Wednesday, June 5, 2019

More polite

I imagine you already what the F word is.  As is often the case, Google Search can help you if you don't know the word and its use and history.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&channel=tus&q=fuck


A couple of years ago, I saw a standup comedian performing in front of a crowd of young people.  Each time, he found a way to insert the word into his talk, the crowd laughed uproariously. I had to conclude that they hadn't heard the word before.


The writer Donald Westlake wrote a passage in his novel "Watch Your Back" that used the word often, too often really: https://fearfunandfiloz.blogspot.com/2018/12/up-and-down-scale-of-expletives.html


I wrote the other day that I realized calling for sexual intercourse when accidentally dropping a buttered piece of toast does little to improve the situation. My friend, a cultured man, suggested I rise on the politeness scale and, when exasperated, shout,"Copulate!"


I can see that, once again, the Latin-based word is indeed more indirect and thus perhaps higher class.  I am considering extending the pattern to shouting," Excrement!" when in need of an alternative expletive.

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