The *&%# Word Blog
Aug 7th 2007
Suzanne EnochOn Writing! & When Goddesses Fall To Earth
I watched Amazing Grace last night, and while I’m still not sure whether it’s going to be a weekly stop for me, one thing really surprised me. They said the word s**t. On TNT. Where have I been? I know on Comedy Central they now allow the boys on South Park to say g**d***, so maybe this is just the natural flow of things.
But to me this signals a loss. Not a loss of innocence, because kids shouldn’t be watching either of those shows. No, I mourn the loss of creative cursisms, something writers apparently no longer need to consider.
For me the creative curse began with the original Battlestar Galactica. “Frack,” they’d say, when they were angry. We all knew what it mean – heck, it has three letters in common with the dreaded f-word, but because it wasn’t that word they could say it on ABC at 8 p.m. On Sundays.
Then came Farscape, still one of my all-time favorite shows. They used “Frell”. Fewer letters in common, but yes, still a substitute for the f-word. That’s the word I probably use most often, because despite the fact that my contemporary characters use the f-word, I generally don’t. In my historicals, of course, people call one another “nick ninny” or “half wit”, which I would like to use, but my friends would look at me even more oddly than they do now.
In Stargate SG-1, Colonel Jack O’Neill frequently said “Crap”. Not particularly nasty, but it fit his character better than any of the deadlier curse words. For Robin in Batman, it was “Holy Cheese Whiz” and variations thereof.
In this past season of Veronica Mars, another great and greatly underrated show, Veronica came upon a Galactica fan and for the rest of the season used “frack”. I loved it. And of course on Firefly they cursed in Chinese, which would be another way to get profanity onto prime time TV.
So what do you say when you drop that bowl of strawberry ice cream and the neighbor kids are all standing there? Do you go right to the point, or are you a Mayberry curser like my mom? Or do you make up words, or use made-up ones?
62 Comments »
62 Responses to “The *&%# Word Blog”
twolilhahas on 08 Aug 2007 at 12:20 am #
Funny you should bring this up…it wasn’t two days ago I promised myself that I must stop using the bad words in my vocabulary. It wasn’t two minutes ago I found myself using the full-out F-word when I spilled my soup on my laptop. Frack is a great substitute, maybe I should try that to help me stay on the wagon. lol
I say the s-word, the d-word and sometimes the b-word outright…though I’m changing my ways… I tend to yell out, “Son of a biscuit-eater!” in place of SOB. I try to insert “shizam” in for the s-word when I can think that fast. The standard, Darn, Dadgummit, and Dang all stand in for the d-word on occasion.
Though, I feel kind of hypocritical to use fill-in words when the meaning is the same. I guess at the very least is sounds nicer.
Audrey on 08 Aug 2007 at 12:47 am #
It’s all or nothing for me. I rarely swear in general conversation but if I get hurt, it’s the f-word.
DebMarlowe on 08 Aug 2007 at 5:15 am #
Hi Suzanne!
I curse like Yosemite Sam: “Frickin, frack, grumble, grumble,” as I walk away.
I tell my oldest to invent his own swear words, but he just rolls his eyes at me–I am so uncool, because every other middle school kid is allowed to swear. Uh, yeah, Sure they are.
Stacy ~ on 08 Aug 2007 at 5:39 am #
My parents swore like truck drivers so I try not to swear in “normal” conversation, but that’s just my little quirk. If I bang my knee on the desk or spill something on myself though, all bets are off - I have a low tolerance for pain LOL.
FeyRhi on 08 Aug 2007 at 6:17 am #
I fully admit that I swear more then I should, but I am careful around the kids. Ever since the day my 4 year old daughter dropped her juice. She stomped her foot and muttered “S**t”. My husband turned his head and looked at me as if to say “That one is so your fault.”
Di R on 08 Aug 2007 at 7:20 am #
My favorite is “oh, crabapples”, or sometimes “Jiminy Cricket”. They both have enough syllables that when I’m done saying them, I feel better. My husband just grins at me and says that I should watch my mouth. I try not to swear, but I do sometimes slip.
Di
cail on 08 Aug 2007 at 7:23 am #
i’m a full out curser. the f-word especially is so useful, being that its a noun, adj, verb, interjection, etc.
did you guys see that a councilwoman is trying to outlaw the b-word in NYC? like that will happen…
i do often use variations of ’shoot’ ‘darn’ and other milder ones when i remember to.
