Freakin' Words
- ERinVA
- Site Admin
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- Location: Williamsburg, Virginia, USA
Re: Freakin' Words
Actually, that is one word I don't think I ever read any complaints about in connection with BETM.
Ellen
"I don't want people who want to dance; I want people who have to dance.”
-George Balanchine 1904 -1983
To follow the forum's Twitter at http://twitter.com/BEForum, click on the direct link in Applies to All Forums above.
"I don't want people who want to dance; I want people who have to dance.”
-George Balanchine 1904 -1983
To follow the forum's Twitter at http://twitter.com/BEForum, click on the direct link in Applies to All Forums above.
Re: Freakin' Words
Following on from your antepenultimate post, it is actually a pejorative word not of Anglo Saxon, but French/Latin origin:ERinVA wrote:Actually, that is one word I don't think I ever read any complaints about in connection with BETM.
PISS: late 13c., from Old French pissier "urinate" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *pissiare, of imitative origin.
He shall not piss my money against the wall; he shall not have my money to spend in liquor. ["Dictionary of Brutish Slang, University Wit and Pickpocket Eloquence," London, 1811] (What a lovely title!)
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Note the quote's similarity to Mrs. Wilkinson's entreaty: '...piss your wages up the wall.....' BETM is folk history, writ large!
It is a term used daily in Britain; a nicer variant than 'fook off'.
Whether Latin, French or English, its one common factor is that it is clearly onomatopeic.
Re: Freakin' Words
Bill
I am sure now of two things
1. You know a lot of big fancy words
2. You are an expert on PISS
I am sure now of two things
1. You know a lot of big fancy words
2. You are an expert on PISS
Re: Freakin' Words
Indeed, Joe, indeed!jdmag44 wrote:Bill
I am sure now of two things
1. You know a lot of big fancy words
2. You are an expert on PISS
- StevenKing
- Mrs Wilkinson
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- Location: palm springs,usa
Re: Freakin' Words
Speaking of words that the Dutch or Danish would have to look at closely the Broadway creatives had to look verrrrry carefully at least to one word(and a ton of cultural references), that was of course "f**ny". We have that word here but obviously means a different body part(how the hell did that happen?). It also is much more humorous and WAY less risqué. The problem is there is NO alternative in USA usage that balences being shocking AND funny, evidenced that I certainly can't even list the other possibilities beyond what they had to use which was Hoohoo, funny but not too shocking. They tried f**ny at the start but it just confused Americans. So sometimes you just CANT translate some words, and this was just bloody UK English to USA english!!!
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- Mr Braithwaite
- Posts: 770
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- Location: Williamstown, NJ
Re: Freakin' Words
This reminds me of a riding lawn mower billboard which shows a smiling woman mowing the grass. The text: "We women love our Snappers". Dirty words are in the eye of the beholder.
Re: Freakin' Words
That is true. Sometimes things have different meanings in different places.accessmenj wrote:This reminds me of a riding lawn mower billboard which shows a smiling woman mowing the grass. The text: "We women love our Snappers". Dirty words are in the eye of the beholder.
I recall as a young teacher my parents flying over and joining my school table for lunch, straight from arriving from Heathrow. The boys were very good, and all was well until one asked my mother 'How do you feel after that long flight?' She responded with words to the effect that she was sore from sitting too long. Unfortunately, 'f**ny' means quite different things in Oxford and in Boston. I have never seen 12 year olds stifle their laughs so graciously!
Re: Freakin' Words
It is funny how otherwise innocent words can take on a risque meaning, depending on how they're used. I remember a number of years ago on the Academy Awards telecast that a woman was receiving a lifetime achievement award for film editing. The presenter - a dignified, matronly woman who would certainly not have intended her words to be taken the wrong way - nevertheless drew a smattering of laughter from the audience when she praised the recipient of the award for "all of the years she has spent running film through her movieola."
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- Mr Braithwaite
- Posts: 770
- Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2009 5:10 am
- Location: Williamstown, NJ
Re: Freakin' Words
Context makes all the difference. Since "screw" is also used in normal context, we have accepted it even when it is used as a four letter word.
Remember George Carlin's "Seven words you can not say on TV" ?
Remember George Carlin's "Seven words you can not say on TV" ?
Re: Freakin' Words
ALL seven words can now be said on TV (Cable )