My toddler is saying, "fuck". Funny when some kid on YouTube says it, not funny when your 2 year old says it at a church during prayer! And he's not trying to say truck like a defective Elmo. He's actually picked it up...(I'm no an angel, but my wife and I try to watch our mouths) and ohmygosh please any ideas on how to make him stop? What sucks the most is most other parents assume his mom and I swear like sailors. My theory on how he picked it up...he probably heard us or TV say the word or he was trying to say another word...we reacted to it...and now it's his favorite little show when he's angry and not getting his way. We've tried suggesting he was trying to say another word like frog or truck...telling him to say another word that's more fun like "fooey"...and now since he gets a devlish look on his face when he says it, so we've opted for discipline. Other parents: your kids ever done this so young? Did people look at you like the scum of the earth when he was throwing a tantrum at Target, too? lol
posted by mikee on Jun 2, 2009 - 50 answers

Top Chef (this week's episode, the semi-final): At the judges table, Gail Simmons had a multisyllabic outburst of profanity that was bleeped. What did she say?
posted by imposster on Feb 20, 2009 - 10 answers

Question about Morgan Freeman (spoilers for Wanted inside). [more inside]
posted by Lucinda on Jun 27, 2008 - 3 answers

Who is the woman sampled speaking on NWA's "Gangsta Gangsta"? She says "hopin' you sophisticated motherfuckers here what I have to say", "he'll fuck up you and yours - and anything that gets in his way", and "he'll just call you a lowlife motherfucker and talk about your funky ways." [more inside]
posted by redteam on Jun 22, 2008 - 16 answers

Writers: When do you use profanity in writing? [more inside]
posted by clairezulkey on Nov 10, 2006 - 29 answers

I am in receipt of a brief paragraph of text in Finnish (~35 words, posted inside) that I need to translate to English. I've tried using various online translator tools, but I suspect it might be too laden with OFFENSIVE DRUNKEN PROFANITY (just a contextual hunch) for them to make heads or tails of it. Can anyone recommend a translator that might handle it, or (better yet) are any Finnish speakers lurking who might be so kind as to interpret? [more inside]
posted by MaxVonCretin on Aug 31, 2006 - 8 answers

A general question about the etymology/evolution of profanity as it is generally used in the English language. [more inside]
posted by Navelgazer on Aug 30, 2006 - 18 answers

What is the most profane novel ever written? I'm talking about the absolute dirtiest work of fiction. And by "dirty" I don't really mean sexual content, like a de Sade book. I'm more interested in sheer volume of swears. Thanks!
posted by ktoad on May 9, 2006 - 36 answers

Cussing kids. My sweet little baby girl (8) cut loose with an unbelievable string of profanity when she got off the school bus today. I was actually embarrassed, and believe me, that takes a lot. I have no idea where it came from. We don't speak like that and her peer group consists of exactly one child (very small school). I didn't even know she knew these words. Besides grounding her forever (done) and I have no idea how to best to address this.
posted by cedar on May 19, 2004 - 47 answers

Paging Laguagehat! The new HBO series "Deadwood", set in the infamous old-west Dakota terrritory town, is notably profane—even moreso than other HBO shows. This has generated some press and controversy. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Ethereal Bligh on Apr 6, 2004 - 25 answers

I am developing a problem with cursing, and I'd rather like to curb it before I end up making a grave social mistake. Are there any good techniques for dealing with this? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Monster_Zero on Dec 20, 2003 - 26 answers