Go to hell - Is this swearing?
Subba Rao
I was narrating a business conversation to my girlfriend. I have
mentioned that the business dealing lead me to a "Go to hell" attitude.
She asked me not to use those swear words. I did not know that "Go to
hell" was a swear word/phrase. I am under the impression that the
F-word, s**t word etc, were considered swear words.
Could someone please correct me if I am wrong? Thank you in advance for
any clarification.
Regards,
PS - I live in the US and thus use American English.
--
SR
castellan...@SPAMBUSTER.yahoo.com
Please remove SPAMBUSTER to reply via email.
Molly Mockford
<castellan...@SPAMBUSTER.yahoo.com> wrote in
<l6idncZSsb_...@adelphia.com>:
>I was narrating a business conversation to my girlfriend. I have
>mentioned that the business dealing lead me to a "Go to hell" attitude.
> She asked me not to use those swear words. I did not know that "Go to
>hell" was a swear word/phrase. I am under the impression that the
>F-word, s**t word etc, were considered swear words.
Yes, "hell" is considered a swear-word in the UK, but a very mild one,
about the same level as "damn".
These things vary by culture, though - the French "merde" is much milder
than the literal translation "shit", and the Channel Island patois word
"bougre" is considered hardly swearing at all, even though it means
"bugger".
--
Molly Mockford
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety
deserve neither liberty nor safety - Benjamin Franklin
(My Reply-To address *is* valid, though may not remain so for ever.)
Troy Steadman
> At 06:30:26 on Sat, 29 Oct 2005, Subba Rao
> <castellan...@SPAMBUSTER.yahoo.com> wrote in
> <l6idncZSsb_...@adelphia.com>:
>
> >I was narrating a business conversation to my girlfriend. I have
> >mentioned that the business dealing lead me to a "Go to hell" attitude.
> > She asked me not to use those swear words. I did not know that "Go to
> >hell" was a swear word/phrase. I am under the impression that the
> >F-word, s**t word etc, were considered swear words.
>
> Yes, "hell" is considered a swear-word in the UK, but a very mild one,
> about the same level as "damn".
But "hell" and "damn" equally have non-swear-word usage; unlike say the
F or C words. The phrase "A go-to-hell attitude" is not swearing. "Go
to hell!" is.
ray o'hara
"Subba Rao" <castellan...@SPAMBUSTER.yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:l6idncZSsb_...@adelphia.com...
> Hello everyone,
>
> I was narrating a business conversation to my girlfriend. I have
> mentioned that the business dealing lead me to a "Go to hell" attitude.
> She asked me not to use those swear words. I did not know that "Go to
> hell" was a swear word/phrase. I am under the impression that the
> F-word, s**t word etc, were considered swear words.
>
> Could someone please correct me if I am wrong? Thank you in advance for
> any clarification.
>
> Regards,
>
> PS - I live in the US and thus use American English.
It is a mild swear. Use "A devil may care attitude" it means the same and
won't offend anyone.
Don Phillipson
news:l6idncZSsb_...@adelphia.com...
> I did not know that "Go to
> hell" was a swear word/phrase. I am under the impression that the
> F-word, s**t word etc, were considered swear words.
Swear words are relative to unstated general cultural
assumptions (taboos) most commonly concerning
sex, religion and politics. Thus words invoking excretion
or sexual activity are swear words in some cultures, but
not others. By contrast, the swearing lexicon of French Quebec
includes many specifically religious words (e.g. ciborium,
chalice.) Tightly controlled political communities certify
specific words and phrases for abuse, e.g. fascist hyena:
but the same words, uttered by someone else, may
carry no such weight. Each of us needs to know the
local social environment, i.e. which taboos are recognized
and which are not.
--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)
Molly Mockford
<troyst...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in
<1130585830.3...@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com>:
>But "hell" and "damn" equally have non-swear-word usage; unlike say the
>F or C words. The phrase "A go-to-hell attitude" is not swearing. "Go
>to hell!" is.
I've never heard of "a go-to-hell attitude" - if it doesn't mean (as I
had assumed) an attitude which leads one to say "Go to hell" to
somebody, then perhaps it's an American thing.
As I mentioned in my last post, these things vary with culture. I
assume the OP included ucle in the post because he wanted British
opinions.
Jim Lawton
>Molly Mockford wrote:
>> At 06:30:26 on Sat, 29 Oct 2005, Subba Rao
>> <castellan...@SPAMBUSTER.yahoo.com> wrote in
>> <l6idncZSsb_...@adelphia.com>:
>>
>> >I was narrating a business conversation to my girlfriend. I have
>> >mentioned that the business dealing lead me to a "Go to hell" attitude.
>> > She asked me not to use those swear words. I did not know that "Go to
>> >hell" was a swear word/phrase. I am under the impression that the
>> >F-word, s**t word etc, were considered swear words.
>>
>> Yes, "hell" is considered a swear-word in the UK, but a very mild one,
>> about the same level as "damn".
>
>But "hell" and "damn" equally have non-swear-word usage; unlike say the
>F or C words.
That's not quite right is it? They could, or do, have none swearing usages, but
their use as swear words renders such use more or less impossible. Not to
mention that the topics of conversation in which one might use them would be
restricted to say the least.
"Hello mum, I saw two dogs fucking on the side of the road." , isn't much
improved by substituting the word "copulating".
> The phrase "A go-to-hell attitude" is not swearing. "Go
>to hell!" is.
>
>> These things vary by culture, though - the French "merde" is much milder
>> than the literal translation "shit", and the Channel Island patois word
>> "bougre" is considered hardly swearing at all, even though it means
>> "bugger".
