20 Lesbian Slang Terms You’ve Never Heard Before

totally hitting that janey tonight

The following terms were listed and defined in the 1989 Alyson Almanac‘s “Dictionary of Slang and Historical Terms.” Most of the terms in the dictionary referenced gay male activities, but there were plenty of special lesbian words I’d never heard before in my whole life and so many words for VAGINA.

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from “A DICTIONARY OF SLANG AND HISTORICAL TERMS”

terms and definitions remain intact

1. BAMBI-SEXUALITY: Physical interaction centered more about touching, kissing, and caressing than around genital sexuality. Not to be confused with bestiality, a very different concept.

2. MAKE SCISSORS OF SOMEONE: To masturbate a woman by simultaneously rubbing her clitoris with the thumb and her anus with the forefinger.

3. KIKI: 1940s slang for a lesbian comfortable with either a passive or aggressive partner.

4. DESPERATION NUMBER: A sex partner found just before closing time at the bar.

5. BUMPER-TO-BUMPER: Vagina-to-vagina. Generally used in reference to two lesbians engaging in sex, or dancing, etc. Occasionally used in referring to gay men or heterosexual couples.

6. FUNCH: A quick sexual encounter performed at lunchtime.

7. JOHNSON BAR: A dildo.

8. JANEY: Vagina.

9. KISSING FISH: Lesbians.

10. DADDLE: To engage in lesbian sex, in a face-to-face position.

11. GILLETTE BLADE: A bisexual woman.

12. LUKE: The coital fluid in a woman.

13. MISSIONARY WORK: An attempt by a gay man or lesbian to seduce a straight person of the same sex.

14. HOLD A BOWLING BALL: To sexually stimulate another woman by rubbing the thumb and forefinger, simultaneously, on her clitoris and anus.

15. CANTONESE GROIN: A dildo. The term appears in a medieval novel, describing a plant used in China for this purpose.

16. DISHONORABLE DISCHARGE: To masturbate at home after unsuccessfully going out in search of a sex partner.

17. MOLLY DYKE: The more passive woman in a lesbian relationship or liaison.

18. SLACKS: A lesbian. The term is now considered obsolete.

19. TIT KING: A lesbian attracted to women with large breasts.

20. MUFFER: A woman who muffs / muff-dives.

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Riese

Riese is the 43-year-old Co-Founder of Autostraddle.com as well as an award-winning writer, video-maker, LGBTQ+ Marketing consultant and aspiring cyber-performance artist who grew up in Michigan, lost her mind in New York and now lives in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in nine books, magazines including Marie Claire and Curve, and all over the web including Nylon, Queerty, Nerve, Bitch, Emily Books and Jezebel. She had a very popular personal blog once upon a time, and then she recapped The L Word, and then she had the idea to make this place, and now here we all are! In 2016, she was nominated for a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Digital Journalism. She's Jewish and has a cute dog named Carol. Follow her on twitter and instagram.

Riese has written 3273 articles for us.

86 Comments

  1. I will try my best to use as many of these words as possible. Also sort of relevent, there is a lesbo bar in Toronto called Slacks. I thought it was referring to masculine women wearing pants or some stereotype like that. interesting.

    • That was the first thing I thought of when I read that, too. Their name makes a lot more sense to me now.

      Don’t think I can actually use any of these terms unless I’m walking around with suspenders and a cigar though. It just wouldn’t feel right.

    • That was the first thing I thought of when I read that, too. Their name makes a lot more sense to me now.

      • It’s not the greatest bar, but it is the only bar in Toronto that caters specifically to lesbians. that said, I love a few of these terms, specially janey, muffer, tit king…..and dishonouraable discharge. HAH

  2. Weirdly I have heard of kiki, but only because that’s what my parents called me when i was a kid…i don’t think they knew though.

  3. Someone had to do it, right? Might as well be me…

    Today was the day I exclaimed to myself! I was going out to FUNCH with Jenny! Jenny and I met at a local club in Los Angeles, where we engaged in BUMPER TO BUMPER all night long! She had told me about her MISSIONARY WORK and I was in awe of how compassionate she felt toward such work. Being the KIKI that I am, I didn’t mind her BAMBI-SEXUALITY at first, but then I remembered how much of a TIT KING I was and she did not disappoint! We were both total SLACKS in the bedroom and she seemed to be a MOLLY DYKE. I put on my JOHNSON BAR and remembered how much I loved to HOLD A BOWLING BALL! A week ago I had a DISHONORABLE DISCHARGE because I couldn’t find my DESPERATION NUMBER at the local club I frequent, until I met Jenny. Jenny was a total MUFFER, she was no GILLETTE BLADE and her JANEY was beautiful. We skee-DADDLE’d in my bedroom for a little while, then I told her how much I would love to try my CANTONESE GROIN on her. This was the moment I was waiting for, TO MAKE SCISSORS OF SOMEONE! We were KISSING FISH and the sound of her moans reminded me of that LUKEwarm feeling, two women have when merging together for the first time. It was HEAVEN and I was so happy I met and found Jenny!

      • Thank you. My first thought upon reading this article, “Oh my god someone needs to make a sentence using all these words, let me see if I can rise to the challenge!” Then BAM! Done in about 30 minutes.

      • Haha, my bad! I tried to add extra “oomph” to it…

        Let’s “define” HEAVEN = Having.Everlasting.Arousing.Vaginas.Embrace.Nirvana… LOL, I’m totally cracking the fuck up here, I can go on and on with this.

    • Jenny as in Mia Kirshner ? Then this post works for me a whole lot better.Oh Jenny,how I miss your fucked up beautifulness.

