Curse Like An American?

[JackLuis]

Our UK brethren have made set of maps that show the words that Americans use by region.
While I find it odd, take a look.

Calling someone an “asshole” in Georgia or Alabama might upset some people, but in these states, it’s apparently fine to use “bitch”, “damn” or “shit” to express everyday frustration.

Maps of the US with geotagged data from Twitter show the popularity of curse words throughout the country. UK-based linguist Jack Grieve created the maps, and has been tweeting them out to show which words are used more in different regions.

 

[MatthewVett]

I love how New England the word "asshole" is. Oh, Boston...

 

[rjordan]

I love how New England the word "asshole" is. Oh, Boston...

NJ and NY too. Asshole is pretty much a term of endearment there.

The South is painted red for "damn". It would be glowing red if they had thought to include the word "dayum" as well.

rj

 

[49greg]

Interesting how here in Iowa they like Cunt and Asshole, and mostly in the West and Eastern parts of the state, and along the Interstate 80 corridor - Along the Council Bluffs, Des Moines, Iowa City, and Davenport line.

They obviously weren't checking the spoken words, especially in the Mexican Restaurant my wife and I were in last week, where some young men, apparently newly away from home for some sport camp at the University, were loudly voting for "motherfucker" and "motherfucking" as the most popular word.

 

[CyranoJ]

"The Fuckboy Map" is the name of my next post-punk band.

 

[someoneyouknow]

Interesting how here in Iowa they like Cunt and Asshole, and mostly in the West and Eastern parts of the state, and along the Interstate 80 corridor - Along the Council Bluffs, Des Moines, Iowa City, and Davenport line.

They obviously weren't checking the spoken words, especially in the Mexican Restaurant my wife and I were in last week, where some young men, apparently newly away from home for some sport camp at the University, were loudly voting for "motherfucker" and "motherfucking" as the most popular word.

I just read the following article about habits which make you look really unprofessional at work, though the topics apply almost anywhere, wherein the author writes:

1. Lazy profanity.

OK, this one really is at the top of the list. Again, it’s not the profanity itself (although that often doesn’t help). It’s the laziness. If someone uses the F-word as an all-purpose adjective, it makes you wonder whether they’re equally uncreative and slothful in everything they do.

http://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/10-bad-habits-that-make-you-look-really-unprofessional.html

 

[RailRoader]

I love how New England the word "asshole" is. Oh, Boston...

Try to drive through that city one time. Hence the word "Masshole."

 

[Handley_Page]

I just read the following article about habits which make you look really unprofessional at work, though the topics apply almost anywhere, wherein the author writes:

1. Lazy profanity.

OK, this one really is at the top of the list. Again, it’s not the profanity itself (although that often doesn’t help). It’s the laziness. If someone uses the F-word as an all-purpose adjective, it makes you wonder whether they’re equally uncreative and slothful in everything they do.

http://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/10-bad-habits-that-make-you-look-really-unprofessional.html

Oh how true.

 

[CyranoJ]

I just read the following article about habits which make you look really unprofessional at work, though the topics apply almost anywhere, wherein the author writes:

1. Lazy profanity.

OK, this one really is at the top of the list. Again, it’s not the profanity itself (although that often doesn’t help). It’s the laziness. If someone uses the F-word as an all-purpose adjective, it makes you wonder whether they’re equally uncreative and slothful in everything they do.

It depends on the culture of wherever you're working / playing, honestly. I work an office job these days to which this most certainly applies, but I've also worked sales jobs in the past where the air was blue routinely and people frankly didn't trust you if you didn't curse. It seems to be a blue collar vs. white collar thing.

(Also, yeah. Punctuality. I'm fucking awful for it, though better now than I used to be.)

 

[RailRoader]

It depends on the culture of wherever you're working / playing, honestly. I work an office job these days to which this most certainly applies, but I've also worked sales jobs in the past where the air was blue routinely and people frankly didn't trust you if you didn't curse. It seems to be a blue collar vs. white collar thing.

(Also, yeah. Punctuality. I'm fucking awful for it, though better now than I used to be.)