SuzyQ on 08 Aug 2007 at 7:33 am #
FeyRhi - I have to laugh because I had the same experience with my daughter! I now find myself using shoot instead. But when the kids aren’t around, all bets are off!
Suzanne - your blog made me think of when Ralphie in a Christmas Story says “Oh fudge” when helping his dad change the tire. LOL!
Ellen Henson on 08 Aug 2007 at 7:38 am #
Oh SNAP…Now I have to admit I say Gee Whiz a lot.
ladydawgfan on 08 Aug 2007 at 7:56 am #
My mother’s favorite is “curses,” to which I usually reply, “S**t, H**l, D*mn, and Shazbat” (it’s a game between us). My sister says “dirty words and obscene phrases,” which seems to cover all of them without actually saying them.
For myself, I use a combination of clean and adult swearwords, depending on the situation. Sometimes, S**t is just appropriate, especially in times of abject terror like a near car accident. Or as Bill Cosby says, “First you say it, then you do it!!”
Maggie Robinson on 08 Aug 2007 at 8:08 am #
When my three year old smiled up at a family friend and said, “Oh, Harry, you little b*stard (we think she meant rascal, but we’ll never know), we realized there had to be a clean-up on aisle nine. I have to be especially careful as I work in a high school, where the temptation to curse is constant, but I wouldn’t to want to compete with the kids.
gannon on 08 Aug 2007 at 8:24 am #
I’m afraid I am guilty of full on cursing. I try not to do it too much in front of my kids, but I still slip. Sometimes, I use shite (like the Irish) instead of sh*t.
And I say bugger quite a bit!
SuzyQ on 08 Aug 2007 at 8:35 am #
Nicole - not to get off the subject, but I just noticed your new head shot. Very nice!
doglady on 08 Aug 2007 at 8:46 am #
Cursing at Wal-Mart is a real “no-no” and can get you fired, so I usually curse in Russian or German there. Confuses the “heck” out of ‘em! Around my nephews and niece I say “cuss word” and that covers it. In the privacy of my own home I curse like a sailor, which got me into trouble when my old parrot was still alive. Nothing like an almost 70 year old bird telling you to “Shut the !@#$ up!” to clean up your act. Especially since he insisted on doing so when my mother was visiting. My mother is one of those old Southern belles who NEVER even says darn. “Goodness gracious” is about as spicy as her language gets. We lived in England as children and my youngest brother, especially, says things like “Bloody hell” and “bugger me” a lot. We should be horrified, but it actually brings back a lot of really great childhood memories. Thanks Ivan Ludbrook of Kelsale, Suffolk, England for teaching my four year old brother to curse like a limey!
cail on 08 Aug 2007 at 8:52 am #
oh, definitely use bloody hell a lot. its my favorite.
Julia London on 08 Aug 2007 at 8:55 am #
I admit it: I cuss like a sailor. But only to myself. I would never say anything like that in front of others. I mean, usually. I might let one slip occasionally, but really — my speech is pretty clean except in the privacy of my office. With the door shut. With only dogs to hear it :-()
dbrown3400 on 08 Aug 2007 at 8:57 am #
I like the word appropriate for each occasion — and I do use them all in private. Because I work in a customer-based environment I’ve substituted “unbelievable” and think all the bads ones with a smile on my face. I don’t like shows like South Park where both the kids and the parents think it is “just a cartoon.” It’s like the three and four year olds that echo the words they hear.
A new show I really like, Burn Notice, uses g*d d*mn every fifth word, which is distracting. It’s that “we can get away with it syndrome.”
This brought to mind George Carlin’s Seven Words. I started crossing off the list when I first heard Sipowicz say p*ss on NYPD Blue. And would have sooner if I’d been paying attention on SNL
This is a transcript of Seven Dirty Words
http://www.cba.uni.edu/decencyl/7words.html
Donna
Claudia Dain on 08 Aug 2007 at 9:01 am #
Suzanne, you just catapulted me back to 8th grade where my English teacher made a big deal out of how people who swear really just have poor vocabularies and are dumb sheep who follow the Cursing Crowd. It made a big impression on me. I very, very rarely curse or swear or talk “blue.”
How cool is it to invent your own, made-for-primetime, swear words? That’s what I call creative!
My pet peeve is people who swear in public, especially in front of children. Not cool.
And, like you, I sometimes sit in shock in front of the TV at what is allowed to be said today. I also sit in shock at the level of nudity on TV (of course, I have cable).
