Tell me more ×
English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 8 down vote favorite

Most common damn-words in English are of course the f-word and the s-word, which are - for my best knowledge - considered vulgarisms. The word "crap" may be used as a damn-word, however I'd bet, that it is not vulgar. Am I correct?

share|improve this question

3 Answers

up vote 5 down vote accepted

The meaning of crap is

  • Something that is of extremely poor quality: nonsense; rubbish, junk.
  • excrement: (in singular) an act of defecation.

The first meaning is similar to the use of the work cock in the following British English sentence:

That's all a lot of cock.

The NOAD doesn't mark the second meaning of crap as vulgar, and I don't think it is interpreted as vulgar from people too.
To make a comparison, also the word cock is not considered vulgar, as it has other meanings apart penis.

share|improve this answer
1  
+1 for so much cock :D – Matt Эллен Feb 11 '11 at 10:11
Fair enough for me, thanks :) – Spook Feb 11 '11 at 12:08
2  
Crap can also be used as a synonym for absurdity or ridiculousness. It also can be used as an exclamation, as in Holy crap!. – Scott Mitchell Feb 25 '11 at 20:00
I think you're leaving out the interjection as Scott Mitchell pointed out above. – advs89 Feb 25 '11 at 22:19
The phrase highlighted would actually be quite an unusual one, but makes perfect sense. A native English speaker might use it to add a small amount of comedy value to their complaint. One would also likely substitute 'lot' with 'load'. – Tom W Sep 21 '11 at 19:10
show 3 more comments
up vote 8 down vote

I wouldn't label crap as vulgar by today's standards, but it isn't a word you'd want to use in a professional setting or with people who are prim and proper.

The word itself is used in a many different ways. kiamlaluno pointed out two popular usages:

  • Something that is of extremely poor quality: nonsense; rubbish, junk.
  • excrement: (in singular) an act of defecation.

But it is also used as an exclamation, as in:

Holy crap, this test is difficult!

I do think that the word crap has become more acceptable over time. When I was a child in the 80s I once said, in front of a friend's mother, "This is crap," after seeing a long line at an amusement park. She gave me a very stern look and told me I should not use such vulgar language.

Another time I was helping a classmate clean out his desk and I said something along the lines of, "There is a lot of crap in here," and he shushed me as he was concerned that we would get in trouble if the teacher heard us using that word.

share|improve this answer
+1 for including it as an interjection. – advs89 Feb 25 '11 at 22:20
up vote 5 down vote

Well, it's less vulgar than its synonym "shit", and more vulgar than the term "junk" or "garbage", so it's a matter of scale. I wouldn't use "crap" in polite company, or when speaking to a customer.

Coincidentally, when broadcasting on TV or the Radio in the USA, it's OK to use the word "crap", but illegal to use the word "shit", so it doesn't need to be censored.

share|improve this answer

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.