The Grammaticality of F.u.c.k.

Factual Questions
1

Ok in all seriousness. This question is simple. I am wondering if there is ANY word in the English Vocabulary that has as many uses (or can be used in as many contexts) as the work Fuck. Example:

What the fuck is that?

Thats a big fucking turtle.

Fuck off.

Your agitating the fuck out of me.

The universe is really fucking big.

How the fuck did she do that.

The list goes on and on, it is amazing. I remember while in college, an English Prof posing this question on the first day to ‘break the ice’ and no one being able to figure it out. So…Anyone?

2

What the hell is that?

That’s a hellishly large turtle.

Go to hell.

You are annoying the hell out of me.

The universe is one hell of a big thing.

How the hell did she do that?

And of course, you can replace hell with heck in any of the above sentences.

3

Speaking of words, I have a riddle.

What is the longest word possible using only one vowel?

4

Aha, but when writing the sentence

You’re a big fuck.

The word hell doesn’t go so good.

5

wishbone - “strengths,” I believe.

6

I’m not sure what your question is, exactly, but like can be used as any of 8 parts of speech.

noun: I have likes and dislikes.
verb: I like grammar.
adjective: Sentence diagramming, parsing, and like activities appeal to me.
adverb: I love it like crazy.
interjection. Like, you know, I really do.
preposition: Is anyone else like me that way?
conjunction: It looks like I’m the only one.

7

Okay, like, so that’s like 7, not 8. So, like, I never said that I liked math.

8

…yeah, hell just doesn’t work in all circumstances… that’s why we have both words i rekon

9

Dunno 'bout dat, the word in question is so versatile that, not only can George Carlin base an extended monologue on it, but there’s even an entire book, The F Word, on its history and use.

Go ahead, drop the $11.20 + S&H and let us know.

10

antdsstblshmntrnsm

11

I was always told that “set” has the most definitions in the English language. This is true as far as I know.

12

It’s also one of the only words in English that can be used as an infix, as in “absofuckinglutely” or “congratufuckingslations.”

And I second nineiron, “set” does have the most definitions.

13

But are those correct usages? Also, how is the sixth example a preposition? How is the last a conjunction?

14

Several of my examples are non-standard, but (in my opinion) that isn’t the same as “not correct”. I won’t debate the distinction here.

preposition: Is anyone else like me that way?
(like here = “having the same characteristics or qualities as”)

conjunction: It looks like I’m the only one.
(like here = “as if, as though”)

Both definitions are quoted from the New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary.

15

I think that the word damn is better…much more usage, and not as violent

16

“KRUNK” According to Conan O’Brien.

17

I love it. A quiet little jewel in the maelstrom of haze.

18

When you say one vowel, what do you mean?

Does words like

enfeebled or Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

count?
ben

19

DOH!

<i>DO! Do</i> words like these count? Too bloody early.

20

It’s certainly a difficult word for students of English as a second language to grasp all the uses and nuances of. A friend of mine was teaching English at one school and there was a particular student who was doing particularly badly and was unlikely to pass the course. She ran into the teachers’ room one day in high dudgeon and yelled:

“You think I know fuck nothing about English, but I know fuck all!”