Is it just me or am I beginning to sound like an old fart?
dbrown3400 on 08 Aug 2007 at 9:04 am #
Sorry there was no obsenity warning.
I reread the link and realized how totally brain-fried he is. If you can’t make sense of his original words in this article, Google the 7 so I don’t need to asterisk them here. I don’t have that many asterisks on my keyboard.
db
dbrown3400 on 08 Aug 2007 at 9:06 am #
Claudia — never old, never old. *g* That would mean all of us then.
db
Caren Crane on 08 Aug 2007 at 9:29 am #
I live in a good-sized city in the South, but we lots of imported people and lots of young people, so there is more public swearing than I heard growing up.
My grandmother, who is 87, has never actually cursed in my hearing. But a few times (usually when working in the kitchen with a sharp knife), I heard her say, “Shhhhhht”. As if she were shushing someone, but with a “t” on the end. Even as a young child, I knew what she meant. Because, of course, I heard my father bang his fingers enough doing weekend carpentry to learn many inventive curse words.
My mother never cursed in our hearing - when we were children. Then came menopause, when she began cursing a blue streak! It was funny to us kids, because we were all in our 20s and using plenty of objectionable language.
Since having kids, my vocabulary has been cleaned up a lot. I never cursed too much in public, but engineering school added color to my language! I love “good gravy!” which makes my kids laugh.
Karen Hawkins on 08 Aug 2007 at 9:55 am #
Exellent topic, Suzanne!
I try not to use (ahem!) profanity, but when something unexpected happens, I admit that I fall off the ‘be creative and not lazy’ cursing wagon and use the norm.
The thing that has kept me even this clean is my teen aged son. You know if I say sh** at some point in my life, he’ll bring it up every time I fuss at him for tossing the f-bomb around like rice at a wedding. I always win the argument, but there is always a moment after he tosses that in my face that I think, “I shouldn’t have said that.” I hate regrets, so it’s made me find better, more creative ways to say I HATE THIS, which is usually the message I want to express.
Suzanne Enoch on 08 Aug 2007 at 10:46 am #
db, I like “Burn Notice,” too!
A friend of mine says “son of a mother” when she’s mad. I like it because it sounds bad, but there’s really nothing wrong with it.
Sabrina Jeffries on 08 Aug 2007 at 10:50 am #
I cuss like a sailor. I try to behave myself around Claudia :-), but I rarely succeed. But I was pleased that I managed to spend four days with my family and say nothing but “mild” curses like “shoot” and “darn” the whole time.
I never bought the “it’s not creative” argument. Everyone uses expletives–why are some considered “creative” and others not? I do try to be aware of the people around me so I don’t offend them, but I don’t see anything wrong with cussing. I guess I’m pretty much alone in that. But what’s new?
zambonigirl on 08 Aug 2007 at 10:52 am #
Hmm…Richard Dean Anderson…. Good Lawdy he’s hot!
amy1242 on 08 Aug 2007 at 10:55 am #
I WAY overuse “crap”. Such as…holy crap, that’s a crappy thing to do or say, your tracking all kinds of crap on my clean floor, crappy driver. I also use “crudd” in place of crap, sometimes. I tell my kids to NEVER use the crap thing at school. I tell them that it’s not a swear word but it’s very crude and rude. Yesterday my 9 yo asked me if B**ch was a swear word. My 11 yo told her immediately that it was. I asked how she learned of that one and she said it was scratched into part of the dugout at the ball park. They can pick it up absolutely everywhere. I won’t stand for anyone using God or Jesus as swear words though, or any form thereof…and I HATE it in books too. I’ve boycotted beloved authors for the use of it. Even reading it in a book makes me sweat at church that week. I don’t need the extra stress.
Freshechelle on 08 Aug 2007 at 11:03 am #
Where I come from, we pride ourselves on being able to use the F word as EVERY part of speech. I once knew a pilot who said he always knew when he was flying into our area because the air traffic controllers live on the f word like no other airport. In other words, I can’t and won’t be able to take that word out of my vocabulary.
dbrown3400 on 08 Aug 2007 at 11:26 am #
1) Being totally OCD, this will bother me so I can’t sleep if I don’t correct it: obscenity is the correct sp.
2) In public, sometimes I curse in numbers: “he’s a 12-letter word” on a really bad day. It’s a joke now at work and the other techs, even the pharmacist will whisper, “Seven letters” or whatever, after dealing with a really difficult patient.
db
J Perry Stone on 08 Aug 2007 at 11:57 am #
I love love love curse words. In fact, the biggest sacrifice I ever made when having children was curbing my inclinations–never mind the stretch marks, loss of sleep and episiotomy scar from point A to Z.
