Where did "bad words" come from??

[mike64]

Re: Where did "bad words" come from??

I hired a student one time, an attractive young girl, from the East Coast. We'd only worked together for a week or so, and she asked me if I had a 'rubber'?

Imagine my surprise.....how forward she was....and how embarrassment when I understood she was simply looking for an eraser :redface:

Rubbers are often used to reference condoms, but if you're from the East Coast like I am, they're also your boots. (and also an eraser

I took some French classes in college-- reminds me of a story the prof told: she was on a trip to France with a friend, and they were buying some groceries. Her friend was into organic stuff, so he wanted to ask "are there preservatives in the milk?" He couldn't think of the French word for preservative, but words like that are often similar to the English because of the common roots, so he asked "Y at-il pr?servatifs dans le lait? which gave the shopkeeper a laughing fit.

Turns out "pr?servatif" is French for "condom" so he asked "are there condoms in the milk?"

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Where did "bad words" come from??

I took some French classes in college-- reminds me of a story the prof told: she was on a trip to France with a friend, and they were buying some groceries. Her friend was into organic stuff, so he wanted to ask "are there preservatives in the milk?" He couldn't think of the French word for preservative, but words like that are often similar to the English because of the common roots, so he asked "Y at-il pr?servatifs dans le lait? which gave the shopkeeper a laughing fit.

Turns out "pr?servatif" is French for "condom" so he asked "are there condoms in the milk?"

I remember prizes in Crackerjacks, but....

 

[PW2]

Re: Where did "bad words" come from??

You are welcome to use some of mine, PW2.

RATZAKRATZA!!
ROWRBAZZLE!!
FORGALOMIC PECALUMER!!
PERGAKLOSICPEP!!

Thanks, JB!

Next time I miss a nail and smack my thumb with a hammer, I'll try to remember them.
I'll let you know if they do the trick!

Mark Twain used to say the difference between the "right word" and almost the right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.

 

[CaptainKev]

Re: Where did "bad words" come from??

II still get taken aback by our European and Australian friend's translation of "cigarette".

"You're gonna go out back and toke on a WHAT!??"

"Two countries separated by a common language" Having lived half my life in the U.K., many years in Europe and now the U.S.A....... I can proudly admit that I'm a bilingual courser I've found that if you want blend in with the local culture you had better learn the curse words first.
Kev.

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: Where did "bad words" come from??

Yes...when the hammer gets 4 nails with one swing and only one of them is metallic, somehow, "Oh darn! Sweetie, could you please pass me an ice pack and some bandaids" does fall a bit short of truly expressing your sentiments at that moment.

Ya Oh Darn just does not cut it in that situation.

 

[jonesg]

Re: Where did "bad words" come from??

II still get taken aback by our European and Australian friend's translation of "cigarette".

"You're gonna go out back and toke on a WHAT!??"

A *** or ****** (if you have a real dictionary) is a mixture of fine herbs,
rolled up and tied in a bayleaf, used to season soup and sauces. It comes out limp as a wet noodle.

Working in restaurants all my life, the gay waiter's eyes always light up when I say I have to go "have a ***".

 

[CN Spots]

Re: Where did "bad words" come from??

iboat's AutoEditor is gonna run out of asterisks on this thread.

 

[achris]

Re: Where did "bad words" come from??

...Pissa, has nothing to do with urination....

But in Russian that means the 'C' word!!

Chris......

 

[Edko]

Re: Where did "bad words" come from??

When the Normans came from France and "took over" England they banned a lot of the details of Anglo Saxon culture as crude and unsophisticated. Language was a big part of that cultural "overhaul".

Something else to blame the French for!

"Pardon my French", indeed.

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: Where did "bad words" come from??

Once I made a fake little mouse looking thing and tied a small string to it. I placed it near the trash can in the kitchen and waited for the wife to come and stand near it. When she did I yanked the string and the "mouse" came towards her. She jumped and screamed "gosh"........Gosh isnt the word I would have though she would have used. Either you got bad words in you or you dont.

 

[achris]

Re: Where did "bad words" come from??

You want bad words??? Try working on an oil rig.... THEY got bad words!!!