# Phrases you use instead of curse words
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-use-instead-of-curse-words/128341
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [September 13, 2002, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-use-instead-of-curse-words/128341 "2002-09-13T20:32:25Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@burundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burundi)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2002, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-use-instead-of-curse-words/128341/1 "2002-09-13T20:32:25Z")
What phrases do you use when curse words aren’t appropriate? Say you stub your toe in a class full of kindergarteners and muttering “goddammit motherfucker” while hopping on one foot just isn’t a good idea. What’s your euphemism of choice?
When my mother gets angry, she has a tendency to ball up her fists, quiver with rage, and hiss through clenched teeth “_God_…BLESS AMERICA!” My dad, who spent a number of years in the Navy, made a strong effort to clean up his language after having kids. His curse of choice: “Son of a gun!” I have a great-aunt who won’t _say_ the word swear. Instead, it’s “Well, I swan.”
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### Author:  [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2002, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-use-instead-of-curse-words/128341/2 "2002-09-13T21:05:58Z")
effing
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### Author:  [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2002, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-use-instead-of-curse-words/128341/3 "2002-09-13T21:17:53Z")
Oh, ffffffffffffff…fine.
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### Author:  [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2002, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-use-instead-of-curse-words/128341/4 "2002-09-13T21:21:33Z")
In a call center I once worked at, a manager got a complaint from a caller that she heard someone cuss in the background of a call (while we would never have said such things to our own callers, it wasn’t uncommon to get somewhat expressive while they were on hold). The manager came up with a list of alternative phrases for us to use. I don’t remember most of them, but my favorite was, “Fricassee Pete!”
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### Author:  [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2002, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-use-instead-of-curse-words/128341/5 "2002-09-13T21:30:32Z")
Snack. It’s a good, all-purpose sub for a number of words. Variants include snacking, and snackety-snack.
Mother-pusbucket. Originally said by Bill Murray in _Ghostbusters_, it’s a good sub for the Queen Mother of all Dirty Words.
-brianjedi
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### Author:  [@japatlgt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/japatlgt)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2002, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-use-instead-of-curse-words/128341/6 "2002-09-13T21:31:31Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by burundi \*
> \*\*When my mother gets angry, she has a tendency to ball up her fists, quiver with rage, and hiss through clenched teeth “_God_…BLESS AMERICA!” \*\*
What she said. I’ve found it very handy after many years of unbridled air-painting.
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### Author:  [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2002, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-use-instead-of-curse-words/128341/7 "2002-09-13T22:22:40Z")
A coworker of mine has two small children, and she has taken up saying, “What the undie?!” Cracks me up every time.
Me, I say things like frickin’, flippin’, friggin’… and for exclamations, I’ll go with “Doggone it!” and “Shiite Muslim!”
Mostly I forget to restrain myself and just flat-out swear.
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### Author:  [@Odieman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odieman)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2002, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-use-instead-of-curse-words/128341/8 "2002-09-13T22:29:05Z")
One I learned from an elderly gentleman is “Son of a Biscuit”. Another one I am fond of is “Ratsen Fatsen son of a Batsen”, which is loosely based on Fred Flintstones swearing style.
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### Author:  [@\_Uigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Uigi)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2002, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-use-instead-of-curse-words/128341/9 "2002-09-13T22:32:11Z")
FOXTROT OSCAR (military slant here folks)
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2002, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-use-instead-of-curse-words/128341/10 "2002-09-13T22:44:46Z")
> [@](#):
>
> FOXTROT OSCAR (military slant here folks)
I use **CHARLIE FOXTROT** \*.
I also tend to say, **Son of a _whore!_**.
And then there’s the ever-versatile **sack**. “The freeway was **sackin’**.” “Look, you meat- **sack** …” “It was totally **sacked**.”
[sub]\* And let’s not forget SNAFU, FUBAR, BOHICA and TARFU.[/sub]
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### Author:  [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2002, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-use-instead-of-curse-words/128341/11 "2002-09-13T22:57:24Z")
My paternal grandmother used to say “Oh, fudge.”
I’m partial to “What in the name of Sam Hill”, or “freaking” when the situation calls for strong language.
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### Author:  [@Pencepon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pencepon)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2002, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-use-instead-of-curse-words/128341/12 "2002-09-13T23:01:40Z")
Bajahumma. “That statement is unmitigated bajahumma.”
Tunket. “This shirt is hideous. The color makes me look like tunket.” Or, “What in the name of tunket do you think you’re doing?”
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### Author:  [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2002, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-use-instead-of-curse-words/128341/13 "2002-09-13T23:41:47Z")
I swear in Korean.
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### Author:  [@Second\_Guest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Second_Guest)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2002, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-use-instead-of-curse-words/128341/14 "2002-09-13T23:47:25Z")
**Dagnabbit!**
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### Author:  [@Lodrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lodrain)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2002, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-use-instead-of-curse-words/128341/15 "2002-09-14T01:41:15Z")
‘What the Fuzzles?’
And my all-time favorite:
‘Con-sarnit!’
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### Author:  [@Albert\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Albert_Rose)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2002, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-use-instead-of-curse-words/128341/16 "2002-09-14T01:50:39Z")
I like “Thundering Jehosophat!” instead of “God _DAMN_ it!”
I never use, but always appreciate the spooneristic curses, like “Just for grits and shiggles…” and “I’m in a mell of a hess.”
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### Author:  [@sekhmet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sekhmet)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2002, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-use-instead-of-curse-words/128341/17 "2002-09-14T01:53:26Z")
I stick with the unimaginative “Gosh darn it to heck!!”
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### Author:  [@bobo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobo)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2002, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-use-instead-of-curse-words/128341/18 "2002-09-14T01:57:07Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by 'Uigi \*
> \*\*FOXTROT OSCAR (military slant here folks) \*\*
Teehee… **Uigi** , once, after a very long session of annoying service call(s) (If you’ve ever dealt with certain companies while trying to get broken stuff replaced then you know what I’m talking about… “Hello this is X, oh, I should transfer you to Y”, Y then transfers you to Z, Z to A… all the way back to X… ARGH!)
So I finally got frustrated enough and this conversation ensued…
Customer Service: “Well I’ll see if I can maybe get that part out to you… what’s the serial number again?”
Bobo: “sure, hold on… ok, ready?”
CS: “go ahead”
Bobo:" Foxtrot, Uniform, Charlie, Kilo, Yankee, Oscar, Uniform"
CS:" lemme read that back to you… that’s F, U, C… HEY!"
Bobo: “Just send me the damn harddrive… ok?”
CS: “It’ll be there day after tomorow”
(for those that don’t know, I’m a Sysadmin… and after having almost every serial number botched, I switched to the phonetic alphabet for all that stuff… it normally works out, until I get a clueless user and when I say “Wiskey, Tango, Uniform, 4, Alpha, Bravo, Zulu, is your new password, and you’ll be forced to change it at first login… could you log in alright?”… “Hold on, gimme some time, I haven’t finished typing Tango”… UGH… you can figure out the rest)
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### Author:  [@Stavia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stavia)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2002, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-use-instead-of-curse-words/128341/19 "2002-09-14T02:31:55Z")
I’ll usually say dangit or shoot.
I had an uncle who never cussed but if he got really mad at someone he would say “YOU COCKROACH!!!”.
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### Author:  [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2002, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-use-instead-of-curse-words/128341/20 "2002-09-14T02:38:55Z")
My favorites:
Cheese ‘n’ Rice!
Oh Sugar!
That’s Bolshevik!
And once, my friends and I tried to substitute ‘make love’ for the F-word in everyday speech; very difficult, but much hilarity ensued.
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