What Swear Word do you find the most offensive?

[lozzyloz]

Saw this piece in the Gaurdian and it reminded me of a time when one of my boys aged 3 had overheard the word fcuk and decided to shout it out repeatedly at the top of his voice as I pushed the trolley around Tesco's! I bet there are similar and funnier experiences to be told by the EDF.

[Nero]

I don't like 'motherfucker', mainly because it is American and has lost its exocitism due to NY-LON wannabes saying it as much as they can. I like 'bloody' and 'bleeding', the latter being the 70s and early 80s version of 'fucking' in my household when I was growing up. I like the idea of a gradation of swear words according to their offensiveness/acceptability. Nero

[char1ie]

Swearing is a beautiful thing. It can be very elegant in the right hands. Too much can be vulgar and in the wrong hands it is messy and obnoxious. It can be very funny and if its shock value is used well it can be just the ticket to elevate plain speech to another level. I think each swear word is equally useful and appropriate in the right circumstances. The traditionally worst swearword is the C word. But that is no more offensive than any other word when you hear it uttered by a five year old. And even the C word can have its shock value reduced by overuse.

Appropriate, sparing and well chosen use of swearwords is important. Inappropriate and over-used swearing is a different matter.

Just to reinforce my point see most of the good tellings of the Aristocrats joke (not at work obviously): http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=the+aristocrats&search=Search

Charlie

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Oddly enough I don't particularly find swearing the usual stuff offensive, and 'bollocks' is my all-time favourite and is usually apposite. What does make me cringe is blasphemy and it's used so commonly I don't think most people have any idea how repugnant it can be to some folk.

[Brendan]

In my 5 or so years of living in England it has become obvious to me that the most offensive word one can use in this country is ?Soccer?.

[Michael Palaeologus]

"Arse" is my fanoutite. The C word tends to grate.

[char1ie]

My wife says sugar instead of shit. I think if you're going to swear, swear. A substitute is pointless.

Charlie

[atila the gooner]

The word Chelsea is pretty offensive because of what they stand for, which is every thing that is anathema to me as far as football is concerned.

[lozzyloz]

I find the phrase "Can't do it" quite offensive which usually gets an expletive from me in return.

I'm generally OK with swear words it's the way/tone/delivery which makes it offensive or not. Since I'm not religious then blaspheming has no meaning to me but I do respect other peoples sensitivities and would not use OMG near a god fearing person.

I think creative swearing is far more effective as well as great entertainment for the onlooker.

Any good examples out there?

[atila the gooner]

The one I favour is Dickhead, the c word is pretty offensive as is motherf***er, the f word has long since lost it's impact to shock.

[blinder999]

.

[MrBen]

I find use of the word "vagina" to be offensive. It sounds horrifically clinical and unfriendly. It also lacks the same impact. Imagine winding down your window and shouting "You stupid vagina!". Doesnt work.

[Ted Max]

Delete delete

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

I hate the C word, I think people who use it make themselves look pretty much stupid, it is just a nasty word.

I love to say Bloody hell, twat or prat.

The F word doesnt have any impact with me as so many people use it!

[*Bob*]

C*** is a fantastic word. It is also one of the oldest swear words in the English language.

Like an ancient monument, we should be proud of it, cherish it, and most importantly - use it wisely.

[downsouth]

char1ie Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> My wife says sugar instead of shit. I think if

> you're going to swear, swear. A substitute is

> pointless.

>

> Charlie

I say sugar too. But then I have also been known to say B@llocks on Stilts.

[Brendan]

Saying c*** is a bit like breaking wind. If well timed and used at the correct moment it can have great comic effect. If used at the wrong time it can completely ruin the job interview.

[Domitianus]

char1ie Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Swearing is a beautiful thing. It can be very

> elegant in the right hands. Too much can be vulgar

> and in the wrong hands it is messy and obnoxious.

> It can be very funny and if its shock value is

> used well it can be just the ticket to elevate

> plain speech to another level. I think each swear

> word is equally useful and appropriate in the

> right circumstances. The traditionally worst

> swearword is the C word. But that is no more

> offensive than any other word when you hear it

> uttered by a five year old. And even the C word

> can have its shock value reduced by overuse.

> Appropriate, sparing and well chosen use of

> swearwords is important. Inappropriate and

> over-used swearing is a different matter.

>

> Just to reinforce my point see most of the good

> tellings of the Aristocrats joke (not at work

> obviously):

> http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=the+ar

> istocrats&search=Search

>

>

> Charlie

I heartily agree with Charlie that swearing can be both eloquent and artistic. It has always struck me as most strange that there are those who tell us that swearing is a sign of a limited vocabulary but then proceed to attempt to further limit our vocabulary by prohibiting certain words. I have yet to meet someone vehemently against swearing who I would describe as a creative communicator! Years ago I discussed with my mother the fact that certain swear words are more satisfying to utter in anger or frustration than others - words such as 's**t', 'c**t', 'f**k' etc. My mother is a speech and language therapist and pointed out that those particular words are 'plosives', ie. they have quite a sharp and distinct ending which has a certain snappy satisfaction about it. Could this be the reason they are more satisfying than 'fiddlesticks'?

