Mooning
Mooning is the act of displaying one's bare buttocks by removing clothing, e.g. by lowering the back side of one's trousers and underpants, usually bending over, whether also exposing the genitals or not. Mooning is used in some cultures to express protest, scorn, disrespect or provocation but can simply be done for shock value or fun.
Mooning is generally considered a rude and insulting act.
Word history
Moon has been a common shape-metaphor for the buttocks in English since 1743, and the verb to moon has meant 'to expose to (moon)light' since 1601, long before they were combined in US student slang in the verb(al expression) mooning "to flash the buttocks" in 1968. Formerly, mooning was slang for "wandering idly" and "romantically pining."
Geographic distribution
The custom of mooning may be limited to North America, some countries of Europe, Australia (where the phrase 'mooning' is replacing the former vivid expression "flashing a browneye" or "chucking a browneye"), and the Maori of New Zealand.
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