Questions tagged [offensive-language]
This tag is for questions about offensive language. It is for questions about words or phrases that could be considered offensive. If reason of offensiveness is belittling or painting a negative light instead of 'just offending' CONSIDER using the tag PEJORATIVE-LANGUAGE.
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Origin of the phrase "crazy as a coon"—is it racist?
Encountered most recently in the Procol Harum song "Lime Street." Does the phrase refer to a raccoon, or is the word here used in the sense of the slur?
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Why was "Spook" a slur used to refer to African Americans?
I understand that the word spook is a racial slur that rose in usage during WWII; I also know Germans called black gunners Spookwaffe. What I don't understand is why.
Spook seems to also mean 'ghost' ...
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Is the phrase 'screw up' or 'screwed up' considered profanity/too harsh for young children? [duplicate]
I heard a character in a children's cartoon use it and was a bit shocked given that it was like a PG/Y7 rated show and I have thought of the word as a vulgar phrase, albeit a mild one.
That being said,...
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"Swear" as a noun as opposed to "swear word"
I'm a teenager from Chicago. During my childhood (and, presumably, that of almost all English-speaking children), I was taught that some words were "bad" words; these words were ...
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American English Slang Phrase for "see you in court"?
I'm trying to recall a phrase it goes along the lines of "choose ___" where ___ is a number. OR "pick ___" (I can't remember which word exactly).
The explanation of the phrase is ...
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1
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Is there a definitive direction for going “full ass” relative to going half-ass?
I’ve never heard “full ass” as an actual term anywhere, but I wondered about it since the actual term “half-ass” implies there should be a theoretical meaning for going full. If “half-ass” means ...
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3
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Etymology of the word 'cheatercock'
There's a word used in India, 'cheatercock.' Wiktionary defines a 'cheatercock' as
(India) Someone who violates rules in order to gain an advantage; a cheater.
There are a few hits online, mostly in ...
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2
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What did Trump actually mean by the word "****hole"? [closed]
President Donald Trump referred to African countries, Haiti and El Salvador as "shithole" nations during a meeting Thursday
What did Trump actually mean by the word "shithole"?
In ...
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What are the origins of and is this use of the term "baby" sexist?
I heard this expression twice now this week on current TV. That 90's Show on Netflix (a preview) and NCIS: Hawaii. I don't remember the exact wording but they went something like this:
From That 90'...
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1
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Is it mix blood, mixed blood, or mix blooded? [closed]
Suppose I wanted to say:
That's her ____ daughter?
Would I say:
mix-blood,
mixed-blood,
mix-blooded,
or
mixed-blooded?
I kind of confuse with adjectives whether it goes with -ed.
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year of first use of a vulgar expression? [closed]
Could someone please tell me the origin of the phrase working my ass off or derivations or variations thereof? I've seen 1930s and 1946 as answers, but no elaboration or explanation.
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1
answer
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What’s the origin of the vulgar phrase “I’ve got a board cut to fit my ***”? [closed]
To me the saying “I’ve got a board cut to fit my ass” means that I’ve got a bunch of stuff to do that I have to do, but where does this expression come from?
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Is "Why?" (said in a neutral tone) considered to be an aggressive word in English language? [closed]
I am a non-native English speaker although I lived in UK for 5+ years.
I had a conversation with a colleague today and he claims that using "why?" in conversation is an aggressive thing to ...
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answer
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"That ain't no small potatoes." Are there any similar, yet vulgar, idioms?
It is said that back in the middle ages, university students from various regions who communicated with one another in Latin came up with this intriguing phrase:
"Lingua Latina non verpa canina ...
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1
answer
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Synonym for "bull****" (meaning "ineffective lie" or "unfortunate situation") [duplicate]
Problem
As non-native speaker, I unfortunately picked up the word "bullshit" as an incredibly versatile drop-in for many, less common, non-profanities. There are already multiple questions ...
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What is the origin of the phrase "Life's a (bitch|beach)"?
The other day I saw a throw pillow with the phrase "Life's a peach," which of course is a play on "Life's a beach," which is (as far as I know) a play on "Life's a bitch."...
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What is a word for when a derogatory form of address is used affectionately?
Is there a word for when a derogatory title or form of address is used affectionately?
For example, nigger is highly offensive, but some friends address each other with that word.
Perhaps I'm thinking ...
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3
answers
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How is UK "bloody" understood in the US in 2022?
How likely is it for the average person in the US, with a reasonable cultural understanding of the world to realize that Sentence 1, "I have to finish that bloody project," is loosely a UK ...
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Stop being a pu@$y ... divergence from original meaning and current usage? [closed]
The Latin word pusillanimous was too long, so it was shortened to "pussy" while holding its original meaning "cowardly" [feel free to edit the question and bring a longer ...
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3
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Does a native English speaker consider the phrase "You do realize, that..." condescending?
This has been bugging me for a while now. I personally find it very condescending or aggressive, almost regardless of the context even.
I've got two examples off the top of my head:
Someone has ...
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1
answer
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Question about Dog and Dog's female
I am a non-native speaker trying to learn English. I have a question about an animal.
Why is "dog" considered a good word and while its female equivalent, "bitch", is considered a ...
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2
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What does "arse-knit" mean?
In Alan Hollinghurst's 2004 novel The Line of Beauty, winner of the 2004 Man Booker Prize, there appears the term arse-knit. What does it mean?
In context, it seems to be some kind of uncomfortable ...
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How obscene is "stick it up your ass"? [closed]
The host of a US late night TV show often jokes about the list of words his broadcasting network prohibits him to use on air. FCC monitors broadcasts in terms of "obscenity, indecency, or ...
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What is the origin of the phrase "to not give two f***s"? [closed]
I was curious about the origin of the phrase "to give two fucks". When did the English language first feature counting to a number to express a level of vulgarity? And why two specifically?
