Slang dictionary
FFFF
or Four Fs or 4-F Club [fohr efs]
What does FFFF mean?
FFFF is a vulgar slang acronym that refers to the misogynist motto, “find ’em, feel ’em, fuck ’em, and forget ’em.” The ’em in this case? You guessed it: women-in-general. There are variations on FFFF, including the total number of Fs and what specifically they stand for (e.g., fool, feed, etc). It can also be a self-censoring euphemism for that classic four-letter F word.
Where does FFFF come from?
FFFF, also known as the Four Fs or 4-Fs, has been around in forms since at least 1922. It is a crass, disrespectful, macho motto for treating women as disposable sex objects.
An early form went find ’em, feel ’em, fuck ’em, and forget ’em. Specific meanings of the Fs can vary, including fool, finger, and feed, and can be added to form Five Fs.
One notable example of FFFF comes in the 1933 film I’m No Angel, starring the legendary Mae West, who advises her maid to “find ’em, fool ’em, and forget ’em” regarding men, a subversive riff on the original. The rap group N.W.A. released the song “Findum, Fuckum, & Flee” in 1991. Entries for FFFF were added to Urban Dictionary in 2002.
The term came into the public spotlight in September 2018 during hearings on sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court Justice Bret Kavanaugh. His 1983 high school yearbook contained the note “FFFFFFFourth of July” next to his picture.
Many thought the Fs to be a reference to the vile FFFF treatment of women, especially based on the testimony of his chief accuser, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. Questioned by Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse about the Fs, Kavanaugh claimed: “One of our friends, Squee, when he said the F word starting at young age, had kind of a wind-up to the F word. Kind of a ‘FFFF’…And it became an inside joke for the…F word.” Hmmmm… (Four Ms in that, we’ll have you note)
Also nothing checked out for kavanaugh. Boof flatulence? No. Anal sex. Fffff stands for fuck? No. Find them feel them finger them fuck them forget them.
Devil's Triangle drinking game? No threesome between 2 men 1 woman.— Patrick Eichholz (@PatrickEichholz) November 18, 2018
Examples of FFFF
Who uses FFFF?
FFFF is a misogynistic term, implying treating women as sex objects. That doesn’t stop men from joking about–or, in certainly too many instances, carrying out–the FFFF credo. It’s something of a meat-headed boast, if you ask us, especially when men who say they live by FFFF are part of an FFFF or 4-F Club–an ironic play on the wholesome image of the 4-H Club.
Like this page, where he signs his letter like so many east coast kids at that time – part of the lyrics to the 4 F Club, by the band The Mentors? “Find her, Feel her… – you get the point…” Love, Kavanaugh… handwritten and all. pic.twitter.com/UExxBpe94q
— The Duchess (@TheDuchessSF) October 3, 2018
Guy at work said never get married just stay in the four F club:
Find em
Feel em
Fuck em
Forget em
— Logan (@loganreese__) January 31, 2018
Elsewhere, FFFF can be used as self-censoring euphemism for fuck…
my v app is being a bit** right now. ffff no one else seems to have this problem. load stupid vapp
— Bloo (@iono_hiro) November 26, 2018
…or it can be used as onomatopoeia for guffawing in amused disbelief.
PLEASE listen to the loud ass fanchants just when they are walking to receive an award FFFF the world really is bts stage and we just living in it @BTS_twt pic.twitter.com/vG5zUWhS9y
— thank YOU bts (@yoonmlned) December 14, 2018
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of FFFF like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of FFFF that will help our users expand their word mastery.