstat to the practice of soixante-neuf.
1973 M. Amis Rachel Papers 53 The other couple were writhing about still, now seemingly poised for a session of fully robed soixante-neuf.
---
c. sixty-nine n. (also 69) = soixante-neuf n.
1888 P. Perret Tableaux Vivants xiii. 109 In familiar language this divine variant of pleasure is called: faire soixante neuf (literally, to do ‘69’).
1973 D. Lang Freaks 90 We spent many hours lying on her bed, more or less in the classical 69 position, but motionless.
1978 Guardian Weekly 23 Apr. 21/5 When I first met him, I thought 69 was a bottle of Scotch.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 4:56 PM on August 11, 2011
Oxford English Dictionary
online version June 2011
soixante-neuf, n.
Simultaneous cunnilingus and fellatio. Cf. sixty-nine n. at sixty adj. 2c.
1888 P. Perret Tableaux Vivants xiii. 109 In familiar language this divine variant of pleasure is called: faire soixante neuf (literally, to do ‘69’).
1970 E. M. Brecher Sex Researchers iv. 98 By a delicate turn of phrase, van de Velde awards his post-Victorian nihil obstat to the practice of soixante-neuf.
1973 M. Amis Rachel Papers 53 The other couple were writhing about still, now seemingly poised for a session of fully robed soixante-neuf.
---
c. sixty-nine n. (also 69) = soixante-neuf n.
1888 P. Perret Tableaux Vivants xiii. 109 In familiar language this divine variant of pleasure is called: faire soixante neuf (literally, to do ‘69’).
1973 D. Lang Freaks 90 We spent many hours lying on her bed, more or less in the classical 69 position, but motionless.
1978 Guardian Weekly 23 Apr. 21/5 When I first met him, I thought 69 was a bottle of Scotch.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 4:56 PM on August 11, 2011
It was stolen from the French Soixante-neuf (literally, 69), which was first used in 1888 according to the OED:
"In familiar language this divine variant of pleasure is called: faire soixante neuf (literally, to do ‘69’)."
(From Perret's Tableaux Vivants)
posted by Paragon at 4:57 PM on August 11, 2011
"In familiar language this divine variant of pleasure is called: faire soixante neuf (literally, to do ‘69’)."
(From Perret's Tableaux Vivants)
posted by Paragon at 4:57 PM on August 11, 2011
Wikipedia entry claims first use is 1790. Do you have access to ProQuest? Could help in search for 1969 reactions, but I doubt there's much MSM material on this.
posted by Ideefixe at 4:57 PM on August 11, 2011
posted by Ideefixe at 4:57 PM on August 11, 2011
Not an article or book, but it may be worth looking for some relating to Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin's song of that year, in reference to the act.
posted by iotic at 5:03 PM on August 11, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by iotic at 5:03 PM on August 11, 2011 [2 favorites]
(1) The first instance of the sexual use of the term "69ing."
Do you mean in English? And does it matter to you to pinpoint it, so long as it was in English prior to 1969?
(2) If the term was in use in 1969, I am interested in finding articles or books on the effect the term had on people during the year 1969.
This mystifies me. You are looking for an article or book specifically about the effect the term had on people during that particular year?
Note that the condition precedent is that the term was "in use," which I take to mean popular usage.
If it were in popular use then, I expect its effect was predominantly to produce smirks and titters.
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 5:35 PM on August 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
Do you mean in English? And does it matter to you to pinpoint it, so long as it was in English prior to 1969?
(2) If the term was in use in 1969, I am interested in finding articles or books on the effect the term had on people during the year 1969.
This mystifies me. You are looking for an article or book specifically about the effect the term had on people during that particular year?
Note that the condition precedent is that the term was "in use," which I take to mean popular usage.
If it were in popular use then, I expect its effect was predominantly to produce smirks and titters.