...
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answers
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Current Usage of Fanny
We are thinking about giving our daughter the name Fanny.
We are Germans, based in Germany but we're really curious about the current usage of this word in Great Britain.
We are familiar with the ...
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0
answers
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"Transfeminine" vs. "trans feminine" (gender identity term)
I am writing an article and need to select between "transfeminine" and "trans feminine", in reference to a gender identity descriptor. Both terminology choices are seen in ...
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2
answers
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I need to know if I'm being called a b-word [closed]
If I say to someone "please stop your bitching." Or "ugh all she does is bitch" does that imply that the person described is a bitch?
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1
answer
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I was asked by my boss to 'have them do sth', is that rude or not?
I was asked by my boss to 'have them arrange to do this' (where "them" is an external client) - I felt like this not the nicest form to ask an employee to do something, but I'm not native ...
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“pig book” – when, where & why has a booklet of college students with photos been called a “pig book”?
I’m wondering
how widespread geographically and in time was the usage
of calling a paper “face book”
(list of 1st year college students with photos, hometown & dorm room)
a “pig book”, and
what ...
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Is it rude to say "damn it"? [closed]
The context: Not connected with anything. Just sharing a feeling when nobody asked, like:
"Damn it, I love ice cream."
Is it rude to write or say it in UK? Australia and New Zealand? USA?
...
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Is there a word for when something rhymes with a profanity [duplicate]
I am specifically thinking of the Grand Tour episode entitled "A massive hunt". Is there a word that describes this wordplay? It is not a double-entendre, nor is it a homophone.
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How do you punctuate what FFS expands to?
I was just having a discussion with a friend, and we were wondering
about appropriate grammar usage when one says For fucks sake.
In my opinion, there are three candidates:
for fucks sake
for fuck’s ...
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Turk Fair: Meaning?
I was recently told that a term, which seemed to sound like 'Turk Fair' - used in the past - to describe something chaotic. I can only imagine that it relates to the chaos surrounding a street market. ...
user414952
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Is Jester word derogatory? [closed]
Jester means professional fool. Fool is a bad word. Is Jester word derogatory?
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Was "The 'F' Word" in common usage in the 1800s?
I started watching "Deadwood" a few days ago and only got a few minutes into it before I shut it off.
The reason I hit the "ejector seat" was that a character in the show used &...
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2
answers
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What is a better, less vulgar phrase than "take s**t from"?
I'm looking for something better than "take shit". For example, "The clerk refused to take shit from the enraged customer." Specifically, I'm looking for something less vulgar. ...
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vote
1
answer
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Is that a curse word?
I'm French so there are a few words and expressions that I know, but I
don't know whether they count as curse words or whether I can say them
without giving offence.
Like fricking, for example in He ...
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0
answers
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Is there such expression as "Charlie someone out"?
There is the following exchange in Deadwood series season 1 episode 3
...
Johnny: Al?
Al: Yeah.
Johnny: That cherry New York dude is downstairs askin’ for ya.
Al: No good. Charlie him the fuck out.
(...
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1
answer
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Would an American girl aged 12-14 really use the "F-word" casually like this in 1947?
In the 1997 movie "Lolita", in the beginning set in 1947, there is a scene where Dolores Haze (12 or 14, White, girl) has this conversation with a friend:
Mary Rose: "See you later, ...
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Where does the expression "to shine someone on" come from? And does it have racist origins?
Someone suggested to me that the idiom "to shine someone on" is racist in origin.
I'm not talking about shine on or shine or any of those other uses. What I'm referring to is shining someone ...
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Is word "crapy' considered a swear? [closed]
Is word "crapy' considered a swear? Will it be considered impolite or rude?
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Origin of machine term "Sawmill N—er"
Yes, it's an offensive term and the origin may seem obvious but I wanted to dig deeper. The mechanical device in a sawmill which turned (rotated) the logs in order to saw a new face was known as a &...
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'I would be so grateful if...' rude? [closed]
I am a high school student and I often use 'I would be so grateful if you could take a moment to...' or 'I would be so grateful if you could help me.' or something like that when I am writing an ...
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On a certain pejorative in contemporary British English
According to the OED https://www.oed.com/viewdictionaryentry/Entry/67623) "faggot" and "fag", used to refer to gay men in a derogatory way are "originally and chiefly North ...
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Was the word that is now considered a slur against Japanese people ever considered simply a standard, neutral demonym?
It seems the word 'Jap' could have formed along the same lines as 'Finn' (for Finland) and 'Swede' (for Sweden). Perhaps it became more emotively charged during the war?
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Why is 'used to troll' a potentially bad keyword? [closed]
CharcoalHQ caught a post about appealing a network wide ban on Meta.SE yesterday.
Potentially bad keyword in body
The bad keyword is apparently 'used to troll.' What's toxic or potentially bad about ...
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Gender-unspecific pejorative for somebody selling themselves for personal benefit (not prostitution)
What would be alternative words for whore which do not primarily reference women? In this case by whore I do not mean a prostitute, but a person who is willing to sell themselves out for personal ...
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Does English use the word ‘thou’ in any situations nowadays? [closed]
Does English use the word thou in situations nowadays? For example, to humiliate an opponent by being overly familiar?
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How can I replace the most popular cuss words with words which don't sound overly deliberately euphemistic and outright childish? [closed]
It's not that I curse a lot, even when I'm angry, but I don't particularly like the origin of certain, particularly the most popular English ones, cuss words, so I am trying to stop using them ...
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How does suffixing adjectives with "ass" work out grammatically?
Why is it grammatically correct apparently to say, for example "My annoying-ass art teacher"? Or is it? If ass is a noun normally, then what part of speech is it when used to suffix an adjective? Can ...
