# Wth

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth/117761>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [July 7, 2002, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth/117761 "2002-07-07T08:16:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2002, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth/117761/1 "2002-07-07T08:16:05Z")

</div>

When did “WTH” become “WTF”?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2002, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth/117761/2 "2002-07-07T11:53:09Z")

</div>

When social graces dropped far enough for “F” to be more common than “H.”

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2002, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth/117761/3 "2002-07-07T12:03:40Z")

</div>

OMFG ! IMHFO, it’s a disgrace. A disgrace, I tell ya

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2002, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wth/117761/4 "2002-07-07T15:22:54Z")

</div>

Substituting “fuck” for “devil” or “Hell” in an expression such as “what the \_\_\_\_” or “why the \_\_\_\_” can be traced back in print in English to 1864. They actually used the word **puck**.

The first appearance of _fuck_ in such an expression in print was 1934. But still not in polite society or literature. It took until the early 1950’s for that.