Behind the Bussy (Meaning Manhole in Gay Speak)

Maybe you’re here because you just got a notification on a dating app saying that your workout pic made someone’s bussy throb, and you’re wondering if they’re gonna be OK. Maybe you’re frustrated by an intense game of Scrabble with your friends and wondering if “bussy” is valid.

The gay bussy phenomenon is an internet sensation with real-world implications. But what does bussy mean? Does this term deserve its flowers or a full-blown rump roast? To be frank, the jury’s still out, but that hasn’t stopped the WAB enjoyers from letting their bussies bop.

What is a bussy? Breaking down the bussy definition

It might not be an academically viable source, but Urban Dictionary is often the best place to go when you learn a new (potentially dirty) word. In this instance, they got it right. “Bussy” is a portmanteau of “boy” and “pussy,” and it refers to your butthole. Synonyms include chocolate starfish and man clam.

Unlike these nautical monikers, bussy explicitly contextualizes the anus as the place where sex is or will be taking place. The feminized connotation may align with some card-carrying bottoms’ more femme identity.

Why is bussy a popular word now?

So, how did bussy pop into the popular lexicon? You can thank Taron Edgerton for introducing it to the mainstream (read: straight) conversation. Buzzfeed’s viral hit series “Celebrities Read Thirst Tweets” features the actor reading off a tweet from someone who’s clearly having a serious dry spell: “Taron Egerton is a white boy that I trust to destroy my bussy.” Poetry.

Taron is, perhaps understandably, confused as to what this implies. After discovering what this positively parched person meant, he delivers a priceless reaction. Jack Antonoff was another celebrity to receive a bussy-related thirst tweet, and he was equally confused by the slang term. Twitter, TikTok, and many other social media platforms were subsequently flooded with bottoms relentlessly informing celebrities that their bussies were open for business.

Soon, the “-ussy” suffix was getting appended to all sorts of crevices, holes, and orifices. Eventually, the meme could no longer be ignored; the American Dialect Society eventually made “-ussy” the 2022 Word of the Year. And they say Twitter brain rot can’t be educational!

Bussy’s origins: Getting to the bottom of it

So, bussy is about as popular as any modern NSFW slang can be. But where did it come from? We have to look as far back as the ’90s because gay men have been using it to refer to their funhole for decades now.

But even today, “-ussy” and “bussy” aren’t exactly everyday turns of phrase. Unless, of course, you spend every day on social media, where the “ussy” suffix is alive and wet — er, well. But, as you know, the internet is a fickle place, and the word’s popularity has recently fallen off (even though bottoms continue to gain power in pop culture spheres).

Is the word bussy offensive?

Not any more than pussy or cock. Like most words, context is key.

So, in what situations would you likely want to avoid referring to someone’s behind as such? The most obvious example would be using it outside of a casual or sexual context. Your coworkers probably won’t appreciate it nearly as much as your Sunday brunch gossip circle or the twink you’ve been flirting with. 

Even in a sexual context, bussy can pose a problem. The word is kinda hysterical, and it’s often used for comedic effect when describing a well-oiled anus. If you use the word to be seductive instead of silly, you might get a snicker or two out of your man if you’re lucky and a look of full-on confusion or disgust if you’re not.

Remember that context-ussy

Look, if you’re super into calling your ass your bussy, we’ll love you no matter what. The last thing we’d want to do is shame you out of using a word you identify with. But just like you wouldn’t refer to your hole as “Daddy’s favorite glove” in polite company, you should probably hold off on dropping the B-word in most conversations — including sexual ones.

At the very least, the term is inarguably vulgar and could even be problematic if you’re using it to describe someone who doesn’t want to be associated with “boy” and/or “pussy.” Most cisgender gay and bisexual men would probably welcome it to some extent, but the reception of such terminology can get murky around non-binary or trans individuals. That’s why we always say context is queen (because consent is king, of course).