  4. Time to start using these at every opportunity! Kissing fish for some reason makes me particularly happy.

  5. In Utah ‘missionary work’ has a completely different meaning. I can use it in casual conversation and people passing by will think I’m a saint when in reality I’m fucking their Mormon daughters.

  6. If I would ever go to the UK or the USA, people would probably pronounce my name like number 8. Never knew my name was so gay.

  7. Gillette blade is also a slang in portuguese and also meaning a bissexual (male or female)
    Good to know some things are universal…

  8. I am now making it my mission for today to figure out a way to make ‘Tit King’ my new twitter handle.

    On a side note: ‘Janie’s Got a Gun’ was playing on my boss’ itunes in our office when I was reading this and I about spit out my coffee when I read the definition of ‘Janey’ on the list. I love when Autostraddle articles sync up with things going on around me.

  9. My name is Jane; I often get called Janey, and my family is always asking me if I want to go on a mission. Little do they know that I already have one convert…

  10. I am thrilled to learn the term Molly Dyke. People should know this word so I can identify myself. People think I’m turning them down when really I just need them to be super aggressive at first. Also I need more Bambi-sexuality in my life.

  11. Kiki makes me think of Scissor Sisters, but I think their definition is different.

    This list makes me so happy for reasons I don’t understand, but I plan on using these words whenever possible.

  12. These sound like they came out of a Guy Ritchie script. I’ve never heard any of these except for muffer maybe. I’m apparently quiet the innocent.

  13. Lol at bambi sexuality and dishonorable discharge. Well not so much laugh out loud at the latter as it was my life Sunday night.

  14. It’s interesting that kiki is dyke slang but ki ki is drag slag for very different things. ki ki being sex in drag.

  15. Oh my God. I grew up in a house on Slacks Road. My oldest lesbi-friend lived four houses down from me. MUST BE FATE! :P

  16. I’m only seeing 19 terms on this list because my brother’s name is Luke AND LALALALALALA I CAN’T HEAR YOU

  17. omgosh! i’m a KIKI!Ive finally found the perfect description. also does anyone else think that funch sounds like when two janeys full of luke squish together? hehe..

  18. I’m not sober and I can’t with this article. Really, like this is my life, Jessie J, kittens and unicorns.

  19. So far tonight I’ve had a mother of all awkward conversations with my fucking homophobic arsey mother. And I’ve been sitting here feeling sorry for myself waaaaaaaiting for the day I can move out of here.
    Open up autostraddle for a bit of queer space.
    Oh my lord you’ve brightened up my night.
    I just can’t. So much snort laughing happening.
    I love this place.

  20. Just to clear up, in the drag queen community kiki is slang for gossip and kai kai is slang for two drag queens who have sex with each other. It’s confusing but I have a source to verify this information which is an episode from rupaul’s drag race from the most recent season. It was explained in the episode when they have a political debate and PhiPhi wants her campaign slogan to be “kiki with PhiPhi” to which Dan Savage says something to the effect of “isn’t that when two drag queens sex each other” and RuPaul corrects him and tells him to kiki is to gossip & that kai kai is when two drag queens have sexy times.

    TL:DR to kiki is to gossip. to kai kai is drag queen sexy times

  21. I can’t wait to tell my mom I’m grabbing funch with a friend later this week and laugh so hard on the inside.

  22. Oh gods please let my date on Saturday night go well, If she’s too much of a molly dyke I’ll end up with another dishonourable discharge….

  23. HOW CAN I STILL WORK AT A FISH RESTAURANT CALLED LUKE’S WITH THIS NEW INFORMATION. WHY AUTOSTRADDLE WHY

  24. Tangentially related – I have a shirt that says “muff divers local 184 – we dive at five” on it.

  25. Why do I think kiki is such a cute term? I’ll have to start using it. I love the tit king to.

  26. I believe there is a great need in this country for the “missionary work” detailed in this article. Perhaps I can do some grant writing through my school. Charity begins at home and spreads abroad.

  27. I’m going to have to start referring to myself as a gilette blade at every possible opportunity.

    That is all.

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  33. Hello and thank you for your email.
    I am currently asking some of inquiries. Please note that you will be responding to my inquiry within 2-3 business days.
    Fascinating and annoying insult to know very well! So I have a question about fuck in, and so many sentences I WILD LIKE TO BEFORE I WILL COME THERE…
    Sample so as to understand you so you can send me MORE;
    Fraud: I got fucked at the used car lot.
    • Aggression: Fuck you!

    Do I have to be nice?And How do guys and gays talk?
    Thank you and have a great day!

    email: [email protected]
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  34. Hello and thank you for your email.
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    Fascinating and annoying insult to know very well! So I have a question about fuck in, and so many sentences I WILD LIKE TO BEFORE I WILL COME THERE…
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    Do I have to be nice?And How do guys and gays talk?
    Thank you and have a great day!

    email:
    Justin

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  36. In the 1970s and 80s… and 90s for that matter… everyone I knew used kiki to mean a lesbian who did not identify as either butch or fem. It didn’t say anything about what kind of partner she wanted.

    I haven’t heard the term used at all in the past couple of decades, but I’m not as in circulation now as I used to be, so I don’t know if it’s gone out of use or changed meanings or if I’m just out of the loop.

    Speaking of “the loop”– I lived in Chicago in the 1980s, and Chicago’s downtown (the business district) was called “The Loop” (I’m sure it still is, actually). And now that I think about it, I think that ought to be worked into some kind of sexual slang, as well. I mean, “I’m going to the Loop” = “I’m going downtown…” and as in other areas of life, being “out of the loop” implies not getting any action….

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  40. “Baritone babe” was used in the 1950’s to describe lesbian actresses in Hollywood! I lOve and identify with it!!!

    it’s in “The Sewing Circle” by Axel Madsen.

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