Time To Butt Out?

That puritanical streak is never far from the surface, especially in their myth-supporting sports. And of course ass or arse doesn’t fit in too well with all those guys kneeling and praying before the big game. Maybe it’s all that bum slapping they do and their underlying fear of homosexuality which has done so much to develop macho football. Wherever it came from, “butt” is weakening our ability to use nuance to describe our deep-seated feelings. When Kerrin Lee Gartner won the World Downhill Ski Championship, she quickly got on the walkie talkie to her trainer husband who was up the course and happily shouted, “Get your ass down here”. No butts about it. It was a glorious Canadian moment. [Proofreader’s note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on September 25, 2007]