# Are "cunt" and "twat" less offensive terms in England? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 26, 2012, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cunt-and-twat-less-offensive-terms-in-england/642151 "2012-11-26T14:22:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Atakapa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a8b319/32.png) [@Atakapa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atakapa)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cunt-and-twat-less-offensive-terms-in-england/642151/41 "2012-11-27T06:10:29Z")
Why exactly is “cunt” considered so terrible in the US? I’ve lived there my entire life, but didn’t know it was viewed as much worse than calling someone a “bitch” or “motherfucker” until very recently. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cunt-and-twat-less-offensive-terms-in-england/642151/42 "2012-11-27T06:44:15Z")
Beats me. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s because unlike bitch, it’s referring to a woman by her genitals alone and our paternalistic nature says that men can handled being reduced to a cock, dick, ass, or prick but women are too fragile so we keep them safe by making the work verboten. Totally pulled from my butt, though. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cunt-and-twat-less-offensive-terms-in-england/642151/43 "2012-11-27T08:23:48Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > So evidently the navies think that “cunt” is a vulgar word to be sidestepped. I am somewhat tickled that the navy holds a position on the vulgarity of a word. 🙂 My take? it is the uber-swear in the UK. Many people have differing opinions of how seriously we should take swearing generally. And most certainly there are regional and gender differences to take into account but even then it comes top of the list anywhere in the UK. Personally I try to steer away from swearing in general, I don’t like it being used as punctuation as I think it cheapens and lessens the effect of the words when they are really called for. You need to keep something in reserve that has the power to shock. My mantra is “always have a cunt up your sleeve” ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cunt-and-twat-less-offensive-terms-in-england/642151/44 "2012-11-27T09:20:11Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > My mantra is “always have a cunt up your sleeve” If it’s up your sleeve it’s in the wrong place… ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cunt-and-twat-less-offensive-terms-in-england/642151/45 "2012-11-27T10:18:14Z")
> [@mascaroni](#): > > “Minge” is all but obsolete… no uses it these days. That was the joke. The danger of speaking for all… I would not say minge is obsolete at all. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cunt-and-twat-less-offensive-terms-in-england/642151/46 "2012-11-27T10:23:34Z")
> [@minlokwat](#): > > Brits use “cunt” and “twat” in referring to males as well, right? Probably more for men than women. ‘Cunt’ meaning basically a bad person, whereas ‘twat’ is more like ‘idiot’. I don’t think many people consciously think ‘I’m going to refer to you as a female body part’ in this context. So it seems relatively neutral as a general term of abuse (albeit not very nice), but if you call a woman a cunt, the word takes on a whole other level of offensiveness. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cunt-and-twat-less-offensive-terms-in-england/642151/47 "2012-11-27T10:45:46Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > If it’s up your sleeve it’s in the wrong place… Ah, my subtle UK humour fails to cross cultural boundaries. Rather like the offending word itself. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cunt-and-twat-less-offensive-terms-in-england/642151/48 "2012-11-27T11:31:30Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > The danger of speaking for all… I would not say minge is obsolete at all. _minge_ as a specific noun (referring to female genitalia) does not seem to be generally used … _minging_ or _minger_ (terms to describe something smelly, unsavory or an ugly person, by reference to female genitalia) are still very much in current use. Personally, I despise the terms. Si ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cunt-and-twat-less-offensive-terms-in-england/642151/49 "2012-11-27T11:54:07Z")
Reporting my personal findings from the North of England, Manchester area: _Cunt_: Always used for men. If it’s used for a woman it’s American usage and by extension more offensive. It’s an offensive word. It’s more often used affectionately than offensively IME, and when it’s affectionately used it’s totally ok. _Twat_: Mildly offensive. Can be used for men and women. It’s sort of funny to say as well. Would be completely acceptable, say, at work. Rhymes with “hat”. _Minge_: Very much in use! “Isn’t that the celeb who goes around flashing her minge every time she gets out of a car” - would be a sentence you might hear at the hair dresser. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cunt-and-twat-less-offensive-terms-in-england/642151/50 "2012-11-27T13:35:08Z")
> [@gracer](#): > > _Minge_: Very much in use! “Isn’t that the celeb who goes around flashing her minge every time she gets out of a car” - would be a sentence you might hear at the hair dresser. Yup, agreed. I mean, it’s not a word that you’d hear often anyway - how often do people casually refer to women’s genitals in everyday life? - but minge definitely wouldn’t strike me as an outdated word to use. Given that the writers of the Office are older than me, I don’t think they meant that to be the joke. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cunt-and-twat-less-offensive-terms-in-england/642151/51 "2012-11-27T16:09:00Z")