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 5:35 PM on August 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I am curious to see if during the year 1969 there were products or services or artworks created in reference to 69ing, or if people tried to exploit the term during that year in some way. During the leadup to the year 2000 there was all this Y2K stuff. Was there something similar leading up to 1969?
posted by Sully at 5:44 PM on August 11, 2011
posted by Sully at 5:44 PM on August 11, 2011
Incidentally, the Bryan Adams song "Summer of '69" is supposed to be about his first experience with this position. I used to think the song didn't make sense because he was about 8yo in 1969, then I heard the 69 bit was not about the year. Didn't make the song any better, but there you go.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 5:46 PM on August 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 5:46 PM on August 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
The Y2K stuff was due to a supposed technical problem. Or do you mean millennial crap in general?
Personally, I seriously doubt that there was anything comparable referring to 69ing. I mean, this was the era of "I Am Curious, Yellow."
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 5:48 PM on August 11, 2011
Personally, I seriously doubt that there was anything comparable referring to 69ing. I mean, this was the era of "I Am Curious, Yellow."
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 5:48 PM on August 11, 2011
Having lived though 1969, at an age when the arrival of the year might have produced the aforementioned smirks and titters, quite frankly I don't recall it being a big deal. The Class of '69 in high schools and colleges might have been the subject of a joke or two, but it got old quickly and life went on.
Regarding artworks, there was this.. Translation of lyrics.
posted by beagle at 5:55 PM on August 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
Regarding artworks, there was this.. Translation of lyrics.
posted by beagle at 5:55 PM on August 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
Is an anecdote of any interest? During the summer of 1972, while visiting relatives in upstate New York, my uncle complained about the fact that one of my cousins had been given the number 69 for some sporting event. His feeling that the term was recently in vogue and predominately among younger people (in a kind of "those damn kids!") fashion. I was twelve and didn't understand the reference, though a few months later I did and finally understood the story. I don't recall how I learned what '69 meant, just the light bulb moment I experienced when it happened.
posted by layceepee at 6:12 PM on August 11, 2011
posted by layceepee at 6:12 PM on August 11, 2011
There was play in a loft in SoHo by a group called the Performance Group called Dionysus in 69 I attended at least one of their plays but I think I missed that particular one.
posted by Obscure Reference at 6:15 PM on August 11, 2011
posted by Obscure Reference at 6:15 PM on August 11, 2011
I'll admit it, I was in college in '69.
I don't recall that we made much of a deal about it. We knew what it meant, but it wasn't any more significant in '69 than it was in '68 or '70.
posted by tomswift at 6:54 PM on August 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
I don't recall that we made much of a deal about it. We knew what it meant, but it wasn't any more significant in '69 than it was in '68 or '70.
posted by tomswift at 6:54 PM on August 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
I'd take a look at some 1969 Playboy magazines if I were you. Vintage Playboys are easy to track down, and if there was overthinking of any supposed sexual zeitgeist or trend going on I bet you'll find it there, probably in a vast essay by Norman Mailer or Gore Vidal!!
posted by crabintheocean at 7:17 PM on August 11, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by crabintheocean at 7:17 PM on August 11, 2011 [3 favorites]
Underground comics were big then. Zap #3 (published 1968) was a "69 issue". If I recall properly it had two covers so that you could read from page one whichever way you turned the magazine over. The two sections joined at mid-book in an illustration by Victor Moscoso that depicted, yes, soixante-neuf. (I may have this confused with Zap #4 and can't locate these comics at the moment but it was one of these, #3 or 4.)
posted by CCBC at 9:31 PM on August 11, 2011
posted by CCBC at 9:31 PM on August 11, 2011
I graduated high school in 1970.
It was fashionable to wear buttons in our school. You know, stick pin in the back, message on the front.
One of the buttons I wore said, "LXIX".
posted by Drasher at 9:21 AM on August 12, 2011
It was fashionable to wear buttons in our school. You know, stick pin in the back, message on the front.
One of the buttons I wore said, "LXIX".
posted by Drasher at 9:21 AM on August 12, 2011
I turned 11 in 1968. I remember kids in school sniggering about next year being "69", but I had no clue what they meant, and I suspect they did not either.
posted by Jasper Fnorde at 11:58 AM on August 12, 2011
posted by Jasper Fnorde at 11:58 AM on August 12, 2011
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There's part 1, copied directly from wikipedia. For part 2 you'll have to find somebody over 50 I'd imagine.
posted by tehloki at 4:55 PM on August 11, 2011