This is off the beaten path, isn't it? But I was over at Google's Ngram Viewer trying to remember what I had planned to look up, and while my neurons were betraying me I started entering dirty words. That was interesting, so I got more rigorous about it. Here are the most popular current obscenities, sorted by how much their use has grown in English-language books:
Generally, speaking, the use of obscenities in books was close to zero before 1960, and didn't really get off the ground until the 1970s. So that's when I started. The ending point is 2019 because that's as far as Google's data extends.
The winner doesn't surprise me. Fuck and its derivatives are far more widely used on an absolute basis (though shit and damn take the two top spots), but asshole has grown more because it was barely used at all in 1970. If we had a way of knowing, I'd bet that its growth has been even more astronomical in spoken language.
As I've said before (but I can't remember when), I believe that this is because asshole is such a tremendously useful word. Unlike fuck, which has good alternates if you want them, asshole really doesn't. There are plenty of close alternates, but none of them say quite the same thing. It's really a great, great word.
NOTE: I included the four words on the far right of the chart, but they all have fairly common, non-obscene uses that overrun Google's database. This is most likely why their growth has been slow. If we had some way of measuring only their use as obscenities, I'll bet their growth rate would be higher.
My cousin could truly receive money in their spare time on their laptop. their best friend had been doing this 4 only about 12 months and by now cleared the debt. in their mini mansion and bought a great Car.
That is what we do.. https://earningblue.blogspot.com/
Your cousin and their friends are whores.
I will occasionally use a cuss word but the one firm rule I have in my home is no one says the F word.
As I told my daughters and my grand kids years ago
"If you can't put someone down or verbalize frustration using the King's English then perhaps it's time to return to school"
They got the point but now that they are older and have places of their own the F bombs go flying............***sigh***
Happy Thanksgiving everyone
Commendable policy, though I will note "fuck" is very much part of the King's English. It's an old word (and a good word) that comes to us from the language's Germanic roots.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiUvAWZr-5U&ab_channel=SaturdayNightLive
You left out *other******.
Also,
piss, cunt, cocksucker, and tits, according to George Carlin.
+1 for the Priest of Veritas.
The word “pussy” also has an non-obscene use, which I’m a bit surprised Kevin didn’t note. Though, I guess, the non-obscene use is not used all that much any more. When I was young I liked the poem “The Owl and the Pussycat”. Many years ago I thought to read it to my kids. My wife was unfamiliar with the poem so I started reading it aloud to her. She burst out laughing when I read it:
The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
"O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!"
Oh well……..
Just a few days ago I, at this late date, discovered that the Lady Jane of the Stones' Lady Jane was D.H. Lawrence's euphemism for female genitalia in Lady Chatterley's Lover.
I have hope that Steven Pinker's observations about violence will also apply to assholery - over time it will decline because society condemns it.
The core argument around "freedom of speech" is really about assholery and there being consequences to it. Look at all the conservative resentment over political correctness, which is really just asking people not to be assholes.
Yeah, yeah. You have a right to be an asshole - but you will never be free of the consequences. All of which explains the continued attachment to Donald Trump, the asshole that made it to the oval office with (seemingly) no consequences.
You left out all those wonderful dripping with contempt Yiddish epithets like Schmuck, schlemeil, hazzer, etc
The obligatory pointer to Peter Bellamy singing "A Chat with your Mother"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGFJsZVeXuA
My taste runs to sf books and programs, and I find the use of the "f-word" in all of its forms, declensions, tenses, and variations has basically taken over all dialog. Apparently, it's mandatory in every sentence. In spite of its ubiquity, it's still annoying to me.
The rise of "asshole" correlates positively with the gradual (but recently accelerating) descent of the Party of Lincoln into absolute madness.
An "asshole" equivalent:
I believe "jagoff" has been in use in these parts (Chicago) since well before 1970.
It's underrated and I wish I heard it more besides at home, and in Pittsburgh.
God bless Pittsburgh 🙂
I don't see how you do that exercise without referencing George Carlin's list. If you don't remember: shit piss fuck cunt cocksucker motherfucker and tits.