Candy
Biscuit Tin Guardian
- Location
- West Yorkshire, UK
Foul mouth complaint
- Thread starter Lisa
- Start date
Candy
Biscuit Tin Guardian
- Location
- West Yorkshire, UK
Oh! That went wrong again. What I was trying to say was is that's probably why, when people ask me if Joy is male or female, I say ' she's a little girl'
- Location
- Melbourne, Australia
OH and I swear all the time. We're foul mouthed and not offended by people swearing. However, we are very careful around Nathan as he's not old enough to understand when it's ok to swear and when he needs to keep his mouth shut.
Lisa
Moderator
- Location
- Alberta, Canada
It’s all very interesting. Seeing as the whole point of swearing seems to be to offend and shock others or to express strong emotions like when something bad happens, I wonder when the next set of swear words will arise? It seems like so many today use the “tried and true” ones so frequently and just as a habit (like my neighbour who started off this thread who had every second word as a swear word- the same one actually 
) that soon they will lose their ability to shock or offend.
) that soon they will lose their ability to shock or offend.
- Location
- Herefordshire, UK
I think I might bring right in saying f*** comes from the legal profession -- it being shorthand for under age sex -- For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge.
Jacqui-S
Moderator
- Location
- Fife, Scotland
Well apparently not - this is called a ‘backronym’ and is when people attribute erroneous acronyms to words. Another one is ‘Fornicate Under Command of the King’ when population levels were low back in the day
According to Susie Dent (etymologist and Dictionary Corner on Countdown
), it’s been used since the 1300s:“The most plausible etymology is the Latin pugnare, to hit, making ‘fuck’ and ‘pugnacious’ kissing-cousins. And that’s how we originally understood fucking – not as sex, but hitting. Indeed some of fuck’s earliest outings were in surnames: a Mr. Fuckbeggar (‘beggar-hitter) was alive, well, and presumably violent in the 13th century, while ‘windfucker’ was a synonym for the kestrel in the 1600s; a bird that strikes or hits the wind with its wings.”
- Location
- Canberra, Australia
Well how about that!
- Location
- Sydney, Australia
you are an absolute fountain of knowledge
Jacqui-S
Moderator
- Location
- Fife, Scotland
I just love this forum
- Location
- Close to Devon/Somerset border
what incredible mines of information there are here.
I only learned this yesterday in the midst of this excellent discussion
My source: Susie Dent: how English swear words went away from the holy and back to the shit again
My source: Susie Dent: how English swear words went away from the holy and back to the shit again
- Location
- Andorra and Spain
So am I, I love thisWe have loads of kestrels here. I'm totally bringing that back into common usage
Boogie
Moderator
- Location
- Manchester UK
I don’t swear at all, a long 40 year habit from my teaching days and times as a Mum. I don’t even swear in my head unless I’ve really hurt myself in an oooowwwch way.
I didn’t let my boys swear either. I said ‘you can start swearing when you hear me swear’. Andy was 15 when I first heard him swear. I said ‘oi’ and he said ‘well, Dad swore so that counts the same’.
Other people swearing doesn’t bother me, unless it’s every other word then it drives me maaaaaad - but so does ‘like’ when it’s used every other word.
.
I didn’t let my boys swear either. I said ‘you can start swearing when you hear me swear’. Andy was 15 when I first heard him swear. I said ‘oi’ and he said ‘well, Dad swore so that counts the same’.
Other people swearing doesn’t bother me, unless it’s every other word then it drives me maaaaaad - but so does ‘like’ when it’s used every other word.
.
- Location
- Essex, U.K.
Blimey, what a thread!
What did occur to me whilst reading all this was that it is not the word that offends so much as the fact that it is attributed to insult and aggression. Maybe by our elders or the powers that be, either way it is a human emotion to be offended and some word must be used - if it isn't fuck it could very well be fish, it would have to be something. As is the case with racial stereotypical words - calling someone a nigger is highly insulting because it has become the go-to word to be said aggressively with contempt. Otherwise surely it is just a derivation of negro - just a word with a meaning. But that is (almost) veering off onto another subject.
Words all have meanings, it is how they are used and whether they should be used in that way at all, the choice is yours.
What did occur to me whilst reading all this was that it is not the word that offends so much as the fact that it is attributed to insult and aggression. Maybe by our elders or the powers that be, either way it is a human emotion to be offended and some word must be used - if it isn't fuck it could very well be fish, it would have to be something. As is the case with racial stereotypical words - calling someone a nigger is highly insulting because it has become the go-to word to be said aggressively with contempt. Otherwise surely it is just a derivation of negro - just a word with a meaning. But that is (almost) veering off onto another subject.
Words all have meanings, it is how they are used and whether they should be used in that way at all, the choice is yours.
Boogie
Moderator
- Location
- Manchester UK
@Shaz82 said -
The ‘n’ word has whole other connotations and is never simply swearing any more.
Funnily enough, one word my Dad got very very cross if we used was the one you just used @Shaz82 as it means ‘blind me’. He had blind friends and was very offended indeed by the term. I have blind friends now and I can see his point.
Yes, ‘you stupid idiot’ said aggressively is as bad as swearing in my book.
The ‘n’ word has whole other connotations and is never simply swearing any more.
Funnily enough, one word my Dad got very very cross if we used was the one you just used @Shaz82 as it means ‘blind me’. He had blind friends and was very offended indeed by the term. I have blind friends now and I can see his point.
- Location
- Herefordshire, UK
Well Good Heavens ( I think that might have blasphemous/swearing roots as well?) I'm with @FayRose at the bottom of anyone's stairs after that explanationWell apparently not - this is called a ‘backronym’ and is when people attribute erroneous acronyms to words. Another one is ‘Fornicate Under Command of the King’ when population levels were low back in the day
According to Susie Dent (etymologist and Dictionary Corner on Countdown
“The most plausible etymology is the Latin pugnare, to hit, making ‘fuck’ and ‘pugnacious’ kissing-cousins. And that’s how we originally understood fucking – not as sex, but hitting. Indeed some of fuck’s earliest outings were in surnames: a Mr. Fuckbeggar (‘beggar-hitter) was alive, well, and presumably violent in the 13th century, while ‘windfucker’ was a synonym for the kestrel in the 1600s; a bird that strikes or hits the wind with its wings.”
.Absolutely with you there @Boogie.
- Location
- Essex, U.K.
So blimey is short for gorblimey which is from God Blind Me. I did not know that - it goes to show how some offensive words are no longer that but just accepted (I can't even think 'Blimey' without doing the cockney accent), and how new ones are slipping into our everyday language. A bit too much for my liking, but there you go.
- Location
- Herefordshire, UK
We swear a lot in this house, when my children were small they were given a list of words to not to say when going to parties or visiting grandparents. It seemed to work.
I only use a few -- I always have found using body part names in a derogatory way quite upsetting, whether it be male or female. I don't get it really.
I find the f word really good if I'm cross, you can really get some angst out behind "f".
I only use a few -- I always have found using body part names in a derogatory way quite upsetting, whether it be male or female. I don't get it really.
I find the f word really good if I'm cross, you can really get some angst out behind "f".