Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

fanny adams

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.40 in modern English

Syllables
fan-ny adams
IPA
19
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Tinned meat.

British usage; Derogatory; Obsolete; Slang; Uncountable

noun

Nothing (now largely perceived as euphemistic for fuck all).

British usage; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Fanny Adams (1859–1867), a young girl brutally murdered and dismembered. Tins of mutton introduced in the British navy after her death were not liked by the sailors and were humorously said to be her butchered remains. Fanny Adams then came to mean any worthless thing, and, eventually, nothing at all ("sweet F A"). Coincidentally, the initials "FA" also fit the vulgar term fuck all, also meaning "nothing at all", leading to later perception of "Fanny Adams", or "FA", being a euphemism for the latter.

Usage

Inflected Forms

sweet Fanny Adams (alternative) sweet FA (alternative) SFA (alternative)

Synonyms

Harriet Lane bugger all fuck all sweet fanny adams

Questions

What does fanny adams mean?
Tinned meat.
Where does fanny adams come from?
From Fanny Adams (1859–1867), a young girl brutally murdered and dismembered. Tins of mutton introduced in the British navy after her death were not liked by the sailors and were humorously said to be her butchered remains. Fanny Adams then came to mean any worthless thing, and, eventually, nothing at all ("sweet F A"). Coincidentally, the initials "FA" also fit the vulgar term fuck all, also meaning "nothing at all", leading to later perception of "Fanny Adams", or "FA", being a euphemism for the latter.

How to pronounce fanny adams

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