I adore the word “wank.”
This British euphemism for male masturbation strikes just the right note for me. The sound of the word almost perfectly captures the impression of the act it names, much like its more recent American cousin: fap. While fapping has a fun ring to it, I still find wanking to be far superior.
Part of its appeal also has to do with how easily it can cross over to female masturbation. This might ring false to the ear of those from the British Empire, but as an uncouth Yank hearing the term being applied to a woman vigorously fingering herself feels quite fitting.
I also like how easily it rolls off the tongue in various applications. I feel like having good wank. I caught Mom wanking in the garage again. My son is a very dedicated wanker. Let’s wank together! I often find that no other word in American English is as facile as wank for this purpose. I do get a prurient thrill out of the word masturbate, but it is a bit of a mouthful along with being too clinical in many instances. Guys have a lot of good euphemisms (jerk off, jack off, beat off), but they don’t translate as readily to female self-pleasure.
I wish this slang term would be embraced by America, but it seems unlikely at this stage in the game. Maybe in time a new term will arise that ideally fits both sexes. Until then, I’m going to pull down my knickers and have myself a lovely wank!
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