Tipping the Velvet

[Rincewind]

I have just watched the first instalment of the BBC tv movie Tipping the
Velvet (not a masterpiece but the lead actresses are quite good) and I have
a problem: I have no idea what "to tip" is supposed to mean in this context.
None of the meanings I am aware of (dare la mancia, inclinare, rovesciare)
seems appropriate in conjunction with "velvet" and my dictionary is not very
helpful.
Can someone suggest an appropriate meaning?


Rincewind

[joscurtin]

Post by Rincewind
I have just watched the first instalment of the BBC tv movie Tipping the
Velvet (not a masterpiece but the lead actresses are quite good) and I have
a problem: I have no idea what "to tip" is supposed to mean in this context.
None of the meanings I am aware of (dare la mancia, inclinare,

rovesciare)

Post by Rincewind
seems appropriate in conjunction with "velvet" and my dictionary is not very
helpful.
Can someone suggest an appropriate meaning?

http://www.sarahwaters.com/book1.htm

Joe from Massachusetts

[Rincewind]

Post by joscurtin

Post by Rincewind
Can someone suggest an appropriate meaning?

http://www.sarahwaters.com/book1.htm

Thanks for the tip...


Rincewind

[Mike Brewer]

Post by Rincewind
I have just watched the first instalment of the BBC tv movie Tipping the
Velvet (not a masterpiece but the lead actresses are quite good) and I have
a problem: I have no idea what "to tip" is supposed to mean in this
context. None of the meanings I am aware of (dare la mancia, inclinare,
rovesciare) seems appropriate in conjunction with "velvet" and my
dictionary is not very helpful.
Can someone suggest an appropriate meaning?

'Tipping the velvet' is said by the author to be Victorian slang for
'cunnilingus' - I certainly wouldn't doubt the author's research , even
though I don't think much of her literary efforts (or indeed their
translation to the small screen - I only watched about ten minutes of the
series).

Mike

[joscurtin]

Post by Mike Brewer

Post by Rincewind
I have just watched the first instalment of the BBC tv movie

Tipping the

Post by Mike Brewer

Post by Rincewind
Velvet (not a masterpiece but the lead actresses are quite good) and I have
a problem: I have no idea what "to tip" is supposed to mean in this
context. None of the meanings I am aware of (dare la mancia,

inclinare,

Post by Mike Brewer

Post by Rincewind
rovesciare) seems appropriate in conjunction with "velvet" and my
dictionary is not very helpful.
Can someone suggest an appropriate meaning?

'Tipping the velvet' is said by the author to be Victorian slang for
'cunnilingus' - I certainly wouldn't doubt the author's research

I gather you've done no research of your own? :>)

Joe from Massachusetts

[Mike Brewer]

Post by Rincewind

Post by Mike Brewer

Post by Rincewind
I have just watched the first instalment of the BBC tv movie

Tipping the

Post by Mike Brewer

Post by Rincewind
Velvet (not a masterpiece but the lead actresses are quite good)

and I have

Post by Mike Brewer

Post by Rincewind
a problem: I have no idea what "to tip" is supposed to mean in this
context. None of the meanings I am aware of (dare la mancia,

inclinare,

Post by Mike Brewer

Post by Rincewind
rovesciare) seems appropriate in conjunction with "velvet" and my
dictionary is not very helpful.
Can someone suggest an appropriate meaning?

'Tipping the velvet' is said by the author to be Victorian slang

for

Post by Mike Brewer
'cunnilingus' - I certainly wouldn't doubt the author's research

I gather you've done no research of your own? :>)

I would imply that , wouldn't I ? (to paraphrase Miss Rice-Davies) .

Actually , though I've read a certain amount of Victorian pornography and
similar stuff (like 'Walter''s 'My Secret Life') , I'd never come across
this phrase . I don't know of any 19th century pornographic work written by
a woman except the pre-Victorian 'The Voluptarian Cabinet' , and I don't
know of any fictional treatment by a woman of a lesbian relationship until
the post-Victorian 'Well of Loneliness' , so I don't know where the author
found her PhD research material , but I suppose she could have found this
phrase in a non-literary source , such as some contemporary glossary of
sexual slang .

Now I'm curious , so perhaps I'll have to read her book after all - or wait
until her PhD is published .

Mike

[Mike Brewer]

Post by Mike Brewer

Post by Rincewind

Post by Mike Brewer

Post by Rincewind
I have just watched the first instalment of the BBC tv movie

Tipping the

Post by Mike Brewer

Post by Rincewind
Velvet (not a masterpiece but the lead actresses are quite good)

and I have

Post by Mike Brewer

Post by Rincewind
a problem: I have no idea what "to tip" is supposed to mean in this
context. None of the meanings I am aware of (dare la mancia,

inclinare,

Post by Mike Brewer

Post by Rincewind
rovesciare) seems appropriate in conjunction with "velvet" and my
dictionary is not very helpful.
Can someone suggest an appropriate meaning?

'Tipping the velvet' is said by the author to be Victorian slang

for

Post by Mike Brewer
'cunnilingus' - I certainly wouldn't doubt the author's research

I gather you've done no research of your own? :>)

I would imply that , wouldn't I ? (to paraphrase Miss Rice-Davies) .
Actually , though I've read a certain amount of Victorian pornography and
similar stuff (like 'Walter''s 'My Secret Life') , I'd never come across
this phrase . I don't know of any 19th century pornographic work written
by a woman except the pre-Victorian 'The Voluptarian Cabinet' , and I
don't know of any fictional treatment by a woman of a lesbian relationship
until the post-Victorian 'Well of Loneliness' , so I don't know where the
author found her PhD research material , but I suppose she could have
found this phrase in a non-literary source , such as some contemporary
glossary of sexual slang .
Now I'm curious , so perhaps I'll have to read her book after all - or
wait until her PhD is published .

A little research on the net seemed a more attractive proposition : I find
that 'tip the velvet' predates the Victorian period by a long way ;
apparently it's included in BE's 'Dictionary of the Canting Crew' of 1699 !
Haven't found any evidence of Victorian use , though.

Mike

[Tony the Ice Man]

Post by Mike Brewer
'Tipping the velvet' is said by the author to be Victorian slang for
'cunnilingus' - I certainly wouldn't doubt the author's research , even
though I don't think much of her literary efforts (or indeed their
translation to the small screen - I only watched about ten minutes of the
series).

I just thought, off the top of my head, that 'tipping the velvet' referred
to a velvet hat and the habit of tipping it when greeting 'ladies'. But in
Victorian times I think all the rage were hats of beaver, so maybe that
steered people off toward such a connotation.

[Rincewind]

Post by Mike Brewer
'Tipping the velvet' is said by the author to be Victorian slang for
'cunnilingus'

So "tipping" would be "working with the tip of your tongue" (as in
fingering, fisting and so on)?

Anyway, suppose you are a normal Englishman not familiar with either
Victorian sex slang or the novel by the same title and you read on the TV
Guide that tonight premieres a new show called Tipping the Velvet: what
would you think it means? "Sollevare il velluto" (as in tipping your hat)?
"Sfiorare il velluto" (the Picchi gives "sfiorare" as one of the possible
meanings for tip). Some other meaning that I didn't think of?

Post by Mike Brewer
- I certainly wouldn't doubt the author's research , even though I don't
think much of her literary efforts (or indeed their translation to the
small screen - I only watched about ten minutes of the series).

I haven't read the novel, so I don't know if it is any good, but the tv
series was actually a bit of a letdown, because I had read some good
reviews.


Rincewind