>> --
>> Molly Mockford
>> They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety
>> deserve neither liberty nor safety - Benjamin Franklin
>> (My Reply-To address *is* valid, though may not remain so for ever.)
--
Jim
the polymoth
Bertel Lund Hansen
> She asked me not to use those swear words. I did not know that "Go to
> hell" was a swear word/phrase. I am under the impression that the
> F-word, s**t word etc, were considered swear words.
In general swear-words draw on sex, religion and toilet matters,
because swear-words are meant to provoke strong reactions, and
those three subjects lend themselves to exactly that. "Hell" is
of course from the religious department.
Where the limit between acceptable and unacceptable language is
drawn, is specific for a given (sub)culture.
In the present case I agree with Troy Steadman that "a go-to-hell
attitude" is not swearing.
I once had a class which I was teaching art, in casu drawing. A
very gifted boy was making a drawing of Satan in Hell, and while
we discussed some details about the picture, he said something
that meant "... because Satan holds a trident ...". In Danish he
said: "for Satan holder en trefork" and then he stopped and
smiled. "For satan" is a relatively strong oath.
--
Bertel
Denmark
Brian Wickham
wrote:
>
>"Subba Rao" <castellan...@SPAMBUSTER.yahoo.com> wrote in message
>news:l6idncZSsb_...@adelphia.com...
>> Hello everyone,
>>
>> I was narrating a business conversation to my girlfriend. I have
>> mentioned that the business dealing lead me to a "Go to hell" attitude.
>> She asked me not to use those swear words. I did not know that "Go to
>> hell" was a swear word/phrase. I am under the impression that the
>> F-word, s**t word etc, were considered swear words.
>>
>
> It is a mild swear. Use "A devil may care attitude" it means the same and
>won't offend anyone.
>
I interpret the two as having different meanings. A person who loves
to party, or burn the candle at both ends, may have a "devil may care"
attitude. But a person who says, "screw you, I'm doing it my way" has
a "go to hell" attitude.
I see a "go to hell" attitude to be directed at those around the
person in question. A "devil may care" attitude is directed within.
I think the OP implied that his "go to hell" attitude was the result
of a bitter experience that soured his outlook. That would not
describe a "devil may care" person who is usually thought of as happy
and carefree.
Brian Wickham
TakenEvent
"Molly Mockford" <nospam...@mollymockford.me.uk> wrote in message
news:24OVSOOr...@molly.mockford...
> At 04:37:10 on Sat, 29 Oct 2005, Troy Steadman
> <troyst...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in
> <1130585830.3...@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com>:
>
> >But "hell" and "damn" equally have non-swear-word usage; unlike say the
> >F or C words. The phrase "A go-to-hell attitude" is not swearing. "Go
> >to hell!" is.
>
> I've never heard of "a go-to-hell attitude" - if it doesn't mean (as I
> had assumed) an attitude which leads one to say "Go to hell" to
> somebody, then perhaps it's an American thing.
>
> As I mentioned in my last post, these things vary with culture. I
> assume the OP included ucle in the post because he wanted British
> opinions.
> --
Actually, the OP included "PS - I live in the US and thus use American
English" because he didn't.
I've never heard of a go-to-hell attitude before either. It is probably as
you describe. Hell used to be a swear word, though it's used regularly on
cable these days. It's lost some of its power; a fact that should make
those who would be offended by it a little happier. "Go to Hell!" is used
when "fuck you" or "fuck off" would be inappropriate due to circumstance,
but where the general idea must still be conveyed.
Molly Mockford
<lightbul...@chartermi.net> wrote in
<luL8f.17313$0d3....@fe06.lga>:
>"Molly Mockford" <nospam...@mollymockford.me.uk> wrote in message
>news:24OVSOOr...@molly.mockford...
>> As I mentioned in my last post, these things vary with culture. I
>> assume the OP included ucle in the post because he wanted British
>> opinions.
>
>Actually, the OP included "PS - I live in the US and thus use American
>English" because he didn't.
I can see no other possible reason for his including ucle than that he
did want responses from both sides of the pond. Whatever, he's got
them!
Joe Fineman
> I was narrating a business conversation to my girlfriend. I have
> mentioned that the business dealing lead me to a "Go to hell"
> attitude. She asked me not to use those swear words. I did not
> know that "Go to hell" was a swear word/phrase. I am under the
> impression that the F-word, s**t word etc, were considered swear
> words.
>
> Could someone please correct me if I am wrong? Thank you in advance
> for any clarification.
"Go to hell" in the sense quoted is profanity. It is a trivialization
of a religious expression, and thus offensive to religious people, and
also avoided (in uncertain company) by irreligious people who
disapprove of giving gratuitous offense. The words themselves,
however, are not profane. If, in response to an impious statement, a
pious person told me that I was going to go to hell when I died, that
would not be profanity; it would merely be a pious statement.
"Shit" & "fuck" are obscenities. It used to be (perhaps still is, in
places) a legal offense to print them in full. Conventional people
also avoid mentioning the very things they stand for in ordinary
conversation; but when mention is unavoidable, substitutes such as
"stool" & "copulate" are available and are not obscene.
--
--- Joe Fineman jo...@verizon.net
||: Every state is a separate star :||
||: With a different approach to the letter R. :||
TakenEvent
"Molly Mockford" <nospam...@mollymockford.me.uk> wrote in message
news:xGx0ttPU...@molly.mockford...
