Swear words

The article in the Times today described these words as swearing ( from an analysis of online product reviews. ) I've often wondered about the origin of Sucks which seems to be popular in US and Australia. Etymology sites seem to differ in their opinions, but it sounds a bit dodgy to me !

I would never use the c word either horrible word, I don't swear much really, but as I said before I consider shit or shite a bit vulgar but not swearing but then I suppose it's all supjective because the amount the f word is used nowadays that will probably be considered mainstream in another generations time

It all changes each generation my mum and dad would have said bloody, bugger or damn which all seem quite quaint now My Nan was in the ruddy or blast generation
I wonder what the next will be

Well, I must say I'm pretty surprised that the Times thinks 'boobs' is a swear word.

How many years has it been around for now...?

The reason I asked the question is because I don't think any of those words is a swear word. I don't think I've ever said shite, nor sucks in the American way. I wonder of the Times knows about boob tubes?

I once wrote an email to DH, who was in Cork at the time, to tell him about the wild mallards that were in the garden in Oxon and how it was difficult to walk anywhere without getting duck shit on your shoes. I got a message from him wondering what I'd said because my email had been censored! Just shows how silly we can be about words. There is nothing remotely rude or sweary about saying duck shit in that context but my entire email was blocked because of one word! I wonder if duck dung or duck 'manure' or (oh so childish!) duck poo would have passed the censors?

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The thing is, duck shit really is shitty stuff! Shit is the perfect word for it expressing, as it does, the complete yuckiness of it, especially when it sticks to your shoes.

I think using asterisks instead of letters is patronising—as if people didn't know what the missing letters was! Very silly.
But I suppose it is a way of getting past the silly censoring rules.

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Isn't shite Irish for shit? I also like saying sod or bugger off. The connotation of bugger and sod is "back passage language" and probably far worse than shit, mind you that comes from your backside too How boobs can be swearing is beyond me and silly to think it is. As for sucks, that's an American-ism and not a swear word either.

There is a huge place for a bit of swearing and I can and do.

I remember a posh girl at school, we used to pay her 10p to swear, it sounded great!

I don't swear very much but I do think it's a fabulous de-stresser. Actually I think there have been scholarly articles saying just that.
And swear words can be
fillers and padders
and emphasis adders.

I think it depends how you use swear words as well. Billy Connolly type usage gets a bit tiresome but an unexpected outburst from an unexpected source can be marvellous and very effective.

I don't think any of the three are swear words but wonder why you would wish to add a "e" to a perfectly adequate shorter word often used as an exclamation( even by me, though I prefer "merde" or "stronzo", but only in select company) !

Boobs is just an endearing diminutive and "sucks" as in "It sucks" a perfectly acceptable observation, albeit limited in scope, used in appropriate company.

I hate the anglosaxon c word. That is a swear word and ugly. Much prefer the French "con"! , said with a shrugging of shoulders, movement of hand, pouting of lips, rolling of eyes, referring to people, things, actions, events, and generally denoting extreme stupidity.

It also depends on who you're with. I have friends from all denominations but as a working class lass, when I'm with my dearest and closest friends we tend to have a swear up and not even notice we swear a lot. However, if with others it doesn't happen.

Im not about to ask the girl in Sainsburys for a packet of "f"ing old holborn There's a time and a place.

Interesting how many of us have problems with the c word. I went to see The Vagina Monologues once with DD and the audience were required to shout the c word. I just couldn't, although will admit to effing and jeffing under provocation.
May have shared how a small child once complained that another had sworn and used the r word. Despite my extensive sweary vocabulary I couldn't identify this word. It turned out to be... arse.

I also hate the word and I love to swear. For some reason it's become the worst word ever. Who knows why but it really is. The minute anyone says it I cringe. It's now seen as a very low thing to say. Mind you Im pretty glad as my vagina is lovely.

I never swear. My parents and grandparents never either. No need for it! It never comes into my head.

In certain circumstances, I can swear like a navvy but there are no circumstances, whatsoever, that I would ever use the "c" word can't even bring myself to write the word . And I would judge anyone, male or female, who did use it. Like Purple daffodil I too went to see The Vagina Monologues and couldn't bring myself to say it.

However i have used it a couple of times in my life to totally get rid of someone. I find it works. So there is a place for it after all.

Well, all I can say to The Times is pee, po, belly, bum, drawers!

Wash your mouth out Absent!

I too don't think any of the three are swear words, but agree that for some reason shite sounds maybe harsher than shit. I would never ever use the C word, and if I hear it at all( Not from my Family I hasten to add), it actually makes me cringe.

I say shit, and if I am really really angry, as I was when we received that stupid letter from DWP which I spoke about in my rant post. I use the F word, which brings a very disgusted and somewhat sad look from DH who never swears at all.

Funnily enough he does when shouting out in his sleep when he is having a disturbed night. sorry I seem to be waffling, nighty night

I was discussing this tread with my daughter last night simply because my Irish MiL used to say shite all the time as in "don't talk shite" she also used to say feck a lot. She was rather well bought up and I never heard any other swear words. That side of the family have a lot of New Yorkers so we also heard sucks. My grandchildren will often say boobies. I laughingly told my daughter that we must be a very common family with all this swearing. She now thinks that gransnetters are sweet delicate old ladies and she log on to mumsnet to prove it. The air is positively blue over there. The language is ripe. There's seems to be no boundaries about what they can discuss. I ended up rather admiring these strong opinionated women. I'm off to practice my swearing and bring it up to date.

I don't think any of them are 'real' swear words although all might offend some people.

I've been known to let rip like a docker in the privacy of my own home but never the c word.

I was forty/forty-one when I was working in Thailand. My colleagues were all in their early to mid twenties. When my visa ran out (because I forgot about it) I calmly said "oh dear" and sorted out, with the college head, a run to the Malaysian border to renew it (and to by some Toblerone and Martini). When something went wrong for my colleagues, including lapsed visas, each and every one of them, whether Aussie, Yank or Limey, said "shit".

Because I was the only one saying oh dear they thought it was much more powerful than their shits.

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How do you define" swearing"
It used to mean taking an oath on something v precious
"By gad (God) Zounds(god's wounds) by Christ etc" which became sanitised to "goodness! Heavens, "etc)
Then the "by" became omitted and given that religion features less in people's lives, they seem to prefer to swear by parts of their anantomy or basic sexual activity(sex, defecating etc)
No way is "boobs" eligible as a swear word, and while shit/shite/suck etc are vulgar they are hardly profanities.
What prompted the question?