# Holy heck, I just realized something... **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-heck-i-just-realized-something/525872 **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share **Created:** [January 21, 2010, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-heck-i-just-realized-something/525872 "2010-01-21T18:34:06Z") **Posts on this page:** 12 **Page:** 1
### Author: ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk) #### Post date: [January 21, 2010, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-heck-i-just-realized-something/525872/1 "2010-01-21T18:34:06Z")
“Heck” is actually an amalgam of Hell + Fuck. I just made “heck” far worse a fake cuss word than any _actual_ cuss word. Yes, I am a genius. ---
### Author: ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk) #### Post date: [January 21, 2010, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-heck-i-just-realized-something/525872/2 "2010-01-21T18:37:32Z")
And of course, “full” is the reverse of “heck”. So when someone says “you’re full of it.” Them’s fightin’ words. ---
### Author: ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson) #### Post date: [January 22, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-heck-i-just-realized-something/525872/3 "2010-01-22T16:58:57Z")
Aw shucks! ---
### Author: ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian) #### Post date: [January 22, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-heck-i-just-realized-something/525872/4 "2010-01-22T17:00:42Z")
futile + suck = ---
### Author: ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01) #### Post date: [January 22, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-heck-i-just-realized-something/525872/5 "2010-01-22T17:39:32Z")
> [@indian](#): > > futile + suck = Sutile? 😉 ---
### Author: ![Heckity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Heckity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heckity) #### Post date: [January 22, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-heck-i-just-realized-something/525872/6 "2010-01-22T18:28:16Z")
Don’t be taking my user name in vain this way . . . I’ll want to know what the heckity you’re up to 😃 ---
### Author: ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477) #### Post date: [January 23, 2010, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-heck-i-just-realized-something/525872/7 "2010-01-23T05:06:07Z")
Except that the word “heck” derives from a word in Middle English, hekke, which in turn was derived from an Old English word, hecc, and Fuck didn’t appear until early Modern English. ---
### Author: ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk) #### Post date: [January 23, 2010, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-heck-i-just-realized-something/525872/8 "2010-01-23T05:28:11Z")
Come now, **elfkin,** you’re ruining it for everybody! ---
### Author: ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk) #### Post date: [January 23, 2010, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-heck-i-just-realized-something/525872/9 "2010-01-23T05:29:16Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > Aw shucks! Shit + Fucks? I think so… ---
### Author: ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477) #### Post date: [January 23, 2010, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-heck-i-just-realized-something/525872/10 "2010-01-23T07:42:24Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Come now, **elfkin,** you’re ruining it for everybody! ::pouts:: how often do you think things from my History Of The English Language class are ever relevant? It’s not like anyone cares about stuff like loan words or the great vowel shift. ---
### Author: ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard) #### Post date: [January 23, 2010, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-heck-i-just-realized-something/525872/11 "2010-01-23T16:13:32Z")
Heck, as everyone knows, is a reference to the london-based nature of hell: Hounslow, Ealing, Chiswick, Kew. ---
### Author: ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk) #### Post date: [January 23, 2010, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-heck-i-just-realized-something/525872/12 "2010-01-23T18:37:04Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > :: pouts:: how often do you think things from my History Of The English Language class are ever relevant? It’s not like anyone cares about stuff like loan words or the great vowel shift. D’aaaalright. I’ll admit, I was interested to know the etymology. I’ll let it slide this one time. And, FWIW, I care about the great vowel shift.