> At 10:16:11 on Sat, 29 Oct 2005, TakenEvent
> <lightbul...@chartermi.net> wrote in
> <luL8f.17313$0d3....@fe06.lga>:
>
> >"Molly Mockford" <nospam...@mollymockford.me.uk> wrote in message
> >news:24OVSOOr...@molly.mockford...
>
> >> As I mentioned in my last post, these things vary with culture. I
> >> assume the OP included ucle in the post because he wanted British
> >> opinions.
> >
> >Actually, the OP included "PS - I live in the US and thus use American
> >English" because he didn't.
>
> I can see no other possible reason for his including ucle than that he
> did want responses from both sides of the pond. Whatever, he's got
> them!
> --
It was either his mistake, or he figured that even posters from the U.K.
could enlighten him as to American usage. Not a big deal -- moving on.
Ted Schuerzinger
wrote in news:55q6m1pen4plc0v76...@4ax.com:
>>But "hell" and "damn" equally have non-swear-word usage; unlike say
>>the F or C words.
>
> That's not quite right is it? They could, or do, have none swearing
> usages, but their use as swear words renders such use more or less
> impossible. Not to mention that the topics of conversation in which
> one might use them would be restricted to say the least.
So when you "damn somebody with faint praise", do you consider that
swearing?
Considering that major motion pictures several decades ago could have
names like "Children of the Damned" (from 1960, if memory serves), or "To
Hell and Back" (from the mid-1950s), "hell" and "damn" aren't nearly as
profane or obscene as some might think.
If you use them as exclamations, however....
--
Ted <fedya at bestweb dot net>
Oh Marge, anyone can miss Canada, all tucked away down there....
--Homer Simpson
John Dean
> Molly Mockford wrote:
>> At 06:30:26 on Sat, 29 Oct 2005, Subba Rao
>> <castellan...@SPAMBUSTER.yahoo.com> wrote in
>> <l6idncZSsb_...@adelphia.com>:
>>
>>> I was narrating a business conversation to my girlfriend. I have
>>> mentioned that the business dealing lead me to a "Go to hell"
>>> attitude. She asked me not to use those swear words. I did not
>>> know that "Go to hell" was a swear word/phrase. I am under the
>>> impression that the F-word, s**t word etc, were considered swear
>>> words.
>>
>> Yes, "hell" is considered a swear-word in the UK, but a very mild
>> one, about the same level as "damn".
>
> But "hell" and "damn" equally have non-swear-word usage; unlike say
> the F or C words. The phrase "A go-to-hell attitude" is not swearing.
> "Go to hell!" is.
Indeed. Otherwise such words as "hell" and "damnation" would not appear
in the Bible. Or in GCSE English papers.
--
John "All Hell broke loose" Dean
Oxford
Mike Stevens
> These things vary by culture, though - the French "merde" is much
> milder than the literal translation "shit", and the Channel Island
> patois word "bougre" is considered hardly swearing at all, even
> though it means "bugger".
Here's a genuine quote I heard from an old fellow in a pub I used to
frequent with my late father-in-law. Said chap, know to the other locals as
"Deaf Fred" had spent some years of his youth, several decades before, in
Australia, and on one occasion said "That be a terrible place, that
Australia. They calls one another a bastard as easy as you & I calls one
another a bugger".
--
Mike Stevens
narrowboat Felis Catus II
Web site www.mike-stevens.co.uk
No man is an island. So is Man.
Reinhold (Rey) Aman
> Hello everyone,
Namaste,
> I was narrating a business conversation to my girlfriend. I have
> mentioned that the business dealing lead me to a "Go to hell" attitude.
> She asked me not to use those swear words.
Jesus Christ! What an uptight cunt. Listen to a wise old man, Subba:
Dump that silly prudish twat and get yourself a real woman. She'll be
nothing but trouble. Trust me.
[...]
~~~ Rey ~~~
Vivat lingam
Non resurgam
Dave Fawthrop
<castellan...@SPAMBUSTER.yahoo.com> wrote:
| Hello everyone,
|
| I was narrating a business conversation to my girlfriend. I have
| mentioned that the business dealing lead me to a "Go to hell" attitude.
| She asked me not to use those swear words. I did not know that "Go to
| hell" was a swear word/phrase. I am under the impression that the
| F-word, s**t word etc, were considered swear words.
|
| Could someone please correct me if I am wrong? Thank you in advance for
| any clarification.
Well in my parents days, c1920-1936 "hell" was a very bad word, and would
definitely be concidered swearing. As children (1940s) we were taught
various songs where "the other place" and other euphemisms are used. Even
as a child I thought this rather daft.
--
Dave Fawthrop <dave hyphenologist co uk>
"Intelligent Design?" my knees say *not*.
"Intelligent Design?" my back says *not*.
More like "Incompetent design"
John Flynn
[snip]
> As children (1940s) we were taught various songs where "the other
> place" and other euphemisms are used.
L*nc*sh*r*?
--
johnF
"Everything that is specifically human about our mode of awareness is a
product of our long-standing symbiosis with culture."
-- _A Mind So Rare_, Merlin Donald
Paul Wolff
<joh...@lineone.net> writes
>Dave Fawthrop wrote:
>
>[snip]
>
>> As children (1940s) we were taught various songs where "the other
>> place" and other euphemisms are used.
>
>L*nc*sh*r*?
>
--
Paul
In bocca al Lupo!
Donna Richoux
> On Sat, 29 Oct 2005 06:30:26 -0400, Subba Rao
> <castellan...@SPAMBUSTER.yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> | Hello everyone,
> |
> | I was narrating a business conversation to my girlfriend. I have
> | mentioned that the business dealing lead me to a "Go to hell" attitude.
