What is the name for someone who buys sex?

[MinnieMannie]

It just occurred to me, (whilst stirring baked beans as you do ). A person selling sex is called a "prostitute" but what is the buyer called? surely there should be some equally defining noun for it?

Always known it to be 'a John' although I think the word 'client' is also used. From Urban Dictionary:

A prositutes [sic] client or user of a prostitute for sexual purposes after a fee, a John is a well recognised slang word for the user of prostitution.

A punter?

A husband?

Good question, we need to invent a suitable word.

It can't be a punter and definitely not a husband . A punter - someone who invests in a risky business, could be a banker or entrepreneur. A client simply describes someone using the services of a professional. They're both 'nice' words that make the buyer sound nice and clean.

'Prostitute' is a word ONLY used for selling sex. No other service provider uses that title, it is specifically to mark THAT service out. So i don't understand why the buyer of sex should does not have a name that is equivalent to that particular service.

A saddo?

Whatever we call those who offer and those who pay, at least they don’t put a front on it. There is a certain honesty in that.

Why are we so obsessed with judging others when we don’t walk in their shoes?

It is often said that most people live a life of quiet desperation, we can see this in the thousand yard stares in eyes up and down the country every day.

Christian -Whats any of that got to do with asking what the name if for a buyer of sex?

You really can’t see?!

I have the impression, in these non-judgemental days, that prostitutes are referred to as sex-workers. I suppose the customers should be called sex-clients, or something.

It seems to me that "sex-worker" is far too generic, covering multiple possible occupations.

Canadian - Non judgemental or not, ‘Prostitute’ is still the noun for mostly women, who sell sex. A person who educates children is called a teacher and the recipients ‘student’, a person who treats people is called a Doctor/Nurse and the recipient called ‘Patient’.
It’s an interesting observation that a buyer of sex has no such name.

What I thought this thread might highlight is that actually there is a noun for it but either underused OR there is no name simply because the recipients are mostly male. This was cleverly done to protect men. This was the point of the thread.

As far as the word ‘prostitute’ being judgemental, Nouns are what you make of them. The word ‘Prostitute’ in itself need not have any negative connotation anymore than the word ‘Doctor’. It is the activity in itself that carries the label. ‘Sex worker’ is simply a descriptive word or verb and I personally don’t see how it redeems the trade, although at least the ‘buyer’ is now covered. But yet to see it headlines that says, ‘Police raided a flat and arrested 2 sex buyers’.

I’ve always known them as punters

There’s even the ukpunting website where ‘punters’ leave reviews about whatever sex worker they’ve visited.

They call themselves punters.
Prostitutes call them clients.
I call them morally bankrupt twats.

On UK PUNTING,men who buy sex proudly refer to themselves as punters, discuss what they do as punting and happily share pros and cons and rate the girls they buy sex from. The reviews they leave make for the saddest reading matter ever.

“Whatever we call those who offer and those who pay, at least they don’t put a front on it. There is a certain honesty in that.”

Pa ha ha ha. They don’t put a front on? Who are you actually kidding?

Never heard of this PUNTING website but its clearly a place for the depraved.

Not surprised really, men calling themselves "punters", it makes them invisible participants in the trade. 'Lets use something very generic so its not so obvious what we are doing'.

Absolutely!

I just read a novel in which, as a side-plot, male grounds-keepers are providing sexual services to female tourists at a resort. The police in the novel had no problem calling it prostitution.

My knowledge is entirely theoretical, but what's wrong with "client". Lawyer have clients, and so do accountants and architects. I don't think it's a case of "let's use something generic so it's not obvious what we are doing", as a previous poster suggested.

Is prostitution not legal in the UK? So, a legal personal service, in which (according to a PP) the service providers use the word "client". Sounds fine to me.

Pervert!

How about exploiter?

misogynist Punter.

There is a certain honesty in that - Really?! I thought the "punter's" main requirement was that the woman being paid is a good enough actress to actually fool said punter that she actually likes him.

Here you go, men's language when describing buying consent

Not surprised really, men calling themselves "punters", it makes them invisible participants in the trade. 'Lets use something very generic so its not so obvious what we are doing'.

This explains things perfectly, bang on.

It is all a bit ‘jack the lad’ and “Del boy’. Isn’t it- just a punter ‘acing some fun. Yuck

What is all the fuss about?
Some people just want to have sex with someone who floats their boat.
This is purely a physical thing. Some people are willing to offer their services for a fee. All parties are clear about what is going on, it suits their needs. Note the use of people; women pay for sex too. Many people in relationships are sexually frustrated, but happy otherwise.

They call themselves punters.
I say Johns.

The fuss is about the commoditisation of female bodies.