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Monday, July 27, 2009

Savage Love Savage Love Letter of the Day

Posted by Dan Savage on Mon, Jul 27, 2009 at 3:30 PM

I LOVE LOVE LOVE your column. You bring witty insight into the otherwise humdrum world of sexual and family problems. Thank you so much for the service you provide!

While reading your column this week in Denver’s Westword I noticed several ads opposite your column for sex-related services. Although I gather the general gist of them, I could not decipher the exact meaning of the words “incall” and “outcall.” (You are probably chuckling right now.) This led me to ponder other fun acronyms that occasionally can be found in your work that I don’t know the meaning of—for example, I still don’t know what the “D” stands for in BDSM. Bondage Dairy Sado-Masochism? No, that can’t be it... Bondage Diapers Sado-Masochism? Hmmm... doesn’t sound right... what could it be?

Would you be interested in doing a “Definitions” column? I think it may prove helpful to all us vanillas. Even if it were something you only made available online, it would be nice to have a place to go for an accurate definition when an acronym or word pops up that is not used regularly by those not involved in sex work.

I greatly appreciate your time in reading this e-mail. Thank you again for your work. Please keep it up!

Sincerely,

Seldom Understands Sexual Idioms

Hm... something available online where people look up accurate definitions for sex-related words and acronyms? Maybe something like this?

Comments (30) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

http://www.encyclopediadramatica.com/Lis…

Posted by Reader1 on July 27, 2009 at 3:39 PM

what

www.encyclopediadramatica.com/List_of_se…;

Posted by Reader1 on July 27, 2009 at 3:39 PM

I wonder if SUSI would like a nice chili dog. Hmm, maybe we need a site to define cute names of really disgusting sex acts?

Posted by Dirty Sanchez on July 27, 2009 at 3:40 PM

list_of_sex_moves

dammit

Posted by Reader1 on July 27, 2009 at 3:40 PM

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=BDSM

Posted by zapfizzle on July 27, 2009 at 3:42 PM

Why pick such a stupid ass letter for Letter of the Day? Must not be much of a selection.

Posted by schmacky on July 27, 2009 at 3:44 PM

SUSI,

You rock. I love that you have the courage to ask. In addition to using Google, you could also try http://www.urbandictionary.com/. Or, the kind suggestion of Reader 1 who can't post a working link, because they aren't registered.(www.encyclopediadramatica.com/list_of_se…)

Best wishes.

Posted by kim in portland

on July 27, 2009 at 3:47 PM

I wanna know why, according to the Stranger, 80% of all transsexual prostitutes live in Renton. Are they in it for the public school system or is there an S-curve joke I'm missing?

Posted by Jason Josephes

on July 27, 2009 at 3:48 PM

Geez, Dan. All she asked for was a list. She probably doesn't know all the different sex terms that are out there so how is she supposed to Google them? If you don't want to do it don't answer the letter.

Posted by care bear on July 27, 2009 at 3:49 PM

why are these called "Love" letters of the day?
it's never anything but a bunch of whore skank perverted deviancy.

Posted by not feeling the Love on July 27, 2009 at 3:55 PM

SUSI

Here's a link www.sex-lexis.com for The Dictionary of Sexual Terms and Expressions. I hope it helps, if you need more just Google "sex terms".

Posted by kim in portland

on July 27, 2009 at 4:00 PM

@10 It's a pun. Think "Savage Love" Letter of the Day. Also you seem like a scumbag. Have a nice day.

Posted by Critical on July 27, 2009 at 4:22 PM

Something tells me that SUSI isn't as vanilla as she(he?) makes out. I suspect what SUSI is really looking for is a menu, not a glossary, which is one of the great things about Dan's work - it opens minds in more ways than one...

Posted by Aussie Steve on July 27, 2009 at 4:22 PM

Vanilla people are just so cute sometimes!
Thanks for the awesome link, Kim @11!

Posted by treacle on July 27, 2009 at 4:23 PM

Dan,

Could you also add a list of sexual weights and measurements, like those avoirdupois tables in our old composition notebooks from school?

Example, 10cc is the standard unit of ____ .

Posted by Sister Mary Elephant on July 27, 2009 at 4:37 PM

Oh come now, is it really possible for any adult not to know what BDSM stands for? I knew by the time i was 10, and that was in the 1970s. I can't believe the information is LESS available now. This letter has to be a put on.

Posted by priapus on July 27, 2009 at 4:38 PM

I wish you would have just responded "GFE". Jesus, what a dumb letter.

Posted by Schmooze on July 27, 2009 at 4:42 PM

Yeah, the letter writer is full of laziness. People like that piss me off. "I can't spend 10 seconds looking it up so I'm going to spend 10 minutes writing an email to ask someone else"? Jeepers.

Posted by sepiolida on July 27, 2009 at 4:58 PM

I can see needing to look up BDSM if I weren't sure what the "D" stood for, but incall and outcall? Unless I'm *way* out the loop, wouldn't those be what they sounded like? Not exactly esoteric jargon we're talking about here.

Posted by Lee on July 27, 2009 at 5:18 PM

Did this person send the letter using snail mail? She/he does know the internet exists, right?

Posted by MichelleZB on July 27, 2009 at 5:19 PM