# WTH does WTF really mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 18, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth-does-wtf-really-mean/676677 "2013-12-18T22:58:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kkayprtygrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b4bc9f/32.png) [@kkayprtygrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kkayprtygrl)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth-does-wtf-really-mean/676677/1 "2013-12-18T22:58:38Z")
**Why does “what the fuck?” make no sense? 😕 Or does it? I mean translated literally it’d be like saying “what does sex?” or “what does have sex” as most people take the word fuck as an interpretation of intercourse…rough too :smack: …So back to point, it doesn’t seem like the brightest thing for everyone to just randomly say all the time for a surprised expression at something either weird or stupid. I mean, I’m culprit to this…even at work (I’m a waitress and all my coworkers swear like sailors too in the back, hard not to catch on). Want to clear this up for me please? 🙂** ---
**Author:** ![Cerealbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Cerealbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerealbox)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth-does-wtf-really-mean/676677/2 "2013-12-18T23:02:02Z")
Fuck in this context is used as a generic expletive and does not specifically mean sex. Hope that clears things up. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth-does-wtf-really-mean/676677/3 "2013-12-18T23:10:15Z")
It is an exclamation, like “What the Hell!”, only stronger, or, indeed, like single word exclamations such as “Shit”, or, indeed, “Fuck!”. They don’t mean very much at all except that they indicate surprise coupled with anger, or at least dissatisfaction or puzzlement. Whrn someone exclaims “Shit!” or “Fuck” they are not talking about excrement or sex. ---
**Author:** ![ski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@ski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ski)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth-does-wtf-really-mean/676677/4 "2013-12-18T23:37:54Z")
This is clearly a perfect place for George Carlin. I think the linked clip will explain all you need to know about the F word. Audio only, but definitely NSFW (unless you work in a much more relaxed job than I do.) [George Carlin - Usage Of The Word Fuck - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZkb4TPI-Lo) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth-does-wtf-really-mean/676677/5 "2013-12-18T23:48:42Z")
> [@ski](#): > > This is clearly a perfect place for George Carlin. I think the linked clip will explain all you need to know about the F word. > > Audio only, but definitely NSFW (unless you work in a much more relaxed job than I do.) > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZkb4TPI-Lo](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZkb4TPI-Lo) Does anyone know for sure who the narrator on that clip is? That’s a classic one, and it’s been attributed to a bunch of different people, but it doesn’t sound like Carlin to me. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth-does-wtf-really-mean/676677/6 "2013-12-18T23:55:25Z")
> [@kkayprtygrl](#): > > **Why does “what the fuck?” make no sense? 😕 Or does it? I mean translated literally it’d be like saying “what does sex?” or “what does have sex” as most people take the word fuck as an interpretation of intercourse…rough too :smack: …So back to point, it doesn’t seem like the brightest thing for everyone to just randomly say all the time for a surprised expression at something either weird or stupid. I mean, I’m culprit to this…even at work (I’m a waitress and all my coworkers swear like sailors too in the back, hard not to catch on). Want to clear this up for me please? 🙂** Idiom (noun) : an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words but that has a separate meaning of its own (source: Webster’s Dictionary.) ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth-does-wtf-really-mean/676677/7 "2013-12-19T00:01:22Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > They don’t mean very much at all except that they indicate surprise coupled with anger, or at least dissatisfaction or puzzlement. Whrn someone exclaims “Shit!” or “Fuck” they are not talking about excrement or sex. Concur that here, fuck is interchangeable with plenty of other words. I have heard (and used) “What the what ?” in confusion before. Grammatically and literally meaningless, but semantically valid and expressive. When you think about it, most usages of the word “fuck” don’t make much literal sense either, anyway. Like “Fuck you !” : it’s rather nice getting fucked once in a while, isn’t it ? Unless the fucker is fucking with you, of course. In which case, fuck that fucking asshole ! ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth-does-wtf-really-mean/676677/8 "2013-12-19T00:08:32Z")
Here is another Youtube f#@k video. Pretty funny and definitely NSFW. [The word fuck](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26UA578yQ5g) Oops. It’s (almost) the same thing that ski posted. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth-does-wtf-really-mean/676677/9 "2013-12-19T00:10:07Z")
> [@JBDivmstr](#): > > Here is another Youtube f#@k video. Pretty funny and definitely NSFW. > > [The word fuck](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26UA578yQ5g) That’s the same one linked to before. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth-does-wtf-really-mean/676677/10 "2013-12-19T00:11:44Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > That’s the same one linked to before. Not quite… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth-does-wtf-really-mean/676677/11 "2013-12-19T00:18:29Z")
> [@JBDivmstr](#): > > Not quite… 😉 OK, the video is different. Same audio, though. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth-does-wtf-really-mean/676677/12 "2013-12-19T01:05:36Z")
Okay, now I’m curious as to where and how the phrase originated. If I had to take a wild-ass guess, I’d guess it evolved from “What in the world…” or “What on Earth…” which led to “What in Hell…” which morphed into “What the hell” which was “strengthened” to “What the fuck”; but WTF do I know? ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth-does-wtf-really-mean/676677/13 "2013-12-19T01:08:29Z")
A friend of mine used to race moto-X. He said that, down in the flats, you could go as fast as you want. You could yank the throttle WFO. I asked, and he explained. “Wide Fuckin’ Open!” Except when he explained it to his mom, and then it was “Wide Freakin’ Open.” ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth-does-wtf-really-mean/676677/14 "2013-12-19T01:13:40Z")
According to my dentist, WTF is “Where’s the floss?” So, I don’t know what the fuck you guys are talking about! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth-does-wtf-really-mean/676677/15 "2013-12-19T01:14:30Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Okay, now I’m curious as to where and how the phrase originated. > > If I had to take a wild-ass guess, I’d guess it evolved from “What in the world…” or “What on Earth…” which led to “What in Hell…” which morphed into “What the hell” which was “strengthened” to “What the fuck”; but WTF do I know? And if you think about it for a minute, you realize that NONE of those expressions make literal sense. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth-does-wtf-really-mean/676677/16 "2013-12-19T01:24:24Z")
I’ll tell you what it _doesn’t_ mean, at least not anymore. And that’s the [Wisconsin Tourism Federation](http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10365240-71.html). ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth-does-wtf-really-mean/676677/17 "2013-12-19T01:25:47Z")
[http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~choh/fcuk.htm](http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~choh/fcuk.htm) More uses to worry about. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth-does-wtf-really-mean/676677/18 "2013-12-19T01:55:18Z")
Where is Marc Maron when we need him? ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth-does-wtf-really-mean/676677/19 "2013-12-19T02:02:49Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Okay, now I’m curious as to where and how the phrase originated. > > If I had to take a wild-ass guess, I’d guess it evolved from “What in the world…” or “What on Earth…” which led to “What in Hell…” which morphed into “What the hell” which was “strengthened” to “What the fuck”; but WTF do I know? What [whatever] … … was that? … caused that? … does that mean? … are you doing? … did you do? … possessed you to do what has to be the most foolish thing anyone on God’s green earth ever thought to do, after I specifically told you not to? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth-does-wtf-really-mean/676677/20 "2013-12-19T03:48:24Z")
While we’re at it, can somebody explain WTF WTH means? 😛 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth-does-wtf-really-mean/676677.md?page=2)