Cougar

[snopes]

Comment: Do you know where the term "cougar" comes from in reference to an
older woman who sleeps with significantly younger men?

My husband and his friends swear that it comes from a friend of theirs who
lost his virginity to an older woman who drove a Mercury Cougar. (This was
in the early-mid 90s.) After that day, they all referred to her as "the
cougar."

Can you prove where this term originated?

According to this article, sex and relationships columnist Valerie Gibson says it originated in Vancouver, BC. Geographically, this would make sense because the actual animal is rather common in that neck of the continent, as is the name "cougar" to describe it (versus panther, mountain lion, puma, etc.) So it would definitely be in the vocabulary. Why exactly the association between cat and cradle-robber was made is beyond me.

A few more searches turn up other articles citing Gibson, as well as blogs and the like that claim the term first showed up on the Vancouver bar scene. I'd bank on that story.

[Floater]

Hm, a foxy young woman is sometimes referred to as a puma in Sweden.

[Vendicare]

Well, young hot women are called sex kittens, so I thought they just went with an older "cat" that sounded good.

[Hip Zu]

According to this article, it originated in Vancouver. Although, I have no idea why they chose "cougar"...

(Are cougars (cats, not women) plentiful in Vancouver?)

-- Hip Zu

[BlushingBride]

The person I originally heard the term from said it was because cougars sometimes eat their young.

Blushing "Eeeew" Bride

[Chloe]

Well, the article says the relationship expert they talked to said it originated there. But that's not necessarily a reliable source.

[Gayle]

Here's what I found
http://thestar.com.my/english/story....&sec=lifefocus

I had always thought it was because they were sleek and smooth and always "on the hunt."

Originally Posted by snopes

Comment: Do you know where the term "cougar" comes from in reference to an
older woman who sleeps with significantly younger men?

My husband and his friends swear that it comes from a friend of theirs who
lost his virginity to an older woman who drove a Mercury Cougar. (This was
in the early-mid 90s.) After that day, they all referred to her as "the
cougar."

Can you prove where this term originated?

A Mercury Cougar? Hmmm... what car is this lady driving in "American Pie 2"?

[songs78]

Originally Posted by Hip Zu

(Are cougars (cats, not women) plentiful in Vancouver?)

-- Hip Zu

Cougars in the Seattle area are quite plentiful often showing up in people's yards. It is also the nickname of the second largest university in the state. I would imagine that Vancouver area is not that different.

Originally Posted by songs78

Cougars in the Seattle area are quite plentiful often showing up in people's yards. It is also the nickname of the second largest university in the state. I would imagine that Vancouver area is not that different.

Correct, other than the university nickname.

Once in a while, we get them up on the North Shore. In the city of Vancouver proper, not so much (although a year or so ago, there were two independent reports of a cougar outside a bar on Granville Island (not really an island) - which led to lots of jokes around the double meaning of the word "cougar").

[Simply Madeline]

I had heard that it came from the propensity of such older women for wearing animal prints, but there's really no such thing as a "cougar print", is there? So that doesn't make sense...

Simply "It's so sad that more people don't know about cougars." Madeline