> | She asked me not to use those swear words. I did not know that "Go to
> | hell" was a swear word/phrase. I am under the impression that the
> | F-word, s**t word etc, were considered swear words.
> |
> | Could someone please correct me if I am wrong? Thank you in advance for
> | any clarification.
>
> Well in my parents days, c1920-1936 "hell" was a very bad word, and would
> definitely be concidered swearing. As children (1940s) we were taught
> various songs where "the other place" and other euphemisms are used. Even
> as a child I thought this rather daft.
There's a episode in "Penrod" by Booth Tarkington (1914) in which the
neighborhood boys decide it's okay to say "hell" as long as it is
preceded by "heaven." I see the book is on line; the relevant chapters
are here and the one following:
http://www.online-literature.com/tarkington/penrod/26/
The basic premise:
"Shut up!" cried Penrod, irritated. "Go to heaven; go to hell!"
"Oo-o-oh!" exclaimed Georgie Bassett, profoundly shocked.
Sam and Maurice, awed by Penrod's daring, ceased from turmoil,
staring wide-eyed.
"You cursed and swore!" said Georgie.
"I did not!" cried Penrod, hotly. "That isn't swearing."
"You said, `Go to a big H'!" said Georgie.
"I did not! I said, `Go to heaven,' before I said a big H. That
isn't swearing, is it, Herman? It's almost what the preacher said,
ain't it, Herman? It ain't swearing now, any more--not if you put
`go to heaven' with it, is it, Herman? You can say it all you want
to, long as you say `go to heaven' first, can't you, Herman?
Anybody can say it if the preacher says it, can't they, Herman? I
guess I know when I ain't swearing, don't I, Herman?"
Memorable consequences ensue.
--
Best -- Donna Richoux
Dave Fawthrop
wrote:
Born in Hull, Live in Halifax ....... :-)
Adrian Bailey
news:l6idncZSsb_...@adelphia.com...
> Hello everyone,
>
> I was narrating a business conversation to my girlfriend. I have
> mentioned that the business dealing lead me to a "Go to hell" attitude.
> She asked me not to use those swear words. I did not know that "Go to
> hell" was a swear word/phrase.
Of course it is.
Adrian
CDB
"Donna Richoux" <tr...@euronet.nl> wrote in message
news:1h57qg8.1gu6p6nzmf76fN%tr...@euronet.nl...
[...]
Tarkington, and a lot of other people in his time, had great fun
playing with those taboos. In _Seventeen_, his little-girl character
Jane got permission from her mother to repeat things she shouldn't
have overheard in the first place by agreeing to replace the
swear-words with "word". I often think of her when reading the latest
work in the Joey Canon.
Robin Bignall
<fe...@bestweb.spam> wrote:
>Somebody claiming to be Jim Lawton <use...@jimlawton.TAKEOUTinfo>
>wrote in news:55q6m1pen4plc0v76...@4ax.com:
>
>>>But "hell" and "damn" equally have non-swear-word usage; unlike say
>>>the F or C words.
>>
>> That's not quite right is it? They could, or do, have none swearing
>> usages, but their use as swear words renders such use more or less
>> impossible. Not to mention that the topics of conversation in which
>> one might use them would be restricted to say the least.
>
>So when you "damn somebody with faint praise", do you consider that
>swearing?
>
>Considering that major motion pictures several decades ago could have
>names like "Children of the Damned" (from 1960, if memory serves), or "To
>Hell and Back" (from the mid-1950s), "hell" and "damn" aren't nearly as
>profane or obscene as some might think.
>
>If you use them as exclamations, however....
Rhett Butler's "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn" at the end of
"Gone with the Wind" is supposed to have been quite risqué in 1939.
--
Robin
Hoddesdon, England
David
<inv...@hyphenologist.co.uk.invalid> wrote:
> On Sat, 29 Oct 2005 20:12:15 +0100, Paul Wolff
> <boun...@two.wolff.co.uk> wrote:
> | In message <Xns96FEC7F1...@213.123.26.234>, John Flynn
> | <joh...@lineone.net> writes
> | >Dave Fawthrop wrote:
> | >
> | >[snip]
> | >
> | >> As children (1940s) we were taught various songs where "the
> | >> other place" and other euphemisms are used.
> | >
> | >L*nc*sh*r*?
> | >
> | Remember the prayer: From H*ll, H*ll and H*l*f*x, good Lord deliver
> | us".
> Born in Hull, Live in Halifax ....... :-)
Destined for....
--
http://www.dacha.freeuk.com/colour/4r-0.htm
Red Magic
Right Nostril of Nergal
Right Hand in the Shadow of Death
Robert Bannister
> Hello everyone,
>
> I was narrating a business conversation to my girlfriend. I have
> mentioned that the business dealing lead me to a "Go to hell" attitude.
> She asked me not to use those swear words. I did not know that "Go to
> hell" was a swear word/phrase. I am under the impression that the
> F-word, s**t word etc, were considered swear words.
>
> Could someone please correct me if I am wrong? Thank you in advance for
> any clarification.
When I was a boy (in England), "hell" and "damn" were definitely swear
words. Here in Australia, many small children, no doubt indoctrinated by
PCers, think that "shut up" is a swear word. Today, regrettably, there
are hardly any swear words left, or at least barely any that can't be
heard on TV.
--
Rob Bannister
Mark Brader
>>>> But "hell" and "damn" equally have non-swear-word usage...
Jim Lawton:
>>> That's not quite right is it? They could, or do, have none swearing
>>> usages, but their use as swear words renders such use more or less
>>> impossible. ...
