blanket hornpipe

[thedaffodils]

Why does 'blanket hornpipe' refer to have sex? Thanks!

[konungursvia]

One of the most popular and successful types of humor is referring to something taboo by very indirect, almost polite terms. This was noticed by Cicero:

Haec enim ridentur vel sola vel maxime quae notant et designant turpitudinem aliquam non turpiter.

So, a hornpipe is a sailor's song and dance, and doing this under a blanket sounds rather cute and almost polite, and the reader is struck by the comical antithesis between the form and content of the expression -- one respects social graces and the other does not.

[thedaffodils]

Hello konungursvia,

Thank you for your reply. What does the Latin words of Cicero's mean?

[konungursvia]

"What amuses people to the maximum level is a turpitude disclosed in terms that are not themselves vulgar." It's from De Oratore.

[thedaffodils]

Thank you for your reply.