And I say everything except the C-word when out of little-ear range.
I suspect part of my curse word adoration stems from growing up in an abnormally strict religious community. We didn’t do drugs or have teen pregnancies in our high school, but man, could we out curse a sailor on two-day shore leave.
But it does bother me greatly when I hear mothers cursing in front of children. In fact, I’ve even pulled out a curse-word-money-jar for when my folks come into town; 5 bucks a tongue slip.
They learned rather quickly not to f up, though we didn’t have to ante up the moolah for x-mas presents that year.
J Perry Stone on 08 Aug 2007 at 12:00 pm #
Correction: it bothers me greatly when mothers curse in front of their LITTLE children.
Once my kids hit 13 ish or so, the gag-order is expired!
Sabrina Jeffries on 08 Aug 2007 at 12:09 pm #
Funny story–my dad the missionary was working on something at my grandmother’s house (his mother-in-law, not his mother) and said, “Doggone it!” in her hearing. She looked at him in shock, then said, “And YOU, a missionary!” as if he’d just committed a crime. It cracks me up every time I think about it. I guess everything’s a cuss word to some people.
Julia London on 08 Aug 2007 at 12:47 pm #
Sabrina, I can now include you in the circle of the very few people I will cuss in front of. Congratulations!
colinfirthfan on 08 Aug 2007 at 12:56 pm #
When I am alone - I mumble curses F**** mostly especially when I bang something etc… Sometimes I say Bl**dy Everlasting Hell (like my favourite Mallory heroes)
When the kids are there I try to keep it to Darn and Crap.
Yes if my son now and then says Stupid - my hubby looks at me with the - this is your fault look.
We try really hard not to say SH*T but its hard.
Kay on 08 Aug 2007 at 1:12 pm #
Dh never curses. One B-I-L never curses, and another has a rather Blue vocab, and all of the kids in the family think it is funny, and know not to repeat him. I guess he got the the curse allotment for the whole family.
I will say S*** under provocation (or pain) in front of the kids. Otherwise, it depends on the company around me. In private, with friends who I know won’t be offended, F-bombs happen. Never in public, or around kids.
I don’t like to hear it all the time on TV. If everything is F-this and F-that, the emphasis is lost, and it just becomes potty-mouth. WARNING: this opinion is a result of my upbringing and age. LOL
Suzanne Enoch on 08 Aug 2007 at 1:37 pm #
I forgot another one from the original “Galactica” series — felgercarb. Nowadays I think of a felgercarb as a bad carbohydrate or something, so I use it for food. French fries are a ten felgercarb food, but I love ‘em anyway. *g*
colinfirthfan on 08 Aug 2007 at 2:21 pm #
I says Frick and Friggin’ and Flippin’ as well.
I find cussin’ is good to relieve tension.
dbrown3400 on 08 Aug 2007 at 2:36 pm #
I’m obviously here and not somewhere else today. I usually don’t post this much. Some of you said, “Whew.”
Sometimes we see something and think the worst when it’s is a matter of perception. The link below is to the first two pages of Virginia Henley’s The Pirate and the Pagan, one of the best openings ever. The pages are large so you’ll need to scroll down. The pages are in Amazon and are copyrighted so it might not go through. If you don’t have the book you can find these pages on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0440206235/ref=sib_dp_pt/103-6227966-8439806#reader-link
db
Ladytink_534 on 08 Aug 2007 at 2:41 pm #
I have to admit I use “Oh Snot! Instead of the other “s” word sometimes.
Does anyone else miss Veronica Mars? That show was awesome and the cancelled it
Nicole Jordan on 08 Aug 2007 at 2:53 pm #
This is too funny, Suzzane. I love BSG and “frack”, only I can never remember to say it myself. And I too had raised eyebrows over Saving Grace. It’s a really interesting show, but I think they use the foul language for shock value, to prove they’re playing with the big boys like “Sopranos.”
I’ve been known to use a lot of swear words…. lot more than I should. Except when I’m around kids at the barn. Then I try to remember to say “shoot”.
>>>SuzyQ
Nicole - not to get off the subject, but I just noticed your new head shot. Very nice!
Thanks for the compliment, SQ! But I can’t take much of the credit, lol. The photographer did an AMAZING job. And I liked the hair styles she used during the photo shoot so much that I went to her stylist and got the best cut of my life. Now I no longer look quite so much like my mother, thank heavens!
