In the Irish Senate, in the course of a debate on the abolition of the Senate, Senator David Norris accused Fine Gael TD Regina Doherty of "talking through her fanny".
This caused no small uproar and Norris subsequently tendered a sort of an apology saying he didn't intend to offend anyone.
He is quoted as saying, though, that he could defend his use of terminology in an academic debate.
Now the offence taken, by a lot of people, was to the reference to the female genitalia implied in his remark. Other people felt he hadn't gone quite that far, so to speak.
So if we're going to have an academic debate let's have it now.
From my favourite online dictionary (wictionary.org)
fanny (plural fannies)
(UK, vulgar) The female genitalia.
Her dress was so short you could nearly see her fanny
(North America, informal) The buttocks; arguably the most nearly polite of several euphemisms.
Children, sit down on your fannies, and eat your lunch.
Get off your fanny and get back to work!
(UK, vulgar) Sex; similar to North American pussy
This club is full of fanny.
Now, it seems to me that Senator Norris's only defence, if defence it be, is to say he was using the term in the North American sense.
And for this Joycean scholar to have to resort to American usage to make his case would surely be the supreme irony.
Over to you David.