Questions related to words or phrases that may be considered offensive in English
82
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10answers
10k views
Differences between slang words for breasts
What is the difference between “tits” and “boobs”?
P.S. I'm not sure if this question is appropriate but as English is not my native language I really would love to know the difference.
70
votes
6answers
3k views
What the #$@&%*! is that called?
Is there a name for the use of symbols in place of curse words, for example #$@&%*!?
36
votes
4answers
3k views
Who is Jesus H. Christ?
When used as an expletive, the name Jesus Christ often gets an H inserted into the middle of it for some reason. I've heard lots of guesses about what the H stands for, the most popular one being ...
33
votes
6answers
2k views
How did “Jew” become pejorative?
For some reason, the word Jew often carries a pejorative or offensive connotation, which the related adjective Jewish does not carry. This is most obvious when either word is used as an attributive:
...
32
votes
7answers
2k views
How bad is the f-word, really?
I am confused: on the one hand, many of my native-speaker friends keep telling me that the f-word is very, very bad. Much worse than the s-word for example. On the other hand, I see it being used ...
29
votes
8answers
3k views
Offensiveness of “black” in reference to race or skin colour
Is black offensive when used to refer to race or skin colour? If so, should we then not use white as well?
25
votes
5answers
6k views
Is there a difference between “arse” and “ass”?
From a comment here, in frequent usage, arse and ass are often interchangeable when used to refer to buttocks or to a person of dubious charms. However, although “to arse about” has a vague connection ...
24
votes
5answers
2k views
Less vulgar synonyms for “circlejerk”
Someone asked in the Math.StackExchange chatroom what a "more refined word for circlejerk" might be. UrbanDictionary defines this (in our desired usage) as:
[...] pompous, self-congratulatory ...
23
votes
7answers
2k views
Does “gay” still include the meaning “merry”?
Dictionary.com lists eight meanings
of gay, with “merry, lively” as
the first entry.
Microsoft banned an
Xbox user for listing Fort
Gay (a real place) as his
hometown:
Xbox Live considered the ...
23
votes
1answer
1k views
Explain this pickup line: “If Bangkok invaded Djibouti, would Greece help?”
I was at an Model UN conference and often notes like the following get passed. As I'm not a native speaker, I assume that this has to do with some pronunciational issue. Can you please explain what's ...
20
votes
4answers
5k views
“Hooker”, “whore”, “prostitute”, when to use which?
"Hooker", "whore", and "prostitute" all mean whore; what are the differences between them?
20
votes
5answers
2k views
Is “what on earth” still commonly used in real life? Is there any alternative that is not cursing or obscene?
I'm a non-native speaker. When I was at school, we were taught that "on earth" is used for emphasis in questions such as:
What on earth are you talking about?
However, from my experience ...
19
votes
12answers
2k views
Just how offensive are the terms “retarded” and “gay”?
My college-age son and his friends use the terms "retarded" and "gay" pretty much interchangeably to mean substandard, bad, lame (in the sense of ineffectual or weak) or just plain wrong. I've ...
18
votes
9answers
6k views
Why is 'c*nt' so much more derogatory in the US than the UK?
What accounts for the strong disapproval of anyone using the word 'cunt' in the US, when the sentiment doesn't exist to the same extent in the UK?
To be clear, it's still a strong word to use in the ...
17
votes
7answers
6k views
How derogatory is “chicks” when used to refer to women?
A comment in “What is a feminine version of guys?” got me wondering: how derogatory is the use of chicks to refer to women (either in general, or to a specific group). To me (I'm a man), it was quite ...
16
votes
10answers
2k views
Is “chubby” offensive?
I said to a person that she is "chubby" and, apparently, she took it very seriously. What I meant to say is that she's not skin and bones... some more pounds than needed but, precisely because of ...
16
votes
5answers
4k views
Is “Eskimo” a universally offensive term?
I know that "Eskimo" is an offensive term in Canada; they use the term "Inuit".
But I see the term "Eskimo" popping up regularly in news articles that I read; I hardly see the term "Inuit" being ...