NicoleJ
catslady on 08 Aug 2007 at 3:45 pm #
It’s contagious. My husband had a 2 year stint in the military and that’s all anyone did. We really had to clean up our act when we had kids and at least the F word was never said (by me anyway - took my husband a bit longer lol). Now the kids are grown and it’s kind of snuck in a little bit more lol.
Jami Alden on 08 Aug 2007 at 3:51 pm #
I’m a big curser, a big fan of the f word, have been known to say that things “suck big fat donkey dicks.” Since having kids (oldest is 2, youngest is 3 mos) DH and I have tried to watch ourselves with limited success. Several months ago, my son was “helping” dad build a changing table for the new baby. I walked into the garage to check their progress, and my son looked up at me with a grin and said, “Mommy, oh s***.” I could hardly get mad at my husband, since a few days before, he had dropped his graham cracker and said, “Dammit,” in the same quiet, venemous tone that I use to infuse a relatively mild swear with more power.
Now I try to say, “Oh man,” or “aw shucks!” around him, and I’ve decided I really need to stop calling our dog a retard.
Freshechelle on 08 Aug 2007 at 4:02 pm #
Jami - thanks for the laugh - especially the dog bit.
Suzanne Enoch on 08 Aug 2007 at 4:07 pm #
Yes, Ladytink, “Veronica Mars” had some of the best plots and dialogue on tv this year. Stupid ratings.
Lately I’ve gotten into arguments with my 5-year-old nephew that go something like, “no, honey, I didn’t say that man was stupid, I said what he did was stupid.”
Of course his new thing is when he has to toot, he yells “fire in the hole!” He did NOT get that from me. *g*
Jami Alden on 08 Aug 2007 at 4:16 pm #
Suzanne - I’m totally going to have to teach my son that! He’s already very proud of his farts, and likes to announce it whenever he has a “big load” in his diapers.
Freshechelle - I’m dreading the day when I get the call from daycare and hear that my son called so and so a retard. He already yells at the dogs to shut up - I have no idea where he got that
Nicole Jordan on 08 Aug 2007 at 4:31 pm #
>>>catslady
It’s contagious. My husband had a 2 year stint in the military and that’s all anyone did. We really had to clean up our act when we had kids
I had to laugh at this CL. My late dad was career Army and he could swear with the best of him…. but just let him catch one of us kids saying something off color, and boy did we ever get in trouble. I remember when “screwed up” first came into vogue. He wouldn’t even let me use that.
foreverdelayed on 08 Aug 2007 at 4:41 pm #
I swear like a sailor. I try to be good when I am around other people, but sometimes they just slip out!
Everyone around me has a filthy mouth so that probably doesn’t help.
On Red Dwarf they use Smeg, but I am not sure if that was already a swear word on not.
Freshechelle on 08 Aug 2007 at 4:42 pm #
OK going way off topic here but my neighbor actually yells at his kids “You’re not the boss of the pool. I’m the boss of the pool.” Can’t wait to see the ensuing trainwreck when this swell parenting technique comes back to bite him.
Sabrina Jeffries on 08 Aug 2007 at 4:59 pm #
I’m honored, Julia! Just so you know–it is impossible to offend me by cussing in front of me. Impossible.
lisapbailey on 08 Aug 2007 at 6:23 pm #
My DH watches Scrubs and there is one character that uses made up cuss words. I’ve heard her say “frick” very often and it’s really much, much funnier than the actual “f” word.
Aspen on 08 Aug 2007 at 6:45 pm #
Suzzanne you have nothing to worry about. I bought your new book the day it came out. Read the whole thing practically that day too. Now I wish I savored it longer.
Cant wait until the next one!
I completely agree with you about bad language on tv. I dont curse either. I think its like negative energy who wants to be consumed by that?
I like Veronica Mars. Her way of cursing is cute and way more interesting then the real thing.
LOL
Aspen
TinaLouiseF on 08 Aug 2007 at 7:16 pm #
I use both normal curse words and cleaned up curse words.
I’ve been known to curse without realizing it.
Shocked my teacher once. Twenty years later and I still don’t know what I said.
J Perry Stone on 08 Aug 2007 at 7:38 pm #
When I was pregnant with my first child, I was teaching seniors in an iffy high school.
A rough student came up to me and asked, “Mrs. Stone, what would you do if I stuck my pencil in your belly?”
I said before I could think, “I’d f@#king kill you. Now go sit down.”
