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Lorne: Take care of yourself and ah, make sure fluffy is getting enough love. Gunn: Did he have anything? Fred: No. And who's fluffy? Are you fluffy? Gunn: He called me fluffy? Fred: He said make sure…wait. You don't think he was referring to anything of mine that's fluffy, do you? Because that would just be inappropriate.

'Conviction (1)'

We're Literary 2: To Read Makes Our Speaking English Good  

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Connie Neil - Jan 04, 2005 2:59:05 pm PST #6814 of 10002
brillig

Because the phrase has burrowed up from the subculture

the phrase has a skeezy undertow to it that carries an element of sexual and personal dominance in it.

Honestly, I think the vast majority of people think it has to do with "sugar daddy" and are utterly oblivious to any influence of sexual dominance of the more direct sort. It's a power and an "I'm da man" thing, as in the guy cackling "Who's your daddy?" as he scoops up the poker pot.

erikaj - Jan 04, 2005 3:04:27 pm PST #6815 of 10002
Always Anti-fascist!

That is how they use it on TV.

DavidS - Jan 04, 2005 3:08:16 pm PST #6816 of 10002
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."

From an online etymological resource:

**********

who's your daddy?/who's yer daddy?/who's ya daddy? - (effectively) I control you -
the Who's Your Daddy? expression has many subtle variations. Opinions are divided, and usage varies, between two main meanings, whose roots can be traced back to mid-late 1800's, although the full expression seems to have evolved in the 1900's. The full 'Who's Your daddy? expression is likely to have originated in USA underworld and street cultures. The main variations are:

  • I've looked/I'm looking after you, or taken/taking care of you, possibly in a sexually suggestive or sexually ironic way. This alludes to the 'sugar-daddy' term from late 19th century USA, which is based on the image of an older man giving (candy) reward in return for intimacy, either to a younger woman/mistress or younger gay male lover.

  • I've beaten you/I'm beating you, at something, and you are defenceless. This alludes to parental dominance and authority, and at its extreme, to intimacy with the victim's/opponent's mother.
The use of the expression as a straight insult, where the meaning is to question a person's parentage, is found, but this would not have been the origin, and is a more recent retrospectively applied meaning.

The sexual undertow and sordid nature of the expression has made this an appealing expression in the underworld, prison etc.

In much of the expression's common usage the meanings seem to converge, in which the hybrid 'feel' is one of (sexual) domination/control/intimacy in return for payment/material reward/safety/protection.

Daddy has many other slang uses which would have contributed to the dominant/paternalistic/authoritative/sexual-contract feel of the expression, for example:

  • the best/biggest/strongest one of anything (the daddy of them all)
  • a prostitute's pimp or boyfriend
  • a leading prisoner (through intimidation) at a borstal

meara - Jan 04, 2005 3:15:39 pm PST #6817 of 10002

Well, sure--"who's your daddy" is fairly mainstream "I'm beating you at something" now, but...as I said, Daddy/boy (or boi) relationships are a little more meaning to that phrase...

Steph L. - Jan 04, 2005 4:01:53 pm PST #6818 of 10002
I look more rad than Lutheranism

And here I keep thinking about D'Argo.

I'm so out of the loop.

Ahahahaha!

Honestly, I think the vast majority of people think it has to do with "sugar daddy" and are utterly oblivious to any influence of sexual dominance of the more direct sort. It's a power and an "I'm da man" thing, as in the guy cackling "Who's your daddy?" as he scoops up the poker pot.

I think so, too. And I am quite fond of the sordid underbelly of sexual practices. But whenever I hear it, I think of it in a sugar daddy way, or an I'm-the-MAN! way.

Vonnie K - Jan 04, 2005 4:09:16 pm PST #6819 of 10002
Kiss me, my girl, before I'm sick.

DUDE. I'm now gonna be skeeved every time Keith says "Who's your daddy?" to Veronica. Wahh! My favorite father-daughter relationship on TV! Ruined!

meara - Jan 04, 2005 4:24:07 pm PST #6820 of 10002

Bwhahah! And on Veronica Mars just now, a criminal said (re: Veronica) "wouldn't mind having HER call me Daddy!"

Frankenbuddha - Jan 04, 2005 5:26:50 pm PST #6821 of 10002
"We are the Goon Squad and we're coming to town...Beep! Beep!" - David Bowie, "Fashion"

DUDE. I'm now gonna be skeeved every time Keith says "Who's your daddy?" to Veronica. Wahh! My favorite father-daughter relationship on TV! Ruined!

Does it make it more or less skeevy that he might not really be ?

dcp - Jan 04, 2005 5:36:59 pm PST #6822 of 10002
The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know.

That just makes it poignant.

Vonnie K - Jan 04, 2005 5:41:49 pm PST #6823 of 10002
Kiss me, my girl, before I'm sick.

Uhm... less skeevy. No, more. Damn, I don't know.

I'm gonna sit in my little bubble where I shall just ignore the ooky origin of the expression. Denial is my middle name.

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