“Do not say little in many words but a great deal in a few.” – Pythagoras
6 Cuss Words I’m Trying to Include in My Conversations
I must be going through some sort of nostalgia phase. I’m watching old movies, rereading books I read when I was young, and studying history.
Recently, I came across a list of antiquated cuss words that made me wish I was living back when I could work them into my conversations. Maybe I still can!
Here are six (from Merriam-Webster) for your consideration:
- Thunderation
Thunderation has gone through some evolution as a swear word. It’s a lighter, more appropriate version of “tarnation,” which is in turn a lightening of “damnation.” This term came to popularity in the 1850s and faded in the late 1950s. And it should come back. It can be used in the same way as “Hell!” or “Damn!” Example: “Thunderation, that’s a strong horse! You can barely control it!”
- Swounds
Much in the same way as thunderation, swounds is a proper swear word. It’s a shortening of “God’s wounds,” a common oath used in the Middle Ages that refers to the wounds in Christ’s crucifixion. There are a number of similar terms, such as “strewth,” which means God’s strength. Example: “Swounds! What a horrible accident!”
- Bloody Nora
Cockney slang is a very specific style of speech native to England. London, in particular. By creating rhyming phrases, speakers of Cockney slang had a unique vocabulary that almost operated as a secret code. “Bloody Nora” is an example of such slang – a stand-in for “flaming horror.” It can be used as a description, such as, “You look like a Bloody Nora!” Although this is best done with your worst/best Michael Caine impression to really sell it.
- Sard
During the medieval period, “sard” was a popular alternative for, we’ll call it, “seducing a woman.” It phased out in the 1600s, and hasn’t been used since. But it flows off the tongue well and doesn’t sound as vulgar as some modern-day alternatives. Example: “I’m going to sard her and even stay for breakfast afterwards.”
- Quim
Quim actually had a very short resurgence in 2012, when the first Avengers movie came out. Loki, the villain of the movie, calls Black Widow a “mewling quim” in order to shock and insult her into giving him information. It ultimately doesn’t work, but it brought “quim” to the public consciousness, where it hadn’t been for a long time. “Quim” refers to the female anatomy, and is one of the more insulting ways to refer to it. It’s not a term that should be used lightly, but as a more archaic insult, it has value.
- Fustilarian
Fustilarian is a Shakespearean word, and is a beautiful way to insult someone (especially when they don’t know what it means). The word was first used by Shakespeare in Henry IV in a string of insults by Falstaff to a woman who is on the scene when he is arrested: “Away, you scullion, you rampallion, you fustilarian! I’ll tickle your catastrophe.”
Fustilarious is an adjective meaning low/common and foul smelling. When you call someone a fustilarian, you’re calling him a low fellow, and a stinky one to boot. The word is very rare, passing out of fashion almost as soon as it was coined… which means it’s prime for a comeback.
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