# Curse words. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 25, 2005, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curse-words/332634 "2005-11-25T00:21:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curse-words/332634/21 "2005-11-30T03:23:05Z")
Actually, there’s no real consensus as to why “bloody” became a curse word in the UK. The OED cites it from 1695 in that sense, which would seem to be a bit late to be referring to Christ – most of the epithets showing that type of blasphemy (God’s blood --\> 's blood) are much older. The OED says this about the origin: > [@](#): > > [The origin is not quite certain; but there is good reason to think that it was at first a reference to the habits of the ‘bloods’ or aristocratic rowdies of the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th c. The phrase ‘bloody drunk’ was apparently = ‘as drunk as a blood’ (cf. ‘as drunk as a lord’); thence it was extended to kindred expressions, and at length to others; probably, in later times, its associations with bloodshed and murder (cf. a bloody battle, a bloody butcher) have recommended it to the rough classes as a word that appeals to their imagination. We may compare the prevalent craving for impressive or graphic intensives, seen in the use of jolly, awfully, terribly, devilish, deuced, damned, ripping, rattling, thumping, stunning, thundering, etc. There is no ground for the notion that ‘bloody’, offensive as from associations it now is to ears polite, contains any profane allusion or has connexion with the oath ‘'s blood!’] As Bill Bryson said, it’s like people just suddenly decided that “bloody” would be a bad word. There are other examples of something like this, my favorite being “occupying,” which vanished for a time from the language for its sexual connotations. The action of having sexual intercourse or relations; use or employment for sexual gratification; an act of sexual intercourse. – from the OED As far as the use of “poop” instead of “shit,” the former is a euphemism, allowing people to talk about the subject without offense. Sometimes it is necessary to discuss things that are taboo, and euphemisms are coined to make it easier. Euphemisms do change over time, of course: my favorite example is the flipflopping of “arse” and “ass.” “Arse” was so offensive, that the word “ass” was used as a way to say the same thing in polite society. Now, “ass” is by far more offensive, and “arse” is a humorous euphemism. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curse-words/332634/22 "2005-11-30T12:04:34Z")
In the Turkic language family, there are two verbal roots meaning ‘to do’: _et-_ and _qil_-. In any particular Turkic language, only one of these is used with the meaning ‘to do’. The other is avoided because it becomes associated with sex. Even though it had originated as a euphemism to avoid actually talking about sex. The 11th-century Turkic lexicographer Mahmud of Kashgar wrote: “The Oghuz use _etti_ for anything that they do, while the Turks say _qildi_ for ‘make, do’, except that this word is in current use for ‘copulation’, so they avoid it in front of one another, so as not to embarrass the ladies by using it.” (_Divan Lughat al-Turk_ I:171) This has persisted into modern languages, e.g. in Turkish (descended from Oghuz), they still say _et_- instead of _kil_. In Uzbek, descended from the Central Asian Turkic that Mahmud spoke, it’s the other way around, they only say _qil-_. Mahmud also wrote: “One says _er qizigh qildi_, ‘the man copulated with the girl’; this is an allusive phrase for copulation, and the Oghuz therefore avoid the use of this word, and substitute _etti_, literally ‘to put in order’ for _qildi_; for example, they say _er yükünch etti_ ‘the man prayed’, while the Turks say _qildi_.” (\*DLT II:25) Compare in English slang where “to do somebody” can mean to have sex with them. So no matter which of the two “do” verbs a Turkic language used, the other one was bound to get an indecent reputation, because obviously people constantly have sex on the mind but don’t want to admit it. A case study of how dirty-word status gets established. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curse-words/332634/23 "2005-11-30T13:11:07Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > So no matter which of the two “do” verbs a Turkic language used, the other one was bound to get an indecent reputation, because obviously people constantly have sex on the mind but don’t want to admit it. Do tell. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2005, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curse-words/332634/24 "2005-11-30T13:12:33Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Do tell. Drat. That would’ve been much funnier had I said: > [@](#): > > They do? ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2005, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curse-words/332634/25 "2005-12-01T01:46:45Z")
Anybody a Winnie the Pooh fan? ---
**Author:** ![Hombre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecb155/32.png) [@Hombre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hombre)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2005, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curse-words/332634/26 "2005-12-01T12:49:00Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > _Nigger_ is just a word too. Want to put that on your T shirt? > > Words have power. > [@InvisibleWombat](#): > > Why not just print one that says, “I’m a rude person with a limited vocabulary”? Many people do find the word offensive, so why go out of your way to insult or offend them? It was a joke. Of course words have power. See the part about not using curse words out respect? And I would argue that racial slurs are not by definition of this thread “curse words”. Using that logic yelling ‘Fire!’ in a crowded movie house would be cursing. > [@CookingWithGas](#): > > The same people who say, “It’s just a word” are probably also saying, “Why can’t I wear jeans to the wedding?” Or slacks to the rodeo. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curse-words/332634.md?page=1)