"[I emphatically reject!]" as a euphemism for f***

January 13, 2012 6:04 PM

Can anyone help me find a certain article which discussed the use of the phrase "I emphatically reject(!)" as a euphemism for the word "fuck"?

I seem to recall reading an article in the last year or two which discussed someone or some publication's use of the phrase "I emphatically reject" to replace the word "fuck", as in:

[I emphatically reject] that shit!

instead of:

Fuck that shit!

It seems like I might have read this in some discussion of the paper "Lawyers as Upholders of Human Dignity (When
They Aren't Busy Assaulting It)" [pdf], but the phrase is not mentioned in the paper itself.

It's also possible that the article in which the phrase appeared was unrelated to that paper; I really can't remember and have had no luck googling.

posted by Juffo-Wup to Law & Government (4 answers total)

Best answer: Think you're thinking of "Well, [I summarily reject] that" (second item)
posted by rolandcrosby at 6:11 PM on January 13, 2012 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Oh geez, thanks! You'd think I'd have been able to find that but I guess 'emphatically' displaced 'summarily' in my brain!
posted by Juffo-Wup at 6:14 PM on January 13, 2012

"Summarily reject off!" I will now say to the next driver that cuts me off when my kids are in the car.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 3:32 AM on January 14, 2012

Also, as a lawyer, when I close a letter with "Govern yourself accordingly." I really mean "…and the horse you rode in on."
posted by mikewas at 4:44 AM on January 14, 2012 [12 favorites]