Ted Schuerzinger:
>> So when you "damn somebody with faint praise", do you consider that
>> swearing?
>>
>> Considering that major motion pictures several decades ago could have
>> names like "Children of the Damned" (from 1960, if memory serves), or "To
>> Hell and Back" (from the mid-1950s), "hell" and "damn" aren't nearly as
>> profane or obscene as some might think.
I agree with Troy and Ted. All of these are non-swearing uses.
They might have been considered strong language, but they were
acceptable. The difference with "fuck" is that it's taboo even
when it's *not* swearing, i.e. when you're talking about fucking.
Robin Bignall:
> Rhett Butler's "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn" at the end of
> "Gone with the Wind" is supposed to have been quite risqué in 1939.
Because that one *is* swearing.
I don't agree with the Robin's use of "risqué", though. To me that
word refers specifically to daring, borderline-acceptable references
or displays of sexuality. If Scarlett's reply to Rhett's imminent
departure had been to start undressing seductively%, *that* might
have made the scene "risqué".
% - Assuming for the sake of discussion that such a thing was
possible given the sort of undergarments she was probably wearing!
--
Mark Brader, Toronto "Sex on trains, of course."
m...@vex.net -- Clive Feather
My text in this article is in the public domain.
Mark Brader
>>> ... the business dealing lead me to a "Go to hell" attitude.
>>> She asked me not to use those swear words. ...
Ray O'Hara:
>> It is a mild swear. Use "A devil may care attitude" it means the same and
>> won't offend anyone.
Brian Wickham:
> I interpret the two as having different meanings. A person who loves
> to party, or burn the candle at both ends, may have a "devil may care"
> attitude. But a person who says, "screw you, I'm doing it my way" has
> a "go to hell" attitude.
Agreed. A devil-may-care attitude might be a "what the hell"
attitude, but not a "go to hell" attitude.
--
Mark Brader | In the face of such devastating logic as "despite
Toronto | what you say you mean, you must mean this and you
m...@vex.net | are wrong", I cede the territory. --Truly Donovan
Charles Riggs
wrote:
The expression may be, but the girlfriend's mistake was to infer that
"hell" is a swear word. It may have been in the distant past in a
number of contexts, but no longer. "Go to hell" is one of the few
contexts I can think of where the word is part of a swear. "To hell
with you" is another, but that's about it.
--
Charles Riggs
Jim Lawton
>Somebody claiming to be Jim Lawton <use...@jimlawton.TAKEOUTinfo>
>wrote in news:55q6m1pen4plc0v76...@4ax.com:
>
>>>But "hell" and "damn" equally have non-swear-word usage; unlike say
>>>the F or C words.
>>
>> That's not quite right is it? They could, or do, have none swearing
>> usages, but their use as swear words renders such use more or less
>> impossible. Not to mention that the topics of conversation in which
>> one might use them would be restricted to say the least.
>
>So when you "damn somebody with faint praise", do you consider that
>swearing?
Perhaps it wasn't clear that I was referring to "F & C" , not "hell" or "damn",
and while I'm here, I meant non-swearing.
>
>Considering that major motion pictures several decades ago could have
>names like "Children of the Damned" (from 1960, if memory serves), or "To
>Hell and Back" (from the mid-1950s), "hell" and "damn" aren't nearly as
>profane or obscene as some might think.
>
>If you use them as exclamations, however....
--
Jim
the polymoth
Robert Lieblich
Oh, hell! I thought there were more.
--
Bob Lieblich
And enough of those double hockey sticks
Molly Mockford
<robert....@verizon.net> wrote in <4364C33E...@verizon.net>:
>Charles Riggs wrote:
>>
>> The expression may be, but the girlfriend's mistake was to infer that
>> "hell" is a swear word. It may have been in the distant past in a
>> number of contexts, but no longer. "Go to hell" is one of the few
>> contexts I can think of where the word is part of a swear. "To hell
>> with you" is another, but that's about it.
>
>Oh, hell! I thought there were more.
Hell's teeth! So did I.
John Hall
Molly Mockford <nospam...@mollymockford.me.uk> writes:
>At 07:57:34 on Sun, 30 Oct 2005, Robert Lieblich
><robert....@verizon.net> wrote in <4364C33E...@verizon.net>:
>
>>Charles Riggs wrote:
>>>
>>> The expression may be, but the girlfriend's mistake was to infer that
>>> "hell" is a swear word. It may have been in the distant past in a
>>> number of contexts, but no longer. "Go to hell" is one of the few
>>> contexts I can think of where the word is part of a swear. "To hell
>>> with you" is another, but that's about it.
>>
>>Oh, hell! I thought there were more.
>
>Hell's teeth! So did I.
Hell's bells!
--
John Hall
Johnson: "Well, we had a good talk."
Boswell: "Yes, Sir, you tossed and gored several persons."
Dr Samuel Johnson (1709-84); James Boswell (1740-95)
Donna Richoux
> In article <JI4a+Lm3...@molly.mockford>,
> Molly Mockford <nospam...@mollymockford.me.uk> writes:
> >At 07:57:34 on Sun, 30 Oct 2005, Robert Lieblich
> ><robert....@verizon.net> wrote in <4364C33E...@verizon.net>:
> >
> >>Charles Riggs wrote:
> >>>
> >>> The expression may be, but the girlfriend's mistake was to infer that
> >>> "hell" is a swear word. It may have been in the distant past in a
> >>> number of contexts, but no longer. "Go to hell" is one of the few
> >>> contexts I can think of where the word is part of a swear. "To hell
> >>> with you" is another, but that's about it.
