British Expatriate Network

All right, people - give me the final, definitive word on the correct status of the all-purpose emphatic term "bloody".

I have an acquaintance that claims that the expression "bloody", as frequently uttered by ruffians and actors, is extremely offensive and vulgar, and is the equivalent to the (pardon my french) "f" word.

My husband, on the other hand, says that "bloody", while it may be slightly crude, is not even remotely as strong as the "f" word, and at the very worst may be considered a mild curse, such as the "d" word. According to him, it's a bit cheeky, but not a "wash your mouth out with soap" sort of offense. Like if you let one slip in Church, you would not find yourself suddenly disfellowshipped.

Well, sorry about all the cursing, I hope I have not offended anyone's sensibilities, but I would like to get to the bottom of this. No need to use real swearing when replying, you could just use euphamisms or hint at the appropriate American (or Canadian or whatever) phrase you would compare it to.

This is an issue for me, because it has taken me years to understand (or so I thought) the meanings and uses of the most frequently used British curses and expletives. And yes, I have gotten into a few embarrassing situations by innocently repeating what I thought was just a clever turn of phrase, and turns out to be a graphic sexual reference or whatever. (Who knew that "s** it" referred to sodomy? go figure...). Just when I was starting to feel like I could avoid humiliating myself in public, this question is raised. I don't even swear in my own language, so I certainly wouldn't like to inadvertently let loose a stream of vulgarity in another.

Plus, ever since Ron Weasly first gushed the term "bloody brilliant!" in the Harry Potter films, our children are wont to quote him liberally. roll Maybe we all need to clean our mouths out with soap?

I fear I now use the word "bloody" quite liberally - and yes, since Ron Weasley utters it with increasing frequency, it has become very minor - I just hope my kids don't start using it in front of their great aunt as her sensibilities would very much be offended!

I still perceive it as a swear word but since Americans don't, it doesn't bother me to use it.

No help to you at all I'm afraid!

Damn, I was part way through my reply and hit a key accidentally and now I can't find the page with my reply.
Damn, is not a swear word. Some people are damned, others should be. It began with us all being born into sin and damnation. shock

Bloody, much used by Shakespeare, and me, anything that's bloody needs cleaning and changing and renewing. Bloody is so minor a curse word it's more an adjective.
Many things are bloody, like war. Bloody always makes a resurgence during war. Word, image, understanding.

The C word used by a man is usually derogatory, by a woman bitchy and not to be used in front of 'company', policemen or your partners family.

The F word is usually used in this house frequently, but if said 'company' should be around it is moderated to effing this or that. We come from the generation that made love not war, it can have entirely other meanings for us.

mrgreen oops

Bugger is the word I have trouble with here, it's often taken literally by people who frequently use the word wanker without being fully aware of it's meaning.

Bottom causes a small sensation too, Americans here prefer butt, I find this derogatory. I buy pork butt, I call people an ass, not an arse, and I think everyone has a bottom. Whether they reach it or sit on it I don't mind, but it's not a butt.

As to sod it. Which is what I think you may be referring to, a sod is a boggy piece of land, marsh like, off the coast of Ireland, or at least was according to the Oxford dictionary circa 1961 when I had this huge arguement with the aged peeps about my use of bad language. Sod it was my favorite phrase. I copied out the entire dictionary definiton for them and they still did the equivalent of grounding me. I graduated to eff it almost immediately.

Pussy and kitty seem to have become interchangeable for female genitalia amongst the younger set, I have a four legged calico kitty i often call puss. It cracks up the local teenagers who spend hours sucking face on the lawn opposite. I guess practice will make perfect.

I find people who object to swearing, when it is used properly and not as a substitute for a lack of words, to quite often be lacking in human contact and with an overactive and definitive imagination. ( ie, they can't get laid, but if they could this is exactly how it would sound, feel, etc.)

So there, Bollocks to 'em all, I'd be jiggered if they got to me, not to mention knackered. lol

It's wonderful because my puritanical in-laws don't bat an eyelid if I use "bloody" but I can't say any other swear word.

I got a "clip roun' the ear'ole" for using it when I was a kid.

Having said that, it's about as offensive as "damn" and over here is definitely not even thought of as a swear word, just a word you don't say to your boss or your grandma.

I remember explaining this to Germans and Swiss when I lived there. Trying to explain the usage of swear words and their scale of offensiveness is an interesting task...

C? I never ever say it.
F? I say it too much, it's my chosen rage word.
Bloody? Meh. No big deal here. Just pick who you say it in front of.

Well according to my co-workers 11 year old daughter I will be going to HELL twisted because I use the "d" word but then I do live in Texas and no-one here ever says anything bad and they all go to church........... mrgreen roll

The Dixie Chicks cleverly poke fun at this in their song "Lubbock or Leave It".

I say "bugger" a lot and "bloody" often as well.

Not really related but in the same ballpark, yesterday, when I was working in a busy, open plan office, some visitor's toddler was getting into Sharpie pens so an administrator goes up to him and loudly asks him "Would you like to play with my beaver?"

Seven years of working here and I still can't help sniggering when the college mascot gets mentioned.

Bloody is not a swear word. Neither is damn, bottom, bum, arse, prat, piss or, my personal favourite, bollocks.
I think you should move to another state/country.
I personally dislike the c*** word for it's mysogynistic connertations. F*** is a fantastic word, but should not be used in company.

Oh i love using pratt, the looks of confusion are worth evry letter. :lol:

Geeze don't say hell oop's just did lol. Funny what people seem to consider offensive here, specially in texas lol.

I find it funny that people will swap out words to replace them with another. Like
F*** with frigging etc etc. The intent and meaning is the same so just say the F word be done with it. If you are going to do something like that have the courage to say it. lol

I thought "bloody" was a contraction of 'By my Lady". Lady is capitalised because it refers to the Virgin Mary. Ive never quite understood this because "bloody" is an adjective; and "By my Lady" is not.

I agree with you goose. I was going to post the same thing until I scrolled down and saw you had posted my thoughts exactly.
It's daft when people (my in-laws are a prime example) say "darn"....oh that's ok, that's what you do to socks isn't it? Like you say, they say "darn" but they mean "damn"

I think to many Americans the seriousness of a swear word, damn is worse than f*** because of its religious connotations. So here damn is much worse than bloody is in the UK.

....and that's why I'm going to Hell :mrgreen:

While I think that no words are inherantly bad or good, I accept that some proplr feel differently.

The Rabbi Hillel said that the message of the Torah, is "Do not do unto others as you would not have done unto you. The rest is commentary."

I try to restrict my use of words that offend people, unless I want to offend them.