30 Unique Expressions for "Passing Gas"

Throughout history, people have invented countless amusing and imaginative terms to describe flatulence. From local slang to vintage expressions, here are 30 ways to refer to farting that you can casually drop into conversations when the topic arises.

Contents

1. Air Biscuit

As per Green’s Dictionary of Slang, an air biscuit refers to “a particularly foul-smelling fart or burp.” This term emerged in the early 1990s in the southern United States but deserves global recognition. By the way, the act of releasing gas is also referred to as floating an air biscuit.

2. Bottom Burp

Instead of calling it a fart, refer to it as a bottom burp. According to Green’s, this term is “typically used by children” but gained popularity through the 1980s BBC TV comedy The Young Ones.

3. and 4. Fartick and Fartkin

The term fartik, dating back to the early 1900s, describes “a minor instance of flatulence”—essentially a small toot. Another similar term is fartkin. Interestingly, scientists have calculated that the average volume of a fart is approximately 90 milliliters.

5. One-Cheek Squeak

As per Green’s, this refers to “an occurrence of flatulence.”

6. Bafoon

A term from the 1940s meaning “a foul smell, [particularly] a fart,” as noted by Green’s. It’s also occasionally referred to as puffoon.

7., 8., and 9. Cheeser, Cut the Cheese, and Squeeze Cheese

Originally referring to someone who produced cheese, as noted in Partridge’s Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, the term cheeser has signified “a pungent fart” since 1811. This isn’t the only cheese-linked expression for flatulence: You might have quipped, “Who cut the cheese?” when encountering a particularly unpleasant smell. According to Green’s, this phrase connects to “the strong aroma of certain cheeses,” with the Oxford English Dictionary tracing its spoken use back to 1959. Another amusing term, squeeze cheese, likely originating online, means “to fart loudly.”

10. Breezer

A term from the 1920s for a convertible car, and also an early 1970s Australian expression for a fart.

11., 12., 13., and 14. Raspberry Tart, Hart and Dart, Horse and Cart, and D’Oyley Carte

Horse and cart, raspberry tart, hart and dart, and D’Oyley Carte are all rhyming slang terms for fart, many of which originated in England. Dive into the fascinating realm of rhyming expressions!

15. and 16. Ringbark and Shoot a Bunny

In New Zealand, ringbark is a colloquial term for flatulence. Green’s references the 2003 Reed’s Dictionary of New Zealand Slang, which explains that “ring is an old slang term for the anus.” Another Kiwi expression for farting is shoot a bunny.

17. Empty House Is Better Than a Bad Tenant

In New Zealand, this phrase is used after someone has passed gas in public. While flatulence in public can be embarrassing, it’s arguably preferable to the alternative: Suppressing a fart might cause the gas to escape through your mouth.

18. Trump

This term, meaning “to fart,” has been in use since the 15th century. It also became a noun in the early 20th century. Its origin stems from the sound of a trumpet, which is quite fitting.

19. Foist

In the early 1600s, the term foist referred to something with an unpleasant odor. Earlier, in the late 1500s, it was a verb meaning “to pass gas quietly.” Essentially, it’s a more refined way to describe a silent but potent fart.

20. Fizzle

This term, dating back to the 16th century, initially meant “to defecate.” However, by the mid-17th century, fizzle (also spelled fisle) gained an additional definition: “to fart.” For example, a 1653 sentence reads: “The deceitful old woman fizzled and foisted so much that she reeked like a hundred devils.”

21. Prat Whids

Prat (originating from pratfall) is a 16th-century British slang term for the buttocks. Whid is a cant word meaning “to speak” or “to lie.” Thus, this phrase for flatulence essentially translates to “buttock speaks.”

22. Wind the Horn

This British expression originates from around 1660.

23. Tail Scutter

An Irish slang term for a fart that emerged in the mid-1960s.

24. and 25. Opened One’s Lunchbox and Dropped One’s Lunchbox

Opened one’s lunchbox is an Australian expression for farting, which, as per Green’s, first appeared in the “Barry McKenzie” comic strip. Similarly, you can say you dropped your lunchbox after passing gas.

26. Rim Slide

As per Green’s, this is a prison slang term from the 1980s referring to “a silent but pungent fart,” with the added explanation that “the fart slides from the rim of the anus.” (The emphasis is Green’s own.)

27. Bum Crack

The OED notes that this outdated term for a fart traces back to 1604.

28. Rouser

Rouser, meaning “a loud fart,” was first recorded in 1713, according to the OED. Jonathan Swift famously used it in his 1731 poem “Strephon and Chloe”:

“He boldly sent his hand in quest(Inspired with courage from his bride)To reach the pot on t’other side;And, as he fill'd the reeking vase;Let fly a rouser in her face.”

29. Orange Banana

This isn’t exactly a slang term for a fart, but it’s closely related, and we couldn’t leave it out: It refers to the “flaring effect caused by passing gas near a lit match,” reportedly originating on college campuses in the late 1980s.

30. Bronx Cheer

The sound of a fart mimicked with your mouth is known as a Bronx Cheer—a phrase that has been in use since 1908.