> >>
> >>Oh, hell! I thought there were more.
> >
> >Hell's teeth! So did I.
>
> Hell's bells!
...and buckets of blood! (A very satisfying oath.)
"Get the hell out of here. What the hell do you think you're doing?" I
suppose many people intensify that to "fuck" nowadays.
About the mildest I can think of is "hell of a," as in "he's a helluva
guy." Which is praise, of course.
Steve Hayes
wrote:
>But "hell" and "damn" equally have non-swear-word usage; unlike say the
>F or C words. The phrase "A go-to-hell attitude" is not swearing. "Go
>to hell!" is.
Strictly speaking, "Go to hell" is not swearing but cursing, and differs only
in intensity from "May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits."
.
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk
Steve Hayes
<nospam...@mollymockford.me.uk> wrote:
>At 04:37:10 on Sat, 29 Oct 2005, Troy Steadman
><troyst...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in
><1130585830.3...@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com>:
>
>>But "hell" and "damn" equally have non-swear-word usage; unlike say the
>>F or C words. The phrase "A go-to-hell attitude" is not swearing. "Go
>>to hell!" is.
>
>I've never heard of "a go-to-hell attitude" - if it doesn't mean (as I
>had assumed) an attitude which leads one to say "Go to hell" to
>somebody, then perhaps it's an American thing.
I hadn't heard of it either, but after reading a discussion in another
newsgour about "omnibenevolent", I can quite easily imagine a "Go to hell
attitude" as being omnimalevolent.
Pat Durkin
"Steve Hayes" <haye...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:hgn9m1tae7pi9ipbg...@4ax.com...
> On 29 Oct 2005 04:37:10 -0700, "Troy Steadman"
> <troyst...@yahoo.co.uk>
> wrote:
>
>>But "hell" and "damn" equally have non-swear-word usage; unlike say
>>the
>>F or C words. The phrase "A go-to-hell attitude" is not swearing. "Go
>>to hell!" is.
>
> Strictly speaking, "Go to hell" is not swearing but cursing, and
> differs only
> in intensity from "May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your
> armpits."
First cussing I ever heard analyzed, and I don't know if my uncle was
correcting me, was in the form of a "dirty" joke.
It ended up (after cleaning) as "Cheese and crackers got all muddy". I
believe others here have referred to this line.
Second story involve a good deal of impudence on the part of the child.
After the pastor remonstrated with him about using the Lord's name in
vain, the boy said, "Well, Father. I don't know why I shouldn't talk
that way. You do it all the time in church."
"Son, if you can catch me talking like that in church, I will give you
an apple pie."
So, the next Sunday, the preacher was waxing eloquent in his sermon,
ending with: "By God we live and by God we die".
And the boy stood up and shouted, "By God I get my apple pie".
I think the boy's usage qualifies as swearing, oath-taking.
Steve Hayes
wrote:
>In article <JI4a+Lm3...@molly.mockford>,
> Molly Mockford <nospam...@mollymockford.me.uk> writes:
>Hell's bells!
Bloody hell!
MS
> Here's a genuine quote I heard from an old fellow in a pub I used to
> frequent with my late father-in-law. Said chap, know to the other locals as
> "Deaf Fred" had spent some years of his youth, several decades before, in
> Australia, and on one occasion said "That be a terrible place, that
> Australia. They calls one another a bastard as easy as you & I calls one
> another a bugger".
Many thanks for a nice story.
MS
think it is swearing, just a means of describing that you were annoyed by
the attitude taken by the other person in the business conversation. If my
girlfriend were to reprimand me for my use of the term 'go to hell
attitude', I would probably tell her to 'go to hell' or something a touch
stronger.
While we're on this subject, do readers think of the phrase 'I was really
pissed off' as swearing?
Original Poster -- In US English this looses the 'off' to become 'I was
really pissed', while retaining the same meaning i.e. angry. In British
English 'I was really pissed' means 'I was really drunk'.
Subba Rao emailed this:
> Hello everyone,
>
> I was narrating a business conversation to my girlfriend. I have
> mentioned that the business dealing lead me to a "Go to hell" attitude.
> She asked me not to use those swear words. I did not know that "Go to
> hell" was a swear word/phrase. I am under the impression that the
> F-word, s**t word etc, were considered swear words.
>
> Could someone please correct me if I am wrong? Thank you in advance for
> any clarification.
>
> Regards,
>
> PS - I live in the US and thus use American English.
John Briggs
>
> Original Poster -- In US English this looses the 'off' to become 'I
> was really pissed', while retaining the same meaning i.e. angry. In
> British English 'I was really pissed' means 'I was really drunk'.
Perhaps I could mention the loose use of "loose" for "lose"?
--
John Briggs
Tony Mountifield
MS <matthews@mailsnare.---nojunktakeout---.net> wrote:
>
> While we're on this subject, do readers think of the phrase 'I was really
> pissed off' as swearing?
Yes, definitely.
> Original Poster -- In US English this looses the 'off' to become 'I was
... loses ... (unless you mean "sets free")
> really pissed', while retaining the same meaning i.e. angry. In British
> English 'I was really pissed' means 'I was really drunk'.
Cheers
Tony
--
Tony Mountifield
Work: to...@softins.co.uk - http://www.softins.co.uk
Play: to...@mountifield.org - http://tony.mountifield.org
MS
No, you should be above that. :-)
How embarrassing, I feel like I've been 'named and shamed'.
MS
>
>>Original Poster -- In US English this looses the 'off' to become 'I was
>
> ... loses ... (unless you mean "sets free")
Thank you for the 'get out' (pun intended), I did indeed mean to 'set
free' the 'off'.