It depends very much on the culture. I'm a military retiree and profanity of every sort was common.
Oddly enough, in Canada the f-word is used for almost everything, making it almost meaningless.

 

[49greg]

It depends very much on the culture. I'm a military retiree and profanity of every sort was common.
Oddly enough, in Canada the f-word is used for almost everything, making it almost meaningless.

When I was living at home as a teen polite language was a must, swearing at all wasn't done. Saying "Damn" one time at home got me a spanking. I didn't even know what it meant at the time, it was just something I had heard.

Years later I got out of the Army and spent a couple of months at home. It was so damn fucking hard not to say something like "pass the fucking salt please". I really had to consciously think about everything I said.

The high school I went to was a Brit school, in a former Brit colony, and about half of the kids there were Brits. The word they used as a go-to adjective was "Bloody". This was in the early to mid sixties.

I have a question for the Brits in the board, is "bloody" a really really bad word, ranking with "Fuck", or is it a lesser word like "Shit" or "Damn", or say "Hell" or even less bad like say "Darn" or "Fudge".

And for everyone, are there really rankings in the so called curse words? And what are said rankings?

 

[Carnevil9]

.......I have a question for the Brits in the board, is "bloody" a really really bad word, ranking with "Fuck", or is it a lesser word like "Shit" or "Damn", or say "Hell" or even less bad like say "Darn" or "Fudge"........

I'm not a Brit, but I always assumed "bloody" was a reference to menstruation, and therefore an attempt to be as nasty and taboo as possible.

 

[RailRoader]

And for everyone, are there really rankings in the so called curse words? And what are said rankings?

The topic is so subjective, I don't think ranking would worthwhile. I do know referring to a woman as a twat or a cunt will generally NOT be well received.

 

[Messier82]

1. Lazy profanity.

OK, this one really is at the top of the list. Again, it’s not the profanity itself (although that often doesn’t help). It’s the laziness. If someone uses the F-word as an all-purpose adjective, it makes you wonder whether they’re equally uncreative and slothful in everything they do.

Oh I believe it alright.
One of my work colleagues begins every sentence with the F-word, eg
"Fucking errrrm, know what happened yesterday?"'
It is impossible to describe what a lazy workshy bastard he is, yet ironically he seems to genuinely believe that he does more work than the rest of us.

 

[49greg]

Oh I believe it alright.
One of my work colleagues begins every sentence with the F-word, eg
"Fucking errrrm, know what happened yesterday?"'
It is impossible to describe what a lazy workshy bastard he is, yet ironically he seems to genuinely believe that he does more work than the rest of us.

In my experience, a high percentage of the people who don't do a lot of work, and squirm out of anything they can, think they work harder than anyone else. It's a curious form of self delusion.

 

[RailRoader]

In my experience, a high percentage of the people who don't do a lot of work, and squirm out of anything they can, think they work harder than anyone else. It's a curious form of self delusion.

Takes a lot of effort to avoid all of that work.

 

[ElectricBlue]

No linkage whatsoever to a woman's bleed - or at least not in Australia, the fucking poms might be all la de da about it.

No, it's just a word to emphasise something:

"It's bloody hot in here" is similar to "it's very hot in here", but with a higher degree of emphasis: no, it's not "very hot" you nancy boy, it's hotter than that. It's not fucking hot though, that's another notch higher.

Or it's just an add on, possibly with a degree of mild frustration. "Pass me the bloody vegemite, ya tool, stop fucking about with it. Ya selfish prick." That kind of friendly exchange. It's not an offensive word at all, it's soft as.

Jeez, no wonder you yanks don't have a clue what Aussies are talking about.

If we need to warn someone about the wrath of a PMT woman, we'd just say "careful mate, she's on the rag"

We don't piss about down under. The more politically incorrect, the better. eg: "PC? Fuck that for a game of soldiers"

Hope this helps.

I'm not a Brit, but I always assumed "bloody" was a reference to menstruation, and therefore an attempt to be as nasty and taboo as possible.

 

[Tigersman]

Vulgarity

Vulgarity shows little or no refinement.

