How often do you swear a day? I don’t mean the right-hand-raised, promising-allegiance-to-the-leader kind of swear. I mean the beeped out, conservative mom jaw-dropping kind of swear. The one you use in times of pain or great frustration. The honest to god answer, how often?
Maybe you’re the kind to save it for a special occasion. Maybe you do it once a day. Maybe you let it fly every few words. Regardless, I’m sure you’ve done at some point in your life.
There is now a website that educates you about the etymology of your favorite curse word. A post from everyone’s trusty Dictionary.com lets you know where each swear came from and how it was originally used by your ancestors who swore like a sailor.
Here’s a couple of favorites from the post.
Pi$$
“The United Kingdom uses it to reference someone who has had one too many cocktails.
The word came about somewhere between 1250–1300, originating from the Old French word pissier. In World War II, it was used to describe someone who was performing badly: pi$$-poor. Later, in 1947, the word was more commonly used to reference someone who was angry or irritated.”
Cr@p
“The word comes from the Middle Dutch word, krappe (“to cut off, pluck off”). Then, in the 15th century, it became a word you’d use more frequently to describe someone or something that is considered ‘nonsense.’”
Now. If only someone made a post like this for our local swear words.
Header image courtesy of HuffingtonPost.com and EvangelicalEndTimeMachine.com
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Writer: ANTHEA REYES