John Briggs
as if...
--
John Briggs
Martin Willett
A lot of things get intensified to fuck these days.
How are you Sebastian old bean?
Intensified to fuck, thanks for asking you old fart.
--
Martin Willett
Molly Mockford
in <1h594bp.1jcgiwk14loi4mN%tr...@euronet.nl>:
>About the mildest I can think of is "hell of a," as in "he's a helluva
>guy." Which is praise, of course.
Which can also mutate, of course...
"Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."
Yes, it was certainly one HELL of a job that he did :-(
Steve Hayes
>
>"Steve Hayes" <haye...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> Strictly speaking, "Go to hell" is not swearing but cursing, and
>> differs only
>> in intensity from "May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your
>> armpits."
>So, the next Sunday, the preacher was waxing eloquent in his sermon,
>ending with: "By God we live and by God we die".
>And the boy stood up and shouted, "By God I get my apple pie".
>
>I think the boy's usage qualifies as swearing, oath-taking.
Indeed it does, as do such expressions as "Hell's teeth".
But "Go to hell" is cursing.
Nick
Steve Hayes wrote:
> On Sun, 30 Oct 2005 16:09:44 GMT, "Pat Durkin" <dur...@sbcglobal.com> wrote:
>
> >
> >"Steve Hayes" <haye...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>
> >> Strictly speaking, "Go to hell" is not swearing but cursing, and
> >> differs only
> >> in intensity from "May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your
> >> armpits."
>
> >So, the next Sunday, the preacher was waxing eloquent in his sermon,
> >ending with: "By God we live and by God we die".
> >And the boy stood up and shouted, "By God I get my apple pie".
> >
> >I think the boy's usage qualifies as swearing, oath-taking.
>
> Indeed it does, as do such expressions as "Hell's teeth".
>
> But "Go to hell" is cursing.
>
Pretty mild, though, IMHO - "go forth and multiply" is *much* worse!
:-D
Nick
Adrian Bailey
> On Sun, 30 Oct 2005 16:09:44 GMT, "Pat Durkin" <dur...@sbcglobal.com>
wrote:
> >"Steve Hayes" <haye...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>
> >> Strictly speaking, "Go to hell" is not swearing but cursing, and
> >> differs only
> >> in intensity from "May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your
> >> armpits."
>
> >So, the next Sunday, the preacher was waxing eloquent in his sermon,
> >ending with: "By God we live and by God we die".
> >And the boy stood up and shouted, "By God I get my apple pie".
> >
> >I think the boy's usage qualifies as swearing, oath-taking.
>
> Indeed it does, as do such expressions as "Hell's teeth".
>
> But "Go to hell" is cursing.
I don't agree that there's any difference (in this context) between
swearing, cursing and cussing, or between a profanity, a curse and an oath.
Adrian
Iain Dalton
> I don't agree that there's any difference (in this context) between
> swearing, cursing and cussing, or between a profanity, a curse and an oath.
>
> Adrian
"Cursing" comes from the ancient practice of laying an actual curse on
a person, e.g. "May the devil take you!" or "God damn you!", whereas
swearing can be any obscenity. Cussing is slang for cursing.
Pat Durkin
"Iain Dalton" <iain....@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1134415118....@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
Well, if you are going to define cursing, then I will say that
"swearing" involves taking an oath, usually by means of taking the name
of a holy person or thing, to witness the truth of what one is saying.
"Hells teeth" is the cleaned up version of "By the _________ of our
Lord".
"By" is usually implied. "By God, I swear that what I say is true!"
Weatherlawyer
Pat Durkin wrote:
>
> "Hells teeth" is the cleaned up version of "By the _________ of our
> Lord".
> "By" is usually implied. "By God, I swear that what I say is true!"
>
I'd consider putting a letter up the chimney for a new one if I were
you.
Pat Durkin
"Weatherlawyer" <Weathe...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1134416727....@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
Hells bells! (Used to play a card game by that name. It was also called
"Oh, Hell!") Anyway, I didn't realize that Steve had resurrected a
late-October thread. I am glad to see, however, that my understanding
and usage have not changed in the interim.
What do you mean, "translator"?
Look at meaning #1 (from dictionary.com) and notice that in 4 out of 4
cases, my definition of "swear" holds up. Even in definition #3,
"curse" is used as a secondary "translation".
4 entries found for swear.
swear ( P ) Pronunciation Key (swâr)
v. swore, (swôr, swr) sworn, (swôrn, swrn) swear·ing, swears
v. intr.
1.. To make a solemn declaration, invoking a deity or a
sacred person or thing, in confirmation of and witness to the honesty or
truth of such a declaration.
2.. To make a solemn promise; vow.
3.. To use profane oaths; curse.
4.. Law. To give evidence or testimony under oath.
Maybe _you_ need to get a letter off to Sandy Claws.
Pat Durkin
"Weatherlawyer" <Weathe...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1134416727....@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
>
Hells bells! (Used to play a card game by that name. It was also called
Pat Durkin
"Weatherlawyer" <Weathe...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1134416727....@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
>
Hells bells! (Used to play a card game by that name. It was also called
Pat Durkin
"Weatherlawyer" <Weathe...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1134416727....@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
>
Hells bells! (Used to play a card game by that name. It was also called
Molly Mockford
wrote in <e7mnf.32921$q%.3174@newssvr12.news.prodigy.com>:
>Hells bells!
Indeed.
Is this a case of "What I tell you three times is true"?
Skitt
That is four times and counting ...
