runner: << In my house it only works in that it results it mouths being washed out with soap. Unfortunately the raw sewerage flows from the TV from time to time before I can turn it off. Good reason I suppose to get rid of it. >>

Sounds like a feckin' hazardous house you live in, old chap.

Times have indeed changed. Who remembers the brouhaha around the late and great Graham Kennedy's version of the call of the Australian crow - FAAAARRRRKKK! - on Channel 9 many years ago? Kerry Packer apparently had an apoplexy.

And that other rude word...

This is probably apocryphal - I've heard numerous versions of it over the years, but this one has more detail than most:

Many years ago, before the Country Party morphed into the Nats,

"Winton Turnbull, then a member of the Country Party, was droning on about something or other and rather grandly announced "I am a Country member." At which point Gough Whitlam called out "We remember!"

http://forums.randi.org/archive/index.php/t-100343.html

It probably needs to be filed along with the various versions of the "Far Queue" headline that slip through subeditors from time to time, I think.

My view is that they're both useful words that need to be used judiciously and sparingly to have much meaning. I think wobbles' point about the grammatical function of a good f xxk is a good one.

Now that I think of it, the Gough story reminds me of a very funny experience I once had as a junior academic. At the time another department was headed by an ebullient Professor with a great sense of humour and a fondness for beer. As it happened, a certain Dr Hunt was employed in his department.

One evening at the Staff Club, the Prof was holding court with his acolytes (including me) when he spied the hapless Dr Hunt entering the room - at which the Prof bellowed out over the crowd "Has anybody seen Mike Hunt?" There was a momentary silence and then the entire room erupted in laughter - it was one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

I don't remember what happened to Dr Hunt that night, but I still crack up at the memory of the joke. The Prof must have set it up, because it never happened again - or maybe poor old Dr Hunt never went back to the club...

A true story, I promise.

Umptien years ago,as a migrant, arriving at Australia's beautiful shores,one did get greated by wharfies: "Here is another F*ing boatload of F-ing New F-ing Australians", "what the Bl-dy Hell do they come here for? Send the F-ers back!"
It took a while to understand what it meant, but as time went by I started to appreciate the colourful expressions and in my opinion as a "scholar of this world" it sets the Australian apart from the rest.
Take Ozzie soldiers/sailors for instance they are known and feared all around the world for their ruff'n'tuffness and are the most colourful in their expressions and deeply respected.Let's keep this language as it shows clearly and directly (to the point) how one feels in a multitude of situations.Besides it would create "oneness" without the Shake'my'spearian approach.

Oh come on,there are better things to do?Are you serious?
Fxxk off!

Excuse me!You put it there
Remove your profanity first. Be fair.

socratease

sometimes it is the only word that works.'

In my house it only works in that it results it mouths being washed out with soap. Unfortunately the raw sewerage flows from the TV from time to time before I can turn it off. Good reason I suppose to get rid of it.
Posted by runner, Monday, 8 September 2008 4:55:35 PM

Oh dear, some households must be so boring. Best you keep your family in a cocoon runner as you dare not let them mingle with us crude folk hey! On the other hand 90% of the population can't all be wrong you know.
As for my assumption of the meaning of the word I accept that I was wrong. Funny sounded logical to me but I did state that it was my opinion.

Still, the word works for me, fits perfectly at times and is well understood in most countries. I say again, 'sometimes it's the only word that works'.
You f-whit, what the f-, how the f-, why the f-, f-off, f- no, and the classics, how the f- would I know or for f- sake.

You know, I doubt there is a single word that can be used in so many ways to describe so many things with such meaning and no one has to say 'please explain'. Now there's a challenge for all you prudes out there hey!

No offence but I will continue to use it if you don't mind as I accept that times have changed and we have little choice but to move with it.

For f- sake, lighten up, were not all goodie two shoes god botheres you know!

Rechtub, it's got NOTHING to do with god botherering or being a prude. It's just a stupid, dumb word, simple as that: Not much different from the dumb crim who says "I didn't do nothin'".....he's too stupid to know that the double negative implies the exact OPPOSITE of what he's trying to say. "Habitually" using the F word is much the same....habitual users are just too stupid to know how stupid they sound. Habitual users are only a small minority, not 90%. Most people use the word, or some other cuss word, if they accidently stub their toe or under similar circumstances....nothing wrong with that. It's the "HABITUAL" users, who incorporate this DUMB word into their everyday language, who just put on dislplay their ignorance and stupidity. There's far more intelligent substitutes for the F word. Like I said, it has nothing to do with prudes(prudes are against just about everything), but EVERYTHING to do with ignorance. It's a crude and ignorant way to talk, using the F word "habitually". Speech doesn't get dumber than that!