Usage History
In 2003, the Detroit, Michigan talk radio show Deminski & Doyle began an educational hour discussion of urban-legendary sex acts with the statement, "Try to describe carefully what a 'Cleveland steamer' would be..." and then went into details of the blumpkin and the rusty trombone. Fifteen months later, the Federal Communications Commission proposed a fine of $27,500 to the station's owner, Infinity Broadcasting, through a Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL) that specifically referenced rusty trombone.
Rusty trombone (dirty trombone) gained wider use in entertainment projects being developed for release in 2005. For example, comedian Andy Dick used the term in the 2005 documentary film The Aristocrats as part of the infamous dirty joke of the same name. In seeming recognition of the phrase being a part of the filthiest of filthy language, news sources such as The Daily Telegraph, Slant Magazine, New Statesman, and Globe and Mail highlighted rusty trombone in their review of The Aristocrats. In addition, the character Mooj stated, "It's not about these rusty trombones, and these dirty sanchez" in the 2005 movie The 40-Year-Old Virgin. In the film Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, actor Jack Black is seen in walking around the Venice Beach, California boardwalk in a Rusty Trombone T-shirt.
Rusty trombone is part of the 2006 party game PervArtistry, where individuals draw sexual pictures on a board and other players try to guess the sexual synonym for that image.
In 2007, Salt Lake City, Utah activist David Nelson started an online petition calling for the repeal of Utah's existing sodomy law. Reportedly, Utah's existing sodomy law prohibits oral sex, anal sex, and the rusty trombone. Also in 2007, rusty trombone was listed along with AC/DC, Beverly Hillbilly, and Sugar in the Shoes as one of 76 entries in The Contemporary Dictionary of Sexual Euphemisms (2007), with both its literal definition and sexual corollary.
In 2012, 'Late, Late Show' host Craig Ferguson began a running gag offering guests the opportunity to play a rusty trombone. Viewers are assured that, as long as he shows the actual oxidized musical instrument, the CBS censors will not try to stop him. (March 4, 2013)
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Famous quotes containing the words usage and/or history:
“Girls who put out are tramps. Girls who don’t are ladies. This is, however, a rather archaic usage of the word. Should one of you boys happen upon a girl who doesn’t put out, do not jump to the conclusion that you have found a lady. What you have probably found is a lesbian.”
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