This is a great post, even though my first thought was "stop using the F word? over my dead f---ing body!!" ... a phrase that hints at one additional reason why F-bombs are sometimes subideal. (Think about it! On second thought, don't think about it!)
The Arabic soundalike license plate anecdote is so, so charming. Puts me in mind of Duchamp's L.H.O.O.Q.!
Ha! Please don’t stop using the F-word! No need for dead bodies! I think a well-placed F-bomb can be quite effective—it’s just the overuse that gets tedious.
Thanks for the Duchamp reference! I had to look it up. Great joke!
I like “oh, schnitzel” in lieu of that other š-sound word.
Then there’s the French (or maybe only Quebecois?) religious curses, “tabernac” and the like — I don’t have a sense for how strong they are compared to the scatological or sexual ones.
Hi Mari--A hilarious and fun post. I had a friend in high school who would say "Judas Priest" instead of...well, you know. A good friend of mine, who's married to a Presbyterian minister will say, "Jesus, Mary and Joseph," in an Irish accent (she's an actress) to express consternation. I borrowed "What the frack?!?!?" from Battlestar Galactica. And my "Shakespearean Insults" mug is my favorite. As an aside, my daughter Sophia recently asked, "What does the 'H' in 'Jesus H. Christ' stand for?" Anyone...
It's so interesting to me that there is a whole category of curse-substitutes--like Judas Priest--to avoid taking God's name in vain. Some of them can be quite charming. When I was a kid, I misheard some adults saying "Land of Goshen!" I thought they were saying Atlantic Ocean and could not figure out what they were talking about.
"If anyone take away this book, let him die the death; let him be fried in a pan; let the falling sickness and fever seize him; let him be broken on the wheel, and hanged. Amen"
"Steal not this book my honest friend
For fear the gallows should be your end,
And when you die the Lord will say
And where's the book you stole away?"
My students have done a whole Wikipedia page on book curses:
Son of a Mother! is one that’s hard to argue with
Ha! Good point!
This is a great post, even though my first thought was "stop using the F word? over my dead f---ing body!!" ... a phrase that hints at one additional reason why F-bombs are sometimes subideal. (Think about it! On second thought, don't think about it!)
The Arabic soundalike license plate anecdote is so, so charming. Puts me in mind of Duchamp's L.H.O.O.Q.!
Ha! Please don’t stop using the F-word! No need for dead bodies! I think a well-placed F-bomb can be quite effective—it’s just the overuse that gets tedious.
Thanks for the Duchamp reference! I had to look it up. Great joke!
I like “oh, schnitzel” in lieu of that other š-sound word.
Then there’s the French (or maybe only Quebecois?) religious curses, “tabernac” and the like — I don’t have a sense for how strong they are compared to the scatological or sexual ones.
"Oh schnitzel" is fun! And I agree that cursing in other languages can be satisfying for us, without offending other people.
Hi Mari--A hilarious and fun post. I had a friend in high school who would say "Judas Priest" instead of...well, you know. A good friend of mine, who's married to a Presbyterian minister will say, "Jesus, Mary and Joseph," in an Irish accent (she's an actress) to express consternation. I borrowed "What the frack?!?!?" from Battlestar Galactica. And my "Shakespearean Insults" mug is my favorite. As an aside, my daughter Sophia recently asked, "What does the 'H' in 'Jesus H. Christ' stand for?" Anyone...
Fellow Battlestar Galactica fan here!
It's so interesting to me that there is a whole category of curse-substitutes--like Judas Priest--to avoid taking God's name in vain. Some of them can be quite charming. When I was a kid, I misheard some adults saying "Land of Goshen!" I thought they were saying Atlantic Ocean and could not figure out what they were talking about.
You should look at book curses.
"If anyone take away this book, let him die the death; let him be fried in a pan; let the falling sickness and fever seize him; let him be broken on the wheel, and hanged. Amen"
"Steal not this book my honest friend
For fear the gallows should be your end,
And when you die the Lord will say
And where's the book you stole away?"
My students have done a whole Wikipedia page on book curses:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_curse#Ancient_curses
“May they put his flesh in a dog’s mouth”!? So specific and dire!
These are wonderful! Thank you (and your students!) so much for this!