Seeing this word is in the vocabulary and none of the y generation omit using it no matter where they are, should it be a given; that it is common language.

F xxk me!

What an insightful way of depriving Gordon F Ramsay of his singular draw-card! My regard for Jason60 is rising faster than the space elevator in the Lion of Comarre. Here was I thinking he was just a s xxt stirrer.

And it is indeed a common word, in every sense.

I swear and use the word occasionally.

But I really think that a lot of swearing shows an inability of a person to make use of the English language. I do not think educators put enough emphasis on English and young people are not taught. In my case it is pure laziness.

I find if I swear too much, I have nothing shocking left to say when I really need to.

It is a really good word, but should be used sparingly and retain its taboo, otherwise it becomes meaningless and loses all its emphasis and becomes an excuse for expressionless dialogue, in the same way that "like, you know, kind of" is used ad nauseam among the young and uneducated. In the right way and the right time the F word is an extremely powerful word, but unfortunately its over-use deprives it of any gravity or substance, and that's a pity.

I don't think it's as simple as using it too much. Occasionally you hear it being overused in a clever way that's hard to explain in text. An awful lot depends on positioning and emphasis.

I think the way people drop it into the middle of words, like abso-effing-lutely can be quite clever. Gordon Ramsay is not someone who understands the artful use of the word. Billy Connelly is.

I started using this word when I was about 8. I thought it was a new word. Before then the worse word I knew was "bloody".

My nephew used it from a very early age (2 and a half). His parents used it a lot so they didn't punish him, although he was told not to say it at other people's places or when they had visitors.

Years ago, I remember a cousin of mine having his mouth washed out with soap and water for saying "bottom".