With regard to blasphemy, I am afraid I am less tolerant of other people's sensibilities than LozzyLoz. I consider the religious aversion to so-called 'blasphemy' to be nothing more than a conditioned response and the sooner it is snuffed out the better! In fact there is little more expressive of utter frustration and despair than a good, long drawn out "Jesus H. Christ, Holy Mother of God and all the F***ing Saints Combined..." For most people, delivered correctly, expressions like this are also rather amusing and have the ability to defuse tension and raise s smile. I am afraid I am not going to be disarmed of such a useful tool by the fact that some people have a knee-jerk reaction to it.

In fact, prolly all objections to swear words are knee-jerk reactions. I mean, if I hurt myself and shout 'F**k', I am not actually referring to sexual congress, I am expressing my pain. There is nothing inherently 'bad' or 'wrong' about the word 'fuck' or any of the rest of them - it is simply that we have been taught over centuries to renounce them as they usually refer to either a sexual or biological act or bodypart which religion has taught us to view with suspicion and fear. Look, for example, at the most common swear-words - 'f**k' (sexual intercourse, 'c**t' (originally a country term for a cow's genitalia), 's**t' (the act of defecation) - all notions or processes that were abhorrent to Judaeo-Christian tradition. The other 'bad words' are the likes of 'da*n' and so called 'blasphemous' terms. In other words, one could argue that our society's aversion to swearing is simply a residue of irrational, sex-negative religious conditioning! How many people who are uncomfortable about swearing realise that they are still carrying the baggage of a religious heritage that they may have intellectually shrugged off? If we were really to look at the underlying meaning of words and what they authentically represent, we would probably consider unpleasant words to be ones like 'cancer', 'hatred', 'madness', 'war' etc, yet we utter these with impunity and no social censure whatsoever. Ridiculous state of affairs if you ask me. The whole absurd affair is evidenced by the fact that we have to asterisk out letters from these words for our messages to even appear on a bulletin board (despite everyone knowing what we are referring to - not exactly a subtle code) whilst we can merrily post words such as cancer, hate, death, disease, famine, warfare etc without anyone batting an eyelid.

[mattham]

does anyone else find placing your palm in the crook of the opposite elbow, then raising the opposite fist to be the most comical offensive gesture? It's just so much more physical then the alternatives.

Never been keen on shite as a word. That's probably my least favourite.

[*Bob*]

What about gobshite, mattham?

Surely that raises a smirk?

[SeanMacGabhann]

For Dom's response alone

I'm buying him a drink

Swear words don't offend me in any way shape or form. All of the, including the C word can be applied with great flair, humour and to great effect

What does offend me is unthinking gobshites who think swearing, in an of itself, is hard/cool. They don't have to be young. I hear 40 something men at work utter a couple of sentences which, combining intent and swear-word content, show them up to me nothing but misogynist scumbags ...

Ignorance - not a swear word but it is what offend me most

[Jah Lush]

What Sean said.(tu) I couldn't agree with you more especially when it comes to some of the ignorant brain dead morons I've been unfortunate enough to work with over the years. And as for blasphemy. What a load of bollocks.

[capt_birdseye]

Curb your Enthusiasm has some fantastic uses of the c word. Best one when Cheryl's aunt died and Larry was put in charge of putting a notice in the newspaper. Needless to say they mis-spelt "Beloved Aunt".

[blinder999]

Does this carefree attitude extend to children? In the 'Living With Teenagers' column I don't much like the sound of the way the teenagers call their mum the c word. And I fully intend to advise my kids that the use of such words chez Blinder999 will be frowned upon.

[david_carnell]

Talking of blasphemy, may I introduce Monty Python:

Perhaps one of the most interesting words in the English language today, is the word fuck. Of all the English words beginning with f, fuck is the single one referred to as the "f-word". It's the one magical word. Just by it's sound it can describe pain, pleasure, hate and love. Fuck, as most of the other words in English, has arrived from Germany. Fuck from German's "fliechen" which mean to strike. In English, fuck folds into many grammatical categories. As a transital verb for instance, "John fucked Shirley". As an intransitive verb; "Shirley fucks". It's meaning is not always sexual, it can be used as an adjective such as; John's doing all the fucking work. As part of an adverb; "Shirley talks too fucking much", as an adverb enhancing an adjective; Shirley is fucking beautiful. As a noun; "I don't give a fuck". As part of a word: "abso-fucking-lutely" or "in-fucking-credible". Or as almost every word in a sentence: "fuck the fucking fuckers!". As you must realize, there aren't many words with the versitility such as the word fuck,as in these examples used as the following words;

- fraud: "I got fucked"

- trouble: "I guess I'm really fucked now"

- dismay: "Oh, fuck it!"

- aggresion: "don't fuck with me, buddy!"

- difficulty: "I don't understand this fucking question"

- inquery: "who the fuck was that?"

- dissatisfaction: "I don't like what the fuck is going on here"

- incompetence: "he's a fuck-off!"

- dismissal: "why don't you go outside and fuck yourself?"

I'm sure you can think of many more examples.

With all these multipurpoused applications, how can anyone be offended when you use the word?

Use this unique, flexibel word more often in your daily speech. It will identify the quality of your character immediately. Say it loudly and proudly:

FUCK YOU!

:))