When & why did the word "muff" become a crass euphemism for a woman's crotch area?
I grew up with the word "hand muff," a cozy fluffy tube to keep hands warm in winter.
Nowadays whenever someone says "muff," someone else giggles 🙄
View original on lemmy.dbzer0.com
Circa 1699 per OED. Figurative extension of the existing meaning.
https://grammarphobia.com/blog/2017/03/muff.html
I think that's your why. As to when, no idea. I first heard people talk about "eating muff" or "muff diving" going back at least 25 years, but I'm sure it's probably much older than that.
I'm pretty sure I heard the term "muff diving" in high school in the 1970s.
I thought it came from the thing you have pictured. But for penis instead of hands. 🤷♂️
I remember it being common by the late '70s.
I use ear muffs to protect my ears from cold
edit: and in places it is popular to eat muffaletta