This story is set in 1825 alternately in France and England. The main character often uses the F-word and P-word during sex scenes.
Was this common for this time period in England/France? When did these words come into the language? What is their origin?
I thought I recalled a similar question recently, but a search was unsuccessful.
Well, the F-word goes back to Old English, so I imagine it was in frequent use during the 1820s. Not anachronistic at all. Now, I imagine that gentlemen wouldn’t use such words in mixed company, but I’m sure they knew what it meant and could use it when appropriate.
From the Wordsworth Dictionary of Obscenity & Taboo
One writer of the 17th century who made frequent use of the “f-word” was John Wilmot, Second Earl of Rochester.
Here’s one of my favourite Rochester poems (not to worry, mods, it’s got to be public domain by now!). Rochester had to flee the court for several months after handing this to King Charles II by mistake.
[WARNING - language that follows is normally found in the Pit! Included for historical accuracy, and to answer the question in the OP.]
I think this has already been pretty well answered, but I thought I’d submit a thread in which I asked about the other uses of this very versatile word:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=15724
mjollnir Did you ever get a satisfactory answer to you question in the other link? As to when it became an intensifier? I thought I answered this question somewhere. Of course it could have been at Dave Wilton’s or any of many other sites.
J E Lighter says in 1857(first cite) but in general usage around the 1880’s-1890’s.
This is it’s origin only as an intensifier and implies nothing else about its origin or usage.
[Moderator watch ON]
Just a note to Northern Piper, here: Our criterion for usage of offensive language is relevance. Since this thread is, after all, asking about the usage of two such words, your post was perfectly appropriate. Don’t sweat it. Now, if you’d quoted that same poem in a thread about children’s games in various parts of the U. S., say, then that would be a problem.
Thanks for the info, samclem. What actually prompted the question was I had recently (at the time) seen the movie Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, in which the word is used as an intensifier. Since the movie was set during World War II, I was wondering whether the intensifier usage was common by then, or it was just an anachronism in the script.
Fucking as an intensifier in WWII? Fuckin’ yeah! Especially in the Army & Navy.
There was a joke in the Army (or maybe not a joke) that if the sergeant barks “Get your fucking rifles,” the soldiers know it’s just a routine drill.
But if he should say “Get your rifles,” they know it’s serious action.
There are few things in life that create that frisson of terror equivalent to seeing the lights come up on the cop car behind you.
A post beginning
has exactly the same effect.
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Passing a nasty poem about someone who can have you killed to that very person by accident? That’s gotta be the height of bad luck. Or maybe an early nominee for the Darwin awards?
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