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 British English, the word fanny is a slang term for vagina, and Chmelar can be anglicized to /ˈʃmɛlər/, similar to the word smeller. During an episode of the British quiz show The Chase, she was the subject of a question, and the unexpected sound of her name left both Chaser Anne Hegerty and host Bradley Walsh giggling uncontrollably.[3]