What makes a cuss word a cuss word?

OK, no one asked but here's the only word I know in the English language that uses "W" as a vowel:

CWM - noun: a steep-walled semicircular basin in a mountain; may contain a lake

tohostudios wrote:

OK, no one asked but here's the only word I know in the English language that uses "W" as a vowel:

CWM - noun: a steep-walled semicircular basin in a mountain; may contain a lake

Just because no one asked doesn't mean we weren't all wondering. I actually did wonder what it was. I never would have guessed that though. Must be Gaelic.

stevegarveyfan wrote:

tohostudios wrote:

OK, no one asked but here's the only word I know in the English language that uses "W" as a vowel:

CWM - noun: a steep-walled semicircular basin in a mountain; may contain a lake

Just because no one asked doesn't mean we weren't all wondering. I actually did wonder what it was. I never would have guessed that though. Must be Gaelic.

Close. It's Welsh.

This is the kind of useless crap I remember that makes me forget my own phone number. No idea where I picked this word up but it's a Scrabble killer!

troublezone wrote:

The overuse of cuss words can be annoying and come across as unintelligent as ult mentioned. I know everyone slips up now and then but some curse like sailors and generally are disrespectful.

Hey, my Dad was a Naval officer, I learned from the best!!!! Well, just an example of kids learning from their parents. Do I cuss much? no Do I ever cuss in front of my kids? no way

It is each person's morale decision. Some feel one word is bad, while someone else sees no problem with it.

Was there a meeting where everyone sat around and said "Let's not say f*ck anymore". "

I've always thought people made to much of a big deal about swear words there words yes they can sound harsh and some people take offense to them but its still just a form of expression and communication

Schbopo wrote:

Was there a meeting where everyone sat around and said "Let's not say f*ck anymore". "

Yes. It was last Tuesday at 3pm. You missed it!

the sentinel wrote:

Schbopo wrote:

Was there a meeting where everyone sat around and said "Let's not say f*ck anymore". "

Yes. It was last Tuesday at 3pm. You missed it!

Frak me - I missed it!!!

i swear a fair bit. its not too taboo here anymore just common language. we arent as conservative as america

My buddy wrote a funny article on cuss words. As soon as I get it, I'll put it here.

cool

Ok, here's the article my buddy Mike wrote about cursing and cuss words. I hope it does not offend anyone. If it does, I'm sorry.


Cursing and Vulgar Language

I'm
surprised by the amount of people who don't correctly use the English
language. Of course, that's how languages change. Our
misunderstandings and prejudices lead to the further development of
language. I recall taking Ancient Greek and comparing my vocabulary
with Modern Greek. One word always made me laugh: Ponos (p????). This word in Ancient Greek means "work", but in Modern Greek it means "pain". Leave it to the Greeks!

As for English, many Americans often ignorantly use the word "curse" (or its slang derivative "cuss") to refer to words which are not curses.

A curse is
a prayer of doom. It is an effort to befall another by invoking
supernatural power(s). That is a curse. As such the following are
curses:

Curse you.
Go to hell.

May you have diarrhea for a week!


Many often confuse vulgar or profane language for curses. "Vulgar"
means "of the people," or the language of the masses (not the
aristocracy). The Latin Vulgate Bible was the Bible written in the
people's Latin. "Profane" originally meant "in front of the temple", and later came to mean "irreverent".

F*ck, sh*t, ass, b*tch, etc. are vulgar terms that can be used profanely. Words that are vulgar and profane change over time--curses do not.

"Shit" is a vulgar word.
"Eat shit" is a vulgar, possibly profane (in the contemporary sense)
thing to say to someone.
"Eat sh*t and die" is likewise a vulgar command.
But "may you eat sh*t and die" is a curse!


Another example:

"Fuck" is a vulgar word.
"Fuck off" is vulgar command and an idiom meaning, "go away (and masturbate)."
"May you f*ck until your balls rot" is a curse!


Swearing is likewise misused. F*ck, sh*t, ass, b*tch, etc. are not swear words. To swear is to take an oath.

Why
do people confuse these terms? In Christianity cursing and swearing
are considered sinful. Since our culture was heavily influenced by
Western Christian culture, we tend to lump these categories of speech
with vulgar/profane terms. (These three categories have been
confused). Sometimes vulgar and/or profane terms were considered
sinful, but that would often depend on the context of the discussion as
well as those engaged in the discussion.

In short, curses and
swearing oaths are things which do not change in definition over time,
but vulgar language (and thus, what individuals could consider profane)
does change over time. F*ck originally was a verb that meant to breed animals (frie./ang-sax. fokken). sh*t was
a verb that simply meant "to defecate". In fact, the correct English
for the past tense of "to shit" is not "take a sh*t," (which is the
modern idiomatic usage), but "shat". You may say Johnny took a sh*t, but really it is more apt to say that Johnny shat.

In any case, whether we like the language being used or not, it still is subject to the rules of grammar.

Now you can f*ck off or sh*t me a comment. (Just don't be cursing if you do)

That's pretty funny. I like the differences between a curse, profanity and vulgarity.

EvyMetal wrote:

That's pretty funny. I like the differences between a curse, profanity and vulgarity.

My buddy Mike's sense of humor is not for everybody, but if you get, it's easier to digest.