&%*#!
This post (and, hopefully, its comments) will contain entertainingly foul language.
As I was filling out my Ravelry profile, one of the optional questions asked is "What's your favorite curse word?". What an intriguing topic! I've been thinking about this all evening.
Mine is "motherfucker". Not surprising to those who know I'm a member of the SLWSM (Society for Librarians Who Say Motherfucker) LJ community, but perhaps unknown outside of that. It's not the curse word I use most frequently, but it's my favorite, for several reasons: first of all, it's not remotely ladylike, which makes it very effective for use by women. You can say "damn" and still be a lady. You can probably even get away with "shit" if you kind of breathe it and gasp a little as though you've shocked yourself. But you can hit a good "motherfucker" right out of the lady ballpark. Second, it's so versatile. It's four whole syllables, which means you can really mix it up and play around with the effect you want to have, emphasizing one syllable or another. For instance, if you stub your toe, a semi-whispered "Motherfu..." that trails off at the end is pleasing. If you're butting heads with a cable repair person and they refuse to give you a new modem even though they acknowledge yours is broken, you can make it like a two-word sentence: "Mother. [pause for effect] Fucker." If something really big goes wrong, like someone drops the ball on a major project you're heading up, you can turn to the all-time classic "MotherFUCKER!". And, of course, you can conjugate it such that it can become the root of a whole rant, like if you've just spilled coffee on, say, a Valentino gown: "Motherfucking horseshit on a kebab!".
Really, the only drawback is that you have to be careful not to overuse it, as that detracts from its effect. True with all good curse words, really, but especially true with motherfucker.
So, folks? What's your favorite curse word? And why?
As I was filling out my Ravelry profile, one of the optional questions asked is "What's your favorite curse word?". What an intriguing topic! I've been thinking about this all evening.
Mine is "motherfucker". Not surprising to those who know I'm a member of the SLWSM (Society for Librarians Who Say Motherfucker) LJ community, but perhaps unknown outside of that. It's not the curse word I use most frequently, but it's my favorite, for several reasons: first of all, it's not remotely ladylike, which makes it very effective for use by women. You can say "damn" and still be a lady. You can probably even get away with "shit" if you kind of breathe it and gasp a little as though you've shocked yourself. But you can hit a good "motherfucker" right out of the lady ballpark. Second, it's so versatile. It's four whole syllables, which means you can really mix it up and play around with the effect you want to have, emphasizing one syllable or another. For instance, if you stub your toe, a semi-whispered "Motherfu..." that trails off at the end is pleasing. If you're butting heads with a cable repair person and they refuse to give you a new modem even though they acknowledge yours is broken, you can make it like a two-word sentence: "Mother. [pause for effect] Fucker." If something really big goes wrong, like someone drops the ball on a major project you're heading up, you can turn to the all-time classic "MotherFUCKER!". And, of course, you can conjugate it such that it can become the root of a whole rant, like if you've just spilled coffee on, say, a Valentino gown: "Motherfucking horseshit on a kebab!".
Really, the only drawback is that you have to be careful not to overuse it, as that detracts from its effect. True with all good curse words, really, but especially true with motherfucker.
So, folks? What's your favorite curse word? And why?