I swear to God, the only reason I never had trouble with her is because I “spoke” her language.
J Perry Stone on 08 Aug 2007 at 7:38 pm #
When I was pregnant with my first child, I was teaching seniors in an iffy high school.
A rough student came up to me and asked, “Mrs. Stone, what would you do if I stuck my pencil in your belly?”
I said before I could think, “I’d f@#king kill you. Now go sit down.”
I swear to God, the only reason I never had trouble with her is because I “spoke” her language.
Kasey on 08 Aug 2007 at 8:15 pm #
Okay - I have a swearing story. I was about five and I heard my dad say he had to go haul s**t. I grew up on a farm and I heard it called it that a lot.
So one day I was in the back sit of the car with both of my parents in the front seat and we drove past some pig barns. I said, “Eww it smells like pig S**t.”
My mom turns around and says, “Kasey, it is manure.”
My dad then says to my mom, “No, it’s s**t…let her call it what it is.”
Needless to say I still call it s**t. Like father, like daughter.
Ellen on 08 Aug 2007 at 9:49 pm #
I must admit, I have always been a huge fan of shite…without the e. I love how it can be used as a noun or a verb. I love the different varieties it comes in…(dog, pig, horse, and bat are my faves)
I love all the things you can do with it…Eat shite, smell like shite, taste like shite, feel like shite, talk shite, have shite for brains, not to mention my favorite location, up shite’s creek. Do I need to even discuss what happens when it hits the fan?
If you exect more shite examples from me…you are shite outta luck!
Nighty Night you M F ers. LOL
Ellen
Dot C on 08 Aug 2007 at 11:11 pm #
I cuss like a sailor too. I’m beginning to wonder if Sabrina is my long lost sister that came in between my current sister and myself. After all, 8 years apart leave a huge margin for a lil sumthin sumthin.
So, at my job…in a prestigious book store, my mouth is legend. My GM has threatened to start charging 5.00 a swear word. The tally in the first 2 hours after he threatened that was 135.00, so he just walked away….cussing.
It’s an unconscious thing really, when you get a memo from some f*cking A**hole in a cubicle telling you how to rearrange and shelve the novel Lace by Shirley Conran in Romance. WTF??
My worst cuss is probably “Jesus F*ck” and “For F*ck’s Sake!”, when those come out, it signifies incredulity at it’s utmost. Son of a B*tch is reserved for my clumsiness and for when I drop things multiple times.
I don’t consider shit a cuss word.
AND, I’ve cussed so often in front of my daughter, I consider it hypocrisy to stop now. She tells me often I should stop.
Dot C on 08 Aug 2007 at 11:14 pm #
As an aside, friggin, which I’ve tried to substitute and still been nailed on is the victorian term for women masturbating themselves. AND, when I really really get going mad, I start swearing in multiple languages. Do we have any other bi-lingual swearers?
LOL,
It’s creative language, thats what it is!
Dot
twolilhahas on 08 Aug 2007 at 11:48 pm #
It’s great fun when my four-year-old daughter says fork. She has a problem with her Rs… lol
Freshechelle on 09 Aug 2007 at 10:50 am #
Twolilhahas - my French coworkers make me laugh when they say “you must focus”. They pronounce “focus” their own special way.
darkshire007 on 09 Aug 2007 at 9:26 pm #
I must group myself in with Sabrina, Foreverdelayed, Dot C, and everyone else who said they curse like a sailor! Because I am an engine mechanic I work mostly with men…and have learned to talk like one. No word is taboo when it comes to stuck screws, stripped nut plates, broken hydraulic lines, fuel leaks…you get the picture. I have actually went so far as to use the “c” word (which I will not write here as this is polite company). It takes extreme effort on my part to switch between work speak and company speak; sometimes I slip and find myself apologizing profusely.
pri.r. on 10 Aug 2007 at 1:58 am #
OMG i actually say ‘frak’ tooo …because od veronica mars obviously… i’ve been forced to tell people when they ask that i do NOT have some absurd obssession with Galactica.
anyway. yeh frak is basically what i use when i do anything remotely frak worthy, for instance last week i was playing hockey and at one point found myself running at this girl to be the ball back and then she hit the ball into my knee, admittedlyi didn’t say frak but the word did sound awfully close to it …. good thing i had a mouthguard in and it was muffled.
twolilhahas on 10 Aug 2007 at 9:52 pm #
Freshechelle — I’m laughing out loud just picturing it! LOL