--
Skitt (in Hayward, California)
http://www.geocities.com/opus731/
Pat Durkin
"Skitt" <ski...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:A46dnQjbTMG...@comcast.com...
Sorry, Skitt (and Molly) to have had my message repeat so inanely. I
didn't realize that it was posting at all. I had copied the dictionary
stuff into the email, and found a lot of HTML stuff, which I removed
after closing the message into my Drafts (OutlookExpress) folder. When
I opened the message and cleaned it up, it refused to "send", and,
rather, OE gave me a message saying that it could not delete the
message. Of course, I tried the same thing again. And again. (Does
that give you an idea of my sanity level?)
I closed it into Drafts once more, and then Sent. I don't keep messages
after they have been "read", so I marked them all read, except for the
first one.
Normally, my ISP and news server work very well, but this morning I
couldn't get online at all, even with the browser. Strange things are
happening.
Pat Durkin
"Molly Mockford" <nospam...@mollymockford.me.uk> wrote in message
news:KhPKE+PQ...@molly.mockford...
> At 21:40:26 on Mon, 12 Dec 2005, Pat Durkin <dur...@sbcglobal.com>
> wrote in <e7mnf.32921$q%.3174@newssvr12.news.prodigy.com>:
>
>>Hells bells!
>
> Indeed.
>
> Is this a case of "What I tell you three times is true"?
See my comment to Skitt. Now I know how people feel whose computers and
news servers betray them.
Steve Hayes
>
>"Weatherlawyer" <Weathe...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>news:1134416727....@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
>>
>> Pat Durkin wrote:
>>>
>>> "Hells teeth" is the cleaned up version of "By the _________ of our
>>> Lord".
>>> "By" is usually implied. "By God, I swear that what I say is true!"
>>>
>> What translator are you using?
>>
>> I'd consider putting a letter up the chimney for a new one if I were
>> you.
>>
>
>Hells bells! (Used to play a card game by that name. It was also called
>"Oh, Hell!") Anyway, I didn't realize that Steve had resurrected a
>late-October thread. I am glad to see, however, that my understanding
>and usage have not changed in the interim.
Nor did I realise I'd revived a late October thread -- betrayed by computers,
just like you.
My desktop computer died around then, and was planning to upgrade the
motherboard, but my son was buying a new computer, so I give him the money I
was planning spend on the upgrade so he would have enough to buy it, and he
gave me his old one, but only after he had transferred all the software. So
when I moved my disk drive to the new one, and reconnected to news, all the
unsent messages from October went out.
theed...@gmail.com
> Hello everyone,
>
> I was narrating a business conversation to my girlfriend. I have
> mentioned that the business dealing lead me to a "Go to hell" attitude.
> She asked me not to use those swear words. I did not know that "Go to
> hell" was a swear word/phrase. I am under the impression that the
> F-word, s**t word etc, were considered swear words.
>
> Could someone please correct me if I am wrong? Thank you in advance for
> any clarification.
>
> Regards,
>
> PS - I live in the US and thus use American English.
> SR
> castellan...@SPAMBUSTER.yahoo.com
> Please remove SPAMBUSTER to reply via email.
Go to hell is not a swear word/phrase or profanity. People look for any excuse to stop someone from saying what they don't like. Hell is a plac. Telling someone to go there is a requested action to go there. Using it as an expression, as you did, merely describes an attitude of someone who tells people where to go ("hell") when they don't like something ( rather than being silent or pleasant). Profanity has nothing to do with hell or telling someone to go there, or describing the attitude with which someone who says such things, and what they mean, have.
theed...@gmail.com
> "Subba Rao" <castellan...@SPAMBUSTER.yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:l6idncZSsb_...@adelphia.com...
> >
> > I was narrating a business conversation to my girlfriend. I have
> > mentioned that the business dealing lead me to a "Go to hell" attitude.
> > She asked me not to use those swear words. I did not know that "Go to
> > hell" was a swear word/phrase. I am under the impression that the
> > F-word, s**t word etc, were considered swear words.
> >
> > Could someone please correct me if I am wrong? Thank you in advance for
> > any clarification.
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > PS - I live in the US and thus use American English.
>
> won't offend anyone.
hell and damn as well as f_ck and S_it all have normal uses and meanings as words. Don't let anyone tell you you should say "a devil may care attitude" instead of "a go to hell attitude". You use what you want to use, it is a free country and your choice makes much more sense and is more easily colloquially understood here. Someone may say " Don't use the word gay, someone may get offended"( though you may be saying gay as happy or homosexual either) or " don't use the words masterbate or penis, they are vulgar." Well, hell if I know, but I believe Hell is a place and sometimes I tell people to leave me alone by saying Go to hell. Sometimes I say gay, penis or masterbate and I hear that they are normal words with meanings. If you are in a privately run facility you may be asked to leave. If you are in public you may be asked to not get aggressive or cause a commotion, but you are allowed to speak as you will and these words or phrases are not profanity. Profanity/Obscenity is not someone in a college class or a debate mentioning a Penis or even having a go to hell attitude; A profanity/Obscenity is when you are cursing someone out f you you fn b.. We can all agree that if we call someone an idiot we are not using profanity but referring to their intelligence (or lack of) but saying f you, you fn b would clearly not describe what you wanted to do to them and what kind of dog they are, neither would saying what you said, OR telling someone to go to Hell or to Get Lost is profanity. We do not have the right to stop people from going or speaking where we would not like them to go. We may leave, ignore or ask them to leave our private places. If we feel that we are being threatened aggressively that may be different, but it is not something to misuse or hide behind because we don't like something. People misuse rights and try to get others to support them while they do.