Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with swearing

!@#$%

Anonymous — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:44:49 -0800

I need to stop swearing, speak more softly, and in general become a more "ladylike" (I hate that word) person. Please please help me. I am training right now to become a direct entry midwife. I have completed a lot of my preliminary training, and I am now ready to be an assistant to a midwife.

One of the most important things I need to be able to do is to respect the homes and decorum of women who I will be assisting. If I am letting f-bombs drop , I may make a woman who is laboring uncomfortable by my presence, and that's completely unacceptable to me.

I have to wrap up a CPR/NRP course and so I have about a month to go before I NEED to be good to go.

I've already made a casual effort to stop but I've had only minor success. When I get stressed or on edge, I end up breaking my resolution. I know birth has its moments that will be stressful, and I need to get a grip on this now!

The area I live in is very conservative/religious, so even "oh my god" is off the table.

One success I've had is I've replaced the f-bomb with "fudge" and "jesus christ" with "cheese and rice", but I'm worried these may offend people too.

Anyway, please help me AskMe, I'm open to anything (that doesn't cost a lot of money) to help me stop swearing!

wtf would you say wtf on a first date?

sherlockt — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 19:11:58 -0800

Am I a prude to be put off by cursing/swearing on a first date? I'll preface this by saying that I grew up in a pretty conservative background where cursing does happen, but is generally frowned upon, especially in its stronger manifestations (fuck, sexual expletives, etc). I'll also admit that I myself curse when the occasion merits a strong word, and my mouth is more foul in the privacy of my own car ("f**#@# idiot drivers") than it is in public.

In the past few months I've been on a number of first dates where the woman I'm out with will curse strongly and repeatedly. I feel torn about this - I don't want to be "that guy" who is a soulless, conservative prude. At the same time, I feel like cursing around another person without really knowing them demonstrates a certain lack of social graces that is a red flag. For the record, I don't swear on these dates and so it's not like I've given an indication that I'm comfortable with it. I also don't have a problem with hearing swearing from people I know well - it's just that it seems weird for it to be a fixture of a first date. Am I just too much of a prude or is this a bit strange?

Also, in case it matters, I'm in my early 30s dating professional women who are in their late 20s-early 30s.

What's wrong with my brother?

Tullyogallaghan — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 18:14:11 -0800

I know this is not a medical board but 'just speaking in terms of human experience - my brotherr is 77, an ex-ultra marathoner, ex space shuttle designer now fallen on hard times, health-wise and emotionally. He sleeps all day, is up all night, has dizzy spells and is always angry and swears constantly at his wife. They lead a very isolated, survivalist existance. He hasn't been to the doctor in 20+ years and won't go now. He used to be a health food nut, ran in 50 marathons but had double knee replacement 10 years ago and 'never recovered, emotionally, in that he lost his old running lifestyle after the surgeries. Any ideas? He's also very forgetful. Thanks for any help.

Profane language translation request

mmascolino — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 09:12:13 -0800

During a stupid Reply-To All e-mail storm at my huge international corporation, someone responded with this (which I assume is profane): Putang ina mga indian kayo!!!

The person later apologized and said he thought the e-mail storm was a virus and was complaining back to it. :-) Anyways, this person is from Manila so this is likely Spanish or Tagalog or some combination of the two.

Does anyone have a translation?

What are some non-English words meaning "bastard"?

UbuRoivas — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:18:54 -0800

What are some non-English words meaning "bastard"? This is for the purposes of naming my kitten.

I mean "bastard" literally. I had no luck with sites for foreign-language swearing - none I could find allowed me to input a certain word & get its translation in multiple languages.

I'm pretty sure it's not German for, "Jesus Fucking Christ," but that's all I've got to go on.

anotherpanacea — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 22:42:21 -0800

Does the exclamation "Sheesh Kabibble" mean anything, or is it just nonsense? When I was a kid I used to say it all the time, then someone convinced me it was a German curse phrase. Googling reveals that it's in the general idiolect... so what's it mean?

The all-purpose gerund

rosemere — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 20:59:36 -0800

I'm trying to find an exact quote about swearing. It went something like "When a British soldier uses the word 'fucking', it's only to let you know a noun is coming up." The original source might be Ashley Montague or Robert Graves, but print and Google searches have failed me.

Recommend me rap

fire&wings — Wed, 20 Jul 2005 16:41:48 -0800

I'm looking to compile some bombastic, melodic, aggressive, singular, inventive, mainstream and anthemic rap/hip hop! I'm looking for suggestions along the lines of Xzibit - "X," Ice Cube - "No Vaseline," Dead Prez - "Hip Hop," Terror Squad - "Lean Back," Eminem/D12 - "Shit on you," MC Solaar - "La vie est belle." A good mix of the mainstream, the "shocking," and the best. I don't want a lecture, just good tracks for a compilation cd.

Did Rowlf the Dog swear on TV?

jazon — Wed, 20 Apr 2005 11:00:50 -0800

I have a strong memory of seeing a video clip of Rowlf the Dog swearing on Late Night television. Can anyone help me find more information? I believe I saw it as a clip, instead of live. I think it was from the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Jim Henson was in the guest chair working several different muppet characters. He had just switched to Rowlf, and the dog was chatting to some of the earlier guests on the couch. Johnny tries to get Rowlf's attention; Rowlf turns, points to Johnny, and says "Son of a Bitch!" Johnny is taken aback, with his trademark shocked look. Rowlf shrugs and says "Hey, it's a compliment where I come from." And then they launch into the interview.

Did this happen or am I just dreaming? I'd like any or all:

a) confirmation that someone else remembers this
b) a link to a website with more details confirming the event
c) audio or video of the event

Thanks!

Songs with swearing

wackybrit — Sat, 09 Apr 2005 14:57:48 -0800

Which songs/albums (preferably otherwise good) feature extreme amounts of cussing and swearing? It's often said that rap, in particular, features a lot of swearing, but I find little of it in my collection, with Dr. Dre's "Bitches Ain't Shit" being the only song that I'd say has a 'lot' of cussing. What other songs feature a lot of cussing? I'm having no luck finding any. I only ever found one song with the c-word too.. the Libertine's "What a Waster". Others?

How to deal with a cussing child?

cedar — Wed, 19 May 2004 12:17:59 -0800

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.

Origin of "Go Piss Up a Rope" and the H. in "Jesus H. Christ"?

Shane — Mon, 19 Jan 2004 16:14:49 -0800

Excuse me, but can anyone tell me: What exactly is the origin of the phrase Go piss up a rope? I know it's present in the American South and Midwest, but did it originate elsewhere? Does the phrase occur in other countries? And how exactly does one piss up a rope? Does it mean Go climb a rope (similar to Piss off!), or literally Go urinate up a length of braided twine? And, while we're at it, what the hell does the H stand for in Jesus H Christ? I've always wondered. [...a little more inside] Anyone else ever wonder about some of the inane expressions we humans use? Heck, the creative Finns sometimes use the curse Smell your bellybutton! These folks have some fun theories as to Jesus H, most notably:

Is that his middle name?
(jewish girl here)

~and~

As I understand it, H is Horatio. And it's there so you can swear without really swearing. You know.

YOU: (accidentally drowning your new puppy) Jesus H. Christ!
GOD: Okay, what the fuck was that?
YOU: No, Jesus H. Christ. Some other guy. Not you.
GOD: Oh, my bad.

And my dad's a priest. So I know.