Fanny Chmelar
Fanny Chmelar (German pronunciation: [ˈfani ˈxmeːlaʁ]; born October 31, 1985 in Weilheim in Oberbayern) is an alpine skier from Germany. She competed for Germany at the 2010 Winter Olympics.[1] She also competes on the World Cup, and has one podium finish, a second place in the slalom at Åre, Sweden in 2009.[2]
Chmelar is perhaps most well known in the English-speaking world for an unfortunate coincidence involving the pronunciation of her name. In most English speaking countries, the word fanny is a slang term for vagina (in the USA, "fanny" is slang for buttocks), and Chmelar (surname of Czech origin, chmelař meaning hop-grower) can be anglicised to /ˈʃmɛlər/, similar to the word smeller. During an episode of the British game show The Chase, she was the subject of a question, and the unexpected sound of her name left both host Bradley Walsh and Chaser Anne Hegerty giggling uncontrollably.[3]
References
- ^ "Profile". Vancouver 2010. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
- ^ "Biography". FIS. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
- ^ "Bradley Walsh has a Fanny turn". The Sun. Retrieved 13 November 2011.