15
votes
6answers
996 views
Does “woman driver” have a special meaning other than female driver?
Rush Limbaugh’s “wrong choice of word” is causing a big fuss. And I was puzzled to find the following statement of Limbaugh from www.rushlimbaugh.com that was made 4 days ago:
The reaction that ...
15
votes
4answers
886 views
Is there anything wrong with the word “denigrate”?
A few years ago there was a controversy over the word niggardly — a perfectly innocent word that unfortunately sounds like a racial slur.
Given that controversy, is it safe to use denigrate, which ...
15
votes
4answers
738 views
Obscenities considered less obscene in compounds? [NSFW]
There are at least a few cases in which a compound word or phrase, transparently containing an obscene word, seems to be considered less obscene (in some dialect/registers/circumstances) than the word ...
14
votes
5answers
2k views
Was the word “nigger” an expletive in Mark Twain's day?
Was the word "nigger" a deliberately derogatory and offensive word in Mark Twain's time, or was it just a normal word to describe an ethnicity in those days?
Background: I'm curious as to whether ...
14
votes
4answers
7k views
What's the difference between “informal”, “colloquial”, “slang”, and “vulgar”?
It seems many people get confused about the differences (and similarities) between "colloquial" and "slang", so what exactly does each term apply to?
But to be even more thorough it seems to me we ...
13
votes
5answers
910 views
“Woman is the 'n-word' of the world”?
The other day I was watching a video, in which one white teacher was being accused of using the word "nigger" in reference to one of his students who was black. The newscasters, before showing the ...
13
votes
10answers
6k views
Is it offensive to call a redhead a “ginger”?
So I just re-watched this great comedy by Tim Minchin, and here are the questions:
How bad/offensive is the g-word
really (other than being an anagram of the n-word)?
What are alternatives? Is ...
13
votes
2answers
375 views
What term describes enjambment alluding to a taboo word?
In the schoolyard rhyme "Miss Susie" the taboo word is spoken aloud, so I'm not sure that it qualifies as a mind rhyme. Likewise, in the case of a subverted rhyme the expected word isn't spoken.
I ...
12
votes
4answers
620 views
How to ask a knowledge question without causing offence?
By "knowledge question", I mean any sort of question intended to check whether the listener already knows the answer or not. For example:
Are you familiar with how an operating system works?
Do you ...
12
votes
7answers
875 views
Is “Canuck” offensive?
I was criticized the other day for using this word. It never occurred to me that it was offensive, but Wikipedia says it "may" be derogatory. Given Vancouver's hockey team, I tend to think it's ...
12
votes
5answers
17k views
What is the etymology of “cornhole”?
Since being introduced to the bean bag-toss game of the same name, I've wondered about this word. The old farm game, similar to horseshoes, has recently gained such popularity that Googling cornhole ...
12
votes
1answer
208 views
Is “tidbits” Bowdlerized or original?
Our American English local paper insisted on changing a title from titbits to tidbits for a column on minor local events and stories.
I, a British English speaker, have always pronounced and spelled ...
12
votes
2answers
987 views
Are -er insults a British phenomenon?
In the UK there are a lot of insulting words which end in -er, like this: scrubber (slut), tosser (masturbator), chancer (untrustworthy person), poofter (homosexual), wanker (masturbator, generally ...
11
votes
12answers
984 views
Professional term for “useless: should be omitted”
I need a way to say something is useless, in that including it is actually harmful, but not so harshly.
As in,
"The last sentence is useless and should be omitted"
Where the last sentence in a ...
11
votes
3answers
354 views
Is “Dutch wife” one of those “Dutch words”?
The term "Dutch wife" is listed as having several somewhat related meanings. Wiktionary describes it as meaning 1) a body-length pillow, 2) a wicker or bamboo tube that someone sleeps in (also called ...
10
votes
7answers
10k views
Is it true that “tuppence” refers to a woman's vagina in British English slang? If so, why?
