# ancient cuss words **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 29, 2004, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-cuss-words/231691 "2004-02-29T01:31:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pope\_hentai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@pope\_hentai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pope_hentai)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-cuss-words/231691/1 "2004-02-29T01:31:53Z")
after all this hubbub with the new jesus movie i kinda wondered… what would a popular curse or exclamation pre-jesus have been? i’m pretty sure he didnt stub his toe and scream “oh ME!” ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-cuss-words/231691/2 "2004-02-29T04:20:29Z")
His Mother is said to have called to the Lad, after he left the door open, “Jesus! Were ya born in a barn?” He also taught phrases which might have followed a toe stub. “Our Father who art in Heaven!” springs to mind. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-cuss-words/231691/3 "2004-02-29T04:28:46Z")
Hmmmmmmm your thread title mentions ancient cuss words. I didn’t think you meant \>2000 years old ancient. Anyway didn’t people a century or two ago say “What the deuce”? My my, such talk !!! I hope the moderators don’t warn me for using such vulgar language. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-cuss-words/231691/4 "2004-02-29T05:11:43Z")
In case you’re ever in ancient Rome and someone pisses you off, here’s a list of insults you can use against them. [http://www.orbilat.com/Latin/Vocabulary/Latin-Forbidden.html](http://www.orbilat.com/Latin/Vocabulary/Latin-Forbidden.html) ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-cuss-words/231691/5 "2004-02-29T17:33:12Z")
The Latin language has swear words for every occasion, from the extremely mild to the jaw-dropping. The “oh, I just stubbed my toe” swear word would probably be _eheu_, which is pretty much the Latin equivalent of “yikes”. Invocations of the gods were pretty mild. _Mehercle_ (by Hercules!), _mecastor_ (by Catsor!, usually spoken by women), or _edepol_ (by Pollux!, usually spoken by men) are the equivalent of “my goodness”, or “oh my gosh”. As you go up the offensibility meter, Latin insults becomes extremely similar to many of our own. Referring to people by various sexually associated anatomical regions. _Podex_ means “asshole”. _Mentula_ and _cunnus_ refer to male and female genitalia, respectively (though not respectably by any means). Love for Greek culture aside, Romans generally had a low tolerance for male homosexuality, and their most extreme insults were accusations leveled against men for actual or even suspected homosexual activity. There was some shame attached to having oral sex performed upon you by another man (in which case they would call you an _irrumator_, but the man performing the act upon another was called the _fellator_, which was just about the most insulting epithet in the entire language. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-cuss-words/231691/6 "2004-02-29T18:00:10Z")
How about “Daddy damn it!” “Oh for the love of Pops!” “Jesus H. Me!”