The word Conversing was once only whispered as it meant……
To keep company; to hold intimate intercourse; to commune;
To have knowledge of, from long intercourse or study;
Frequent intercourse; familiar communion; intimate association.
Now everyone converses. The word is used everywhere without any negative connotation. How did it get that way?
So…. When does the F-word enter normal conversation?
I have seen it in news magazines but only as part of a quote of some government official that was angry that someone F-ucked something up.
A single use of “fuck” in the context of a legitimate news story, of course, doesn’t exceed the current legal standard of obscenity, the Miller test, which is derived from the Supreme Court’s decision in Miller v. California (1978).
So why don’t we see it in print more often?
Thus the Supreme Pundit is on a fuck word watch.
No, Blogs do not count. The words have to be in print on paper. We already know they all show up in novels, and many magazines. We are on watch for this hierarchy so please let us know when you see one in print in any of these.
In a public school textbook
In a public school library book
Other than:
c1950 James Jones’ “From Here to Eternity”, with 50 fucks
c1959 “Lady Chatterley’s Lover”
c1863 PHILO CUNNUS Festival of Passions II. 54 That female nation who being encamped near their enemies were fucked, during a truce, by the hostile party. 1869 ROSSETTI Let. 15 Sept. (1965) II. 743 If Byron fd his sister he fd her and there an end. c1888-94 My Secret Life IV. 64 Then a dread came over me. I had fucked a common street nymph.
c1888-94 My Secret Life III. 228 This house had but eight rooms, and two mere closets to let out for fucking. Ibid. VIII. 307 She was..a magnificent bit of fucking flesh, but nothing more. 1893 FARMER & HENLEY Slang III. 80/2 Fucking..Adj., A qualification of extreme contumely. Adv. Intensitive and expletive; a more violent form of bloody. 1893 FARMER & HENLEY Slang III. 80/2 Fucker. 1. A lover. 2. A term of endearment, admiration, derision, etc.
1874 Lett. fr. Friend in Paris II. 168, I had always held that dear mamma was the best fuck in the family, and in every way a most desirable and splendid creature.
Fuck wasn’t in a single English language dictionary from 1795 to 1965.
“The Penguin Dictionary” broke the taboo in 1965
Houghton Mifflin followed, in 1969, with “The American Heritage Dictionary,” (but it also published a “Clean Green” edition without the word, to assure itself access to the lucrative public high school market.)
In a college textbook
Front page of a major city newspaper
NOT YET!
Anywhere in a major city newspaper
In a front-section story by Helen Dewar and Dana Milbank the Washington Post quoted an intemperate remark that Vice President Dick Cheney made to Sen. Patrick Leahy Tuesday on the floor of the Senate.
(The vice president reportedly said, “Fuck yourself.”)
The most recent use of the term in most newspapers came in 1998, when the Washington Post, the New York Times, and other papers reprinted the complete Starr Report, including Monica Lewinsky’s declaration that Bill Clinton “helped fuck up [her] life.” (poor little rat fink that couldn’t swallow!)
The Los Angeles Times has used the word three other times since 1985.
Washington Post had printed “fuck” only one other time since 1987, in a direct quote in a 1992 feature about a death-row inmate’s final days.
A Nexis search for uses of “fuck” in the Village Voice yields more than 1,000 hits;
A similar search through the archives of the Seattle alternative weekly the Stranger yields 2,180, most of which involve Dan Savage directly.
In a mainstream periodical that is not limited in age for purchasing it.
OMNI printed the word Fuck many times as part of the featured science fiction stories it would run.
Of course the Supreme Pundit must pay homage to the late Great George Carlins list
Additionally George did a good job of documenting how Fuck can be used in another of his pieces:
George Carlin – The History And Many Uses Of The Word Fuck
Perhaps one of the most interesting words
in the English language today, is the word FUCK.
Out of all of the English words which begin with the letter F, FUCK is the only word referred to as the “F” word, it’s the one magical word.
FUCK as most words in the english language,
is derived from German,
the word “fricken[?]”, which means to strike.
In English, FUCK falls into many grammatical categories.
As a transitive verb, for instance.
John FUCK-ed Shirley.
As an intransitive verb, Shirley FUCKS.
It’s meaning’s not always sexual;
it can be used as an adjective, such as
John’s doing all the FUCK-ing work.
As part of an adverb,
Shirley talks too FUCK-ing much.
As an adverb enhancing an adjective,
Shirley is FUCK-ing beautiful.
As a noun, I don’t give a FUCK.
As part of a word abso-FUCKING-lutely,
or in-FUCKING-credible.
And, as almost every word in the sentence,
FUCK the FUCK-ing FUCK-ers.
As you must realize,
there aren’t too many words
with the versatility of FUCK.
As in these examples describing situations
such as fraud,
I got FUCK-ed at the used car lot.
Dismay, Aw FUCK it.
Trouble, I guess I’m really FUCK-ed now.
Agression, Don’t FUCK with me buddy.
Difficulty, I don’t understand this FUCK-ing question.
Inquiry, Who the FUCK was that?
Dissatisfaction, I don’t like what the FUCK is going on here.
Incompetence, He’s a FUCK-off.
Dismissal, Why don’t you go outside and play hide-and-go-FUCK yourself?
I’m sure you can think of many more examples.
With all these multi purpose applications,
how can anyone be offended when you use the word?
We say, use this unique, flexible word more often in your daily speech.
It will identify the quality of your character immediately.
Say it loudly, and proudly!
FUCK you!