# Worst Word First Cursed

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-word-first-cursed/135990>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [November 9, 2002, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-word-first-cursed/135990 "2002-11-09T06:32:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-word-first-cursed/135990/21 "2002-11-12T15:27:30Z")

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IIRC, “son of a bitch” was first heard on the final episode of MASH, when Hawkeye says it to his shrink.

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**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-word-first-cursed/135990/22 "2002-11-12T19:43:06Z")

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I think “son of a bitch” was heard on U.S. broadcast network television years before that. I’ll look for specifics.

Keep in mind that on _Saturday Night Live_, Gilda Radner’s character Miss Emily Litella would sometimes turn to Jane Curtin on “News Update” after Emily had been corrected by Jane, sweetly smile, and say, “Bitch.” And Gilda Radner left _SNL_ in 1980, three years before the last episode of _M_A_S_H\*.

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**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-word-first-cursed/135990/23 "2002-11-12T21:33:47Z")

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When was the first broadcast of _True Grit?_ John Wayne says “son-of-a-bitch” in that movie, and I remember seeing it on TV sometime in my teen or preteen years. I kind of remember it being mildly shocking, at least in my household.

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**Author:** ![Asylum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@Asylum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asylum)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-word-first-cursed/135990/24 "2002-11-12T23:42:44Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by vibrotronica \*  
> \*\*IIRC, “son of a bitch” was first heard on the final episode of MASH, when Hawkeye says it to his shrink. \*\*

Actually I believe that he said it in an episode previous to that as well. He was working hard to save a N. Korean soldier from severe wounds only to have him taken away at the end of the film by S. Korean soldiers for an execution or something. As they were taking the N.K. soldier away he said “You son of a bitch” to the head S.K. soldier.

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