Fucking in the Navy

[anteros_lmc]

Several weeks ago, in a comment on her fic Following a Head Injury eglantine_br asked:

Did they used "fucking" as an all purpose word as we do, as in "I'm really fucked now?" Could it be that the ship would fuck you over -- or was it only literal back then?I'm not a linguist and I'm not even a "proper" historian, but I am an archaeologist so I've done a

Comments

[eglantine_br]

Thank you! I am indeed a word nerd!

I now can suspect that one more aspect of today's Navy and the one of the 18th century share another link.

My own husband was accustomed to use the phrase 'Its a clusterfuck.' I am pretty sure that H and A (And especially, perhaps WB,) might have said such a thing (On Renown perhaps.) Although not in front of me!

Also I have heard the duck one, used as an expletive. This despite the complete absence of ducks in today's Navy.

Also, strangely: 'Dickweed' (Not a compliment.)

[anteros_lmc]

I have been struggling all day not to think of the term "clusterfuck" in conjunction with Lieutenants Hornblower, Kennedy and Bush ;)

This despite the complete absence of ducks in today's Navy.
Well that's a damn shame!

Dickweed
For some strange reason that sounds like a peculiarly North American insult to me.

[eglantine_br]

Dickweed is very North American, I think you are right. It is also very silly!

[anteros_lmc]

There are some fabulous local Glaswegian insults and profanities that emerged from the Clydeside shipyards. One particularly insulting one is to describe someone as having a "face like rivet catcher's glove". Ouch.

[eglantine_br]

I want to add-- it is so cool that you are an archeologist.

[anteros_lmc]

Sorry, that should have been was an archaeologist. I had a change of career a long time ago and I now do something that is much less interesting but much less hard on the knees. However archaeology is still the only profession I have a formal qualification in!

[lemurling]

Very interesting, thank you! I have to go look up some of those words ("pintle"???) and find a way to use them. Of course, now I'm obsessing over that "You Can't Say That" web site, and preparing to revise my fics again to eliminate suspect words.

[anteros_lmc]

You Can't Say That is a fabulous website!

preparing to revise my fics again to eliminate suspect words.
Hehe, I do that all the time! I sneak back to fics and change little words and details as I learn more from the history.

[ioanite]

I was sort of wondering about this, as I swear someone uses the f-word in the Master and Commander movie, and I couldn't believe a) that they got away with it, and b) That that word was in use in 1805. But now I know! Thanks for taking the time to research this.

(also, "Duck F******" is absolutely fabulous. This needs to show up in more fics.)

[anteros_lmc]

I suspect the only thing that was inauthentic about the use of the f word in Master and Commander was that it didn't appear often enough!

Thanks for taking the time to research this.
You're very welcome! This kind of research isn't exactly a hardship ;)

"Duck F******" is absolutely fabulous. This needs to show up in more fics
Ooooh that could be asking or trouble....

[sarlania]

You're so fucking brilliant, you know that? :D

I enjoyed this very fucking much. And "Duck-fucker" just made my fucking day.

I shall now stop stop spamming your fucking wonderful journal.

[anteros_lmc]

And "Duck-fucker" just made my fucking day.

He did?! Dare I ask what you got up to? Am now picturing you in a cloud of flying feathers... ;P