Remember when practically everyone you knew was getting Irezumi tattoos of Japanese characters in an effort to seem unique? We never did that, partially because we have the pain tolerance of an 8-year-old girl but mostly because we objected on principle to anything involving self-mutilation, permanent ink and languages we don't understand.

Fast forward to this morning, when we received an enlightening email from photog Candice Lawler, who just finished up an amazing photo session with the Ting Tings AND got the backstory on the group's name. Turns out the twosome was originally named after a girl called "Ting Ting" who, at one time or another, collaborated with lead singer, Katy White. But after a recent trip to Japan, the duo discovered their name had a deeper/hidden meaning.

"When we went to Japan," the band told Lawler, "We learned that the phrase 'ting ting' is a slang term for 'penis.'" Fortunately, says Candice, "They found this to be quite hilarious and so did I." (So much worse -- and yet better -- than when our friend discovered that her "purity" tat was actually Japanese for "chair!")

+ Check out more exclusive photos from their amazing/revelatory MTV photo shoot, and, in case you missed The Ting Tings on FNMTV, watch their hypnotic new video, "Shut Up and Let Me Go," and catch a brief but informative animated history of the band.