F-U-C-K! 

Since AS got me started on all this with his email, I shared the above with him to get his input before posting it here.

“That was great,” AS wrote back, “and quite extensive. I believe the origin of the word fuck, came from the English. They arrested people for being involved in sexual encounters that were, at the time, considered illegal.They were sent to prison for unlawful carnal knowledge. Get it? For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. Or so I’ve been told.”

Fuck is also said to stand for Fornication Under the Command of the King, presumably a decree intended to repopulate England after it was depopulated by the plague.

Neither one is true.

In fact, there are many fake stories about the origins of certain words as acronyms.

“Posh” comes to mind. For many years, I not only believed but propagated the myth that it was for Port Out, Starboard Home, a term used for the best (and most expensive) cabins on sea voyages.

I didn’t want to give that one up until I actually looked it up. Reality:

Early 20th century. Perhaps from slang “posh,” denoting either a dandy or a coin of small value. There is no evidence to support the folk etymology that posh is formed from the initials of Port Out Starboard Home (referring to the more comfortable accommodations, out of the heat of the sun, on ships between England and India).

As for fuck, click here to read a short essay that sets the record straight.