Swearing and/or offensive language
- Thread starter All uphill
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mudsticks
Squire
I did it for English 'O' level...
In the original Middle English..
That was bawdy fun 😇
mudsticks
Squire
AuroraSaab
Legendary Member
Most swear/offensive words seem to originate from either sexual terms or sexual parts, or from blasphemous words. 'Bloody' is a contraction of 'By our Lady' (ie Mary), I believe. So I'd say they were always terms of insult (calling someone a sexual part) or blasphemous expletives to show anger or emphasis.
Thing is, once you've normalised the worst of swear words - and we're all happily calling our mums and dads f*ucking c*nts and noone is batting an eyelid - where do you go then? Trainspotting wouldn't be the book it is if everybody talked like that all the time. It's impact comes from the use of language being striking and shocking to the reader. Less is more with swearing.
qigong chimp
Settler of gobby hash.
Lor, doan ee go on ??
Says Our Lady of Brevity.
BoldonLad
Old man on a bike. Not a member of a clique.
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Ian H
Guru
'By Our Lady' is one of those evidence-free etymologies.
F*ck is an interesting word. 'F*cker' is an epithet of either anger or admiration. F*cked on the other hand, means beyond repair or exhausted. 'F*cking' is a mere intensifier. 'F*ck' can mean mess (don't mess about, don't mess it up) or its original meaning of swive. According to his first wife, Sir John Mortimer's initial chat-up line to her was 'Fancy a f*ck?' (Reader, she married him).
mudsticks
Squire
He makes me look like a mistress of concision.. 😇
mudsticks
Squire
Fab Foodie
Guru
Can women do women for a TMN on here ??
Oh yeah. TMNs are neither sexed nor gendered....
mudsticks
Squire
Well I call a non-binary TMN then
Xipe Totec
Something nasty in the woodshed
The other derivation of 'bloody' I'm aware of is a reference to menstruation - using that nasty, repellent & unsavoury thing wimmin get up to in order to place it firmly in the category of female-denigrating expletives. Think I prefer the religious take.
Another probably apocryphal origin I've heard is 'bugger' - apparently a corruption of 'Bulgar', from a sect of heretic Bulgarian monks who practiced carnal activities which would have been frowned upon (or get you stoned to death) at the time.
I think your faith, in this instance, is probably misplaced!
https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=bloody
What is interesting is how it has changed from respectable to the opposite, and more recently the shock value has gone down again, and you wonder just how this happens.
AuroraSaab
Legendary Member
Happy to be corrected on my etymology. The original of words is certainly very interesting, and phrases too like 'Pig in a poke, cat out of the bag etc.' Language is how we communicate, it's how we understand the world, and I still think there are words that come with too much baggage to be used 'every verse end' as they used to say.
OP
OP
All uphill
Active Member
I'm interested in your take on swearing @Unkraut as a religious person.
Long ago in my youth the common shocking words in my area were, from memory, largely blasphemous. These seem to have been replaced with words with a sexual origin.
I've often thought that change reflects a social change from a time when church-going was common to a time when sexual relations are much more openly discussed and church going is less common.
I assume you dislike or disapprove of blasphemous swearing becoming normalised?
