# The 'F' word reveled in **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [November 4, 1999, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-f-word-reveled-in/367 "1999-11-04T23:45:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 1999, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-f-word-reveled-in/367/1 "1999-11-04T23:45:00Z")
[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2\_268b.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_268b.html) Now THAT is a great column! Ooops, there I go, euphamising for that with which a man fucks… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 1999, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-f-word-reveled-in/367/2 "1999-11-07T17:37:00Z")
Oh, I wouldn’t agree with you. First, if you look in your dictionary it often gives the origin of any word: fuck "fek\ verb [akin to D fokken to breed (cattle), Sw dial. fokka to copulate] (15c) verb intransitive 1 Here you can see it’s 15Century. An old word. Also, Cecil did NOT describe or make an attempt to describe, why ‘fuck’ is offensive socially when as a verb, its a pleasureable act. ---
**Author:** ![Claymore\_J](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2acd7d/32.png) [@Claymore\_J](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claymore_J)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 1999, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-f-word-reveled-in/367/3 "1999-11-09T00:18:00Z")
It derives from the German word fliccher (14th century) which means ‘to toss’ or ‘to cast aside’. Hence the reason it is used as a means to reject someones presence in a manner pertaining to vulgarity. \ I can’t believe i managed that without a dictionary. ---
**Author:** ![heretic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/46a35a/32.png) [@heretic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heretic)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 1999, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-f-word-reveled-in/367/4 "1999-11-10T06:48:00Z")
What, made up something inaccurate? It’s much easier without a dictionary. ben ---
**Author:** ![Brightmoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@Brightmoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brightmoon)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 1999, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-f-word-reveled-in/367/5 "1999-11-23T03:21:00Z")
People- the F-word means Fornication Under Carnal Knowledge!!! It was used during the crusades because the population fell sharply. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 1999, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-f-word-reveled-in/367/6 "1999-11-23T05:44:00Z")
**Brightmoon** , I hope that was simply a really lame attempt at humor. At any rate, the short answer to your post is **NO**. (Go back up to the first post in this thread. Place the cursor arrow over the blue underscored text that looks amazingly like a hyperlink. Double-click. The text that looks like a hyperlink will turn out, in fact, to _be_ a hyperlink–directly to a column dealing with this very subject–that denies quite emphatically exactly that which you have posted.) * * * Tom~ ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 1999, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-f-word-reveled-in/367/7 "1999-11-23T16:36:00Z")
“It derives from the German word fliccher (14th century) which means ‘to toss’ or ‘to cast aside’.” Ah, no, I don’t think so. if it were so, we would not say ‘fuck off.’ We would just say ‘fuck’ ---
**Author:** ![Brightmoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@Brightmoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brightmoon)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 1999, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-f-word-reveled-in/367/8 "1999-11-24T00:08:00Z")
I’m sorry if i was wrong but that was what i was told by most of my teachers for the past four years or so. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 1999, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-f-word-reveled-in/367/9 "1999-11-24T00:48:00Z")
We all make mistakes. (And having misinformed teachers has hurt each of us at one time or another.) My point was that the response you gave had already been addressed in Cecil’s original column–which can be read through the hyperlink in the first post. It’s just usually a good idea to see what has already been said–'specially if it came from Cecil. Welcome to the SDMB. * * * Tom~ ---
**Author:** ![JimOfAllTrades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@JimOfAllTrades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimOfAllTrades)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 1999, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-f-word-reveled-in/367/10 "1999-11-25T02:52:00Z")
Brightmoon > [@](#): > > People- the F-word means Fornication Under Carnal Knowledge!!! It was used during the crusades because the population fell sharply. I know you’ve already been corrected about the word ‘fuck’ not being an acronym, but I still have to say… Jeezz! Think about what you wrote. What does “Fornication Under Carnal Knowledge” mean? And what does it have to do with diminishing population? You’ve conflated two different (and equally wrong) legends about the word ‘fuck’. One is that it is an acronym for “Fornication Under Consent of the King”, which some fool may have thought was a program to raise population. Another legend has it as “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge”, which was supposedly how laws against fornication were phrased. If your going to spout urban legends, at least try to spout them in sentences that make sense. Ugly ---
**Author:** ![JimOfAllTrades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@JimOfAllTrades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimOfAllTrades)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 1999, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-f-word-reveled-in/367/11 "1999-11-26T06:52:00Z")
> [@](#): > > If your going to Crap! Make that “you’re”. Oh well, that’ll teach me to get picky about someone else’s post. Ugly ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 1999, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-f-word-reveled-in/367/12 "1999-11-27T19:34:00Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m sorry if i was wrong but that was what i was told by most of my teachers for the > past four years or so. Well, its not so bad. If you went to private school it’s still not too late to demand a refund. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 1999, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-f-word-reveled-in/367/13 "1999-12-16T16:00:00Z")
(South Park kids singing) “Step four, don’t say ‘fuck’ anymore, 'cause ‘fuck’ is the worst word that you can say, ‘fuck’ is the worst word that you can say, You shouldn’t say ‘fuck’, No, you shouldn’t say ‘fuck’, fuck, no!” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 1999, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-f-word-reveled-in/367/14 "1999-12-16T16:15:00Z")
“Step four, don’t say ‘fuck’ anymore, 'cause ‘fuck’ is the worst word that you can say, ‘fuck’ is the worst word that you can say, You shouldn’t say ‘fuck’, No, you shouldn’t say ‘fuck’, fuck, no!”]]]]]]]]]]]] So? What are we suposed to say instead? alway with the ‘don’t’, but never a word with the ‘do’. :::::::: sheesh :::::: ---
**Author:** ![the\_Scarlet\_Pimpernel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f1d935/32.png) [@the\_Scarlet\_Pimpernel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_Scarlet_Pimpernel)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 1999, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-f-word-reveled-in/367/15 "1999-12-18T15:53:00Z")
Forget saying it, Im more interested in doing it!!! * * * the Artist Formerly Known as Kara ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 1999, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-f-word-reveled-in/367/16 "1999-12-18T16:42:00Z")
Don’t confuse fucking with making love. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 1999, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-f-word-reveled-in/367/17 "1999-12-22T15:29:00Z")
Handy, what does the one have to do with the other? Scarlet, can I help? ---
**Author:** ![Studi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Studi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Studi)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 1999, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-f-word-reveled-in/367/18 "1999-12-26T06:29:00Z")
futo, futuere, futui- to have sex Latin wins again! ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 1999, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-f-word-reveled-in/367/19 "1999-12-28T06:34:00Z")
That’s futuo, futuere, futui, fututum. But it isn’t the _origin_ of the English word (though it is the origin of the French “futer”). It would appear to be a word of common Indo-European origin. * * * John W. Kennedy “Compact is becoming contract; man only earns and pays.” – Charles Williams ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 1999, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-f-word-reveled-in/367/20 "1999-12-28T06:36:00Z")
Oops. That’s French “foutre”. * * * John W. Kennedy “Compact is becoming contract; man only earns and pays.” – Charles Williams [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-f-word-reveled-in/367.md?page=2)