Shark Week. Aunt Flo. Period.
All of these words are euphemisms for one thing: menstruation. So why can’t we just use the word menstruation instead of all of this period slang? Well, there’s probably a lot of reasons we’re always looking for other words for period, ranging from everything from social pressures to the idea that the word menstruation is just a little bit hard to say.
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An international survey conducted by the health app Clue found that there are more than “5,000 different slang/euphemistic expressions and phrases for periods: from the gentle English ‘Aunt Flo,’ to the dramatic French ‘Les Anglais ont debarqué’ – ‘the English have landed.'”
In addition, the survey concluded, “French and English were the two most creative languages, and France and China were the two countries in which most people had heard euphemisms being used (91%). By contrast, only half of Costa Ricans had heard any euphemisms.”
Even though there’s no reason to be afraid of the words “period” or “menstruation,” we still like to get a little creative — and it’s almost a language on its own.
It actually makes “that time of the month” almost bearable. Almost.
So here they are, 15 other words for period:
1. Visit from Aunt Flo
2. On the Rag
3. Lady Business
Period slang: Lady business Credit: Vicky Leta, Alisa Stern, Mashable
4. That Time of the Month
5. The Red Badge of Courage
6. Moon Time
Period slang: Moon Time Credit: Vicky Leta, Alisa Stern, Mashable
7. Crimson Tide
8. Checking Into the Red Roof Inn
Period slang: Red Wedding Credit: Vicky Leta, Alisa Stern, Mashable
10. Girl Flu
12. Mother Nature’s Gift
Period slang: Mother Nature’s Gift Credit: Vicky Leta, Alisa Stern, Mashable
13. The Red Baron
14. Riding the Cotton Pony
15. Shark Week
Period slang: Shark Week Credit: Vicky Leta, Alisa Stern, Mashable
UPDATE: May. 23, 2023, 5:05 p.m. AEST This article was originally published Aug. 2018, and has since been updated May 2023.