 

[CyranoJ]

Vulgarity shows little or no refinement.

Too bloody right.

 

[rjordan]

Vulgarity shows little or no refinement.

Fuckin' eh.

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

Nobody in the world curses like Tamils or Cantonese, different though they superficially seem to be. All the same, they are incredibly intelligent as a whole, excellent cooks, very honest, and all round decent people.

The standard curse begins: 'your mother...'

'You are so small your mother - who has a tiny brain - mistook you for a child she had with the son of the rat-catcher's pet dog, although you were in fact just a flea off the dog.'

Or,

"Your mother cleans the frying pan like she polishes your uncle's dick, and when the eggs went flying, they hit the ceiling from which you dropped down.'

And then the more standard ones: 'what does he do all Saturday? Shoot spiders.' (Means he's a wanker.)

Or, for someone who's got a big opinion of himself: 'he's always shooting for the stars.' (Hand motion shows hand on penis.)

And then the priceless: 'rains golden eggs from the ceiling.' Stand near him because he's a rich wanker.

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

Of course, to curse, you just begin the phrase with a 'may you,' or 'may the mother of your children,' or 'may your mother,' etc.

 

[rjordan]

Of course, to curse, you just begin the phrase with a 'may you,' or 'may the mother of your children,' or 'may your mother,' etc.

One can see the advantages of a simple "fuck you" in cases like this.

rj

 

[beachbum1958]

When I was living at home as a teen polite language was a must, swearing at all wasn't done. Saying "Damn" one time at home got me a spanking. I didn't even know what it meant at the time, it was just something I had heard.

Years later I got out of the Army and spent a couple of months at home. It was so damn fucking hard not to say something like "pass the fucking salt please". I really had to consciously think about everything I said.

The high school I went to was a Brit school, in a former Brit colony, and about half of the kids there were Brits. The word they used as a go-to adjective was "Bloody". This was in the early to mid sixties.

I have a question for the Brits in the board, is "bloody" a really really bad word, ranking with "Fuck", or is it a lesser word like "Shit" or "Damn", or say "Hell" or even less bad like say "Darn" or "Fudge".

And for everyone, are there really rankings in the so called curse words? And what are said rankings?

Speaking as a Brit, my understanding is that the use of 'Bloody' is a contraction of the medieval oath 'by our lady', referring to the invocation of the Blessed Virgin as a witness to the truth of what one is saying; I don't know how true that is, but my History Masters at school told that story and stuck to it. It seems a little convoluted and cumbersome, but then, when you consider what the Saxon adjective 'fuck' refers to in its basic meaning, using it as a catch-all swear word does seem a little obscure in relevance. As far as relative 'badness' as a swear word, it's pretty mild, somewhere level with 'damned' , and frequently used for emphasis, rather than in any denigratory sense, as in 'he's a bloody good bloke, you'll like him'. I once said that about someone to my Godfather, an Anglican High Church bishop, and he never turned a hair, so the church probably has no strong feelings about the use of the word; I doubt he'd have been so unperturbed if I'd said 'fuck me, he's a nice guy'...

 

[Messier82]

I'm not a Brit, but I always assumed "bloody" was a reference to menstruation, and therefore an attempt to be as nasty and taboo as possible.

I am a Brit and 'bloody' is fairly innocuous, normally linked to 'hell',
"Bloody hell, did you see XXXX?" You don't want your kids saying it in the house but I've never seen anyone bat an eyelid at that, it's more acceptable than eg twat, frig, etc.

Also used innocuously (and I've mentioned this before) is 'bugger'
"Well bugger me!" is not an invitation to anal sex, merely an expression of some surprise. "Yer daft bugger" (a northern favourite) translates as "what a silly person you are". "Bugger it!" equates to "I give up" or "I'm not doing that", and can substitute for "Sod that for a game of soldiers".

Brits also use "on her rag" to menstruating women, but it's used more by kids than adult men so is considered childish. Men would probably say "Watch out, she's got the painters in !"

The Irish swear a lot in that casual way, but fuck is often pronounced feck which doesn't sound so bad at first.