I was looking up a definition online, as I often do, in this case the British slang word tuppence; I got the standard "a slang reference to a coin denomination" definition from Wikipedia, but stumbled ...
10
votes
6answers
1k views
Synonym of “s--t eating grin” suitable for polite company
Can anyone think of a synonym for "shit eating grin" that would be usable in polite company?
This definition from the OED captures the meaning I'm looking for perfectly:
A broad grin expressing ...
10
votes
6answers
5k views
Non-offensive substitute for a swear word
What term describes a non-offensive substitute for a swear word?
For example, Battlestar Galactica used frack instead of fuck. Another example is the use of snap instead of shit.
I think I may have ...
10
votes
7answers
2k views
What is the pejorative for people who only practice their faith while at the place of worship?
What is the phrase or word for person that are very faithful in their place of worship (the pejorative usually applies to persons who are showy to the point of hypocrisy), but that are anything but ...
10
votes
7answers
2k views
Can the term “jack/jerk off” be used for female masturbation?
I apologize for this potentially obscene question.
Can the terms jack off or jerk off be used for female masturbation? If not (which is my intuition), what would be the not too poetic vulgar slang ...
10
votes
5answers
19k views
What is the origin and history of the word “motherf---er”?
I'm not a native English speaker, but I would like to know how and why people started using mother fucker. Today it seems it has lost its meaning because people use it all the time, but was there a ...
10
votes
5answers
20k views
Meaning and usage of “bite me”
I often come across the phrase bite me in many TV shows. What does it mean and is there a specific context in which this phrase can be used?
10
votes
3answers
452 views
Does “prescriptive” have solely a negative sense in some communities?
Motivation: I recently used this phrase:
(1) people who read English prescriptive grammar books
I was aware from personal experience that a significant number of people (maybe not a majority, ...
10
votes
3answers
501 views
Why are nouns sometimes pejorative when used attributively?
Certain nouns can often be used as noun adjuncts in place of a corresponding adjective, with no change in literal meaning, where:
The noun is not pejorative when used nominatively by itself.
Nor is ...
9
votes
8answers
1k views
Alternative term to “Blacklist” and “Whitelist”
In short, my company is developing a management tool for managing SIM cards. One of the features of the tool is to block the SIM card if it's put into a disallowed device by device IMEI validation.
...
9
votes
4answers
9k views
Difference between “smart” and “clever”
What is the difference between smart and clever?
As far as I understand the latter is offensive. But the Cambrige Dictionary gives similar definitions of smart and clever.
9
votes
2answers
380 views
What is the origin / reason for adding asterisks within swear words like f**k?
Several variants of this topic have already been covered here, such as:
What name for bowdlerisation with asterisks (e.g., “f*ck”)?
What the #$@&%*! is that called?
However, these deal with the ...
9
votes
6answers
463 views
Vulgar way of saying “he killed himself”
I'm trying to translate my acquaintance's cartoon to cite it in an article written in English. For the subject of the article it is important that the translation will be direct, thus very vulgar ...
9
votes
4answers
27k views
Where did the phrase “batsh*t crazy” come from?
I am curious how this term came to be. I've found this question on various forums, but none of them seem to agree where the term came from. The most popular explanation seems to come from "bat in the ...
9
votes
3answers
454 views
Does using the word “crony” necessitate a negative connotation?
I have always heard the word "crony" in the context of acquaintanceships between people exploiting their closeness for less than noble means. Despite its definitions in the usual places as simply ...
9
votes
3answers
232 views
Meaning of abbreviated vulgarity
Preface: Despite the fact that this question includes vulgar language, it is not intended to be offensive, unprofessional, or humorous, but rather is a serious question.
In the statement, "F**king ...
9
votes
2answers
692 views
Where does the pejorative meaning of “shower” come from?
shower British informal
a group of people perceived as incompetent or worthless
I think this term is becoming obsolete. It's certainly not something I've heard in the street recently. The ...
8
votes
3answers
1k views
Why is “bloody” considered obscene in the UK but not in the US?
Why is the word bloody considered obscene in the UK but not so in the US?
