Pages

1.11.12

@*#xx%<@&$**!!

Expletives are strange things, aren't they? Which ones you use - and most people DO use them, even if they only say "bother"- depends on a number of variables, chief among which must be where you grew up and how old you are.
In some areas and with some age-groups, the F-word is dropped into every sentence without the speakers even being aware they are doing it - cut that word from their memories and they would be struck dumb. I ran a youth club for many years where swearing was banned - the kids would police each other - "Don't swear in front of Liz" - so they at least learned what was acceptable behaviour.
Yet I can remember being chastised for saying "damn", and "bloody" was absolutely forbidden in my house. My father, if he was wound up past endurance, would let fly with an exasperated, "Oh, for Heaven's sake!" and my mother would tut, "Not in front of the children, dear."
Now I must confess I occasionally use the F-word - I think because I hear it so often I have become immune - but the other day, when a white van cut me up at a junction, I was surprised to hear myself exclaim, "Dear Lord Above!"
Some of my upbringing must have stuck after all!
------------------------
Having had too many spam comments recently on this blog I have been forced to restrict those allowed to comment.

10 comments:

  1. When I was about six, I picked up the word 'bugger' from 'nasty Freddie W.' down the road. I remember I used it at the table, one Sunday lunchtime.

    My ears are still ringing, 70 years on.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Are the benefits of a proper upbringing. Whe I was a teenager I spent a year on the factory floor & then a couple of years in the RAF so my vocabularly was widened but I try not use any of the words unless I am very, very, very cross & provoked. Some folks can be so 'damned' annoying some times. I remember when as an apprentice I heard a much respected senior engineer say "oh bugger". Afterwards his face was so red with acute embarrassment.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I admit to using the occasional f-bomb, but really the word is tiresome. My favorite non-expletive is from the movie Elf: "son-of-a-nutcracker!"

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh flipping heck! Am I allowed to comment?

    I have my own words, especially when driving...Willy Winkers for drivers who don't signal.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have terrible language at home - although not in front of the kids. At work I'm very clean, to the point that when I do swear people are VERY shocked, which I find so funny because they really should hear me at home! (I'm not proud, by the way, and I've never sworn in front of my parents!)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I remember writing the word blast in an essay at school and the teacher put a large red biro ring around it and told me it was a swear word and not to use it in a story.

    ReplyDelete
  7. My favourite expletive is 'fog bound flippitty flip flops'. Yell that loud enough and people take note.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've been known to use a little bad language from time to time too. When I was a kid, though, my dad would have washed my mouth out with soap if I'd said anything worse that gosh.

    ReplyDelete
  9. All these confessions! Bugger, damn, heck, gosh and blast - even children use those now. Patsy - did you dream yours up in the bath one day when you lost the soap? And Helen - did you check your spelling? Jenny's is original,and I'd love to be a fly on the wall at Annalisa's house.
    Snail - are you now angelic and expletive free? My OH says FFS (translation on request) at every little thing, and every other driver on the road is an ar****le.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I do try not to - but there are times when sometimes it feels that only a really 'bad' word will do! I can't stand it when it's every other word - I don't think they even know they are doing it! I'm always amazed when I hear terrible language from parents to their kids -and I mean little ones! How to set a good example...I don't think!

    ReplyDelete

Do leave a message before you go!