> [@minlokwat](#): > > Also I never realized that “twat” was considered a Britishism that rhymes with “hat” until -again from the movies- Emma Stone’s character in **Easy A** uses it to insult another female. When recounting the story to her parents, she describes what she said in a round-about way saying, “Noun. Definitely slang. Think British, although they pronounce it differently.” I posted about that in the other thread about the pronunciation before I saw this. Just thought I’d say that she doesn’t mention the pronunciation, just “Definitely slang, think British”. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vufls33CbdQ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vufls33CbdQ) (approx 1 minute in). [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15737635&postcount=34](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15737635&postcount=34) ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cunt-and-twat-less-offensive-terms-in-england/642151/52 "2012-11-27T16:41:42Z")
> [@gracer](#): > > _Minge_: Very much in use! “Isn’t that the celeb who goes around flashing her minge every time she gets out of a car” - would be a sentence you might hear at the hair dresser. With this and **San Vito** ’s post, I stand corrected. It must be a regional thing… ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2012, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cunt-and-twat-less-offensive-terms-in-england/642151/53 "2012-11-27T17:13:07Z")
> [@Corcaigh](#): > > Cunt is _THE_ most offensive word you can use here - and yes, that’s in Ireland. You can say fuck twenty times in a sentence and the priest you’re talking to won’t bat an eye, but you say “cunt” and the whole place comes to a standstill and grown men faint, dogs yelp, car alarms go off, and the dead start rising from their graves. Although it is top of the offensive list it’s often used affectionately and inoffensively. ---
**Author:** ![Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boulter_s_Canary)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cunt-and-twat-less-offensive-terms-in-england/642151/54 "2012-11-28T19:10:03Z")
> [@gracer](#): > > Reporting my personal findings from the North of England, Manchester area: > > _Twat_: Mildly offensive. Can be used for men and women. It’s sort of funny to say as well. Would be completely acceptable, say, at work. Rhymes with “hat”. Maybe its an ‘across the Pennines’ thing, but I once _deeply_ offended a Yorkshirewoman by using the word in her presence. ---
**Author:** ![Engineer\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9fc29f/32.png) [@Engineer\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Engineer_Dude)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cunt-and-twat-less-offensive-terms-in-england/642151/55 "2012-11-28T19:19:16Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Although it is top of the offensive list it’s often used affectionately and inoffensively. Can I get any of you cunts a drink? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cunt-and-twat-less-offensive-terms-in-england/642151/56 "2012-11-28T19:27:02Z")
> [@si\_blakely](#): > > _minge_ as a specific noun (referring to female genitalia) does not seem to be generally used … > > _minging_ or _minger_ (terms to describe something smelly, unsavory or an ugly person, by reference to female genitalia) are still very much in current use. Personally, I despise the terms. > > Si Are you sure that “minging” and “minger” refer to female genitalia? The root “ming” is just Scots for a bad smell. “Minge” comes from Romany, and does refer to a lady’s bits. ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cunt-and-twat-less-offensive-terms-in-england/642151/57 "2012-11-29T03:17:22Z")
> [@Engineer\_Dude](#): > > Can I get any of you cunts a drink? Cheers me old China… Black and Tan for me… ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cunt-and-twat-less-offensive-terms-in-england/642151/58 "2012-11-29T03:20:41Z")
> [@mascaroni](#): > > Cheers me old China… Black and Tan for me… Them’s fighting words! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cunt-and-twat-less-offensive-terms-in-england/642151/59 "2012-11-29T09:32:44Z")
> [@si\_blakely](#): > > _minge_ as a specific noun (referring to female genitalia) does not seem to be generally used … I didn’t watch it myself, but apparently [this lady’s](http://www.virginmedia.com/tvradio/bigbrother9/pictures/gallery-entrance-outfits.php?ssid=2) first words in the Big Brother 6 house were “Ooooh, you can see my minge!” (whilst wearing this outfit and looking in the mirror). And I’m sure Davina had told her she was live on Channel 4, and not to swear 😉 ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cunt-and-twat-less-offensive-terms-in-england/642151/60 "2012-11-29T15:24:51Z")
> [@Boulter\_s\_Canary](#): > > Maybe its an ‘across the Pennines’ thing, but I once _deeply_ offended a Yorkshirewoman by using the word in her presence. Or maybe just a personal thing? My granny would probably disapprove. She’s ok with “crap” or “shit” if it is warranted, but I don’t take it any further than that. But for example at uni mild swearing was fine, professor swore. “Twat” wouldn’t have been a problem (eg informal conversation: “Well, Camaron is a bit of twat, isn’t he?”), whereas “cunt” or “bitch” would not be acceptable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cunt-and-twat-less-offensive-terms-in-england/642151.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cunt-and-twat-less-offensive-terms-in-england/642151.md?page=4)