General Chat

I have been watching a very cr*p medieval film where they used the f word an I thought to meself that it is perfectly appropriate to use the word to describe the awful film but would they have been using the fer word at that time?

xxx

Kaz

god knows!!! wot film were it ?

Netlore Archive: In which we are told -- with a straight face -- that the word 'f***' originated as the acronym of 'Fornication Under Consent of the King' (or some variation thereof)

PS Therefore going back centuries!

lots of info on google but I am not copying and pasting lol

oooh Sue so it was Ok as long as the King knew or was that an after thought as in f**king pmsl I bet it was that 'orrible King John!

Thanks Liz for googling I was too wimpy to do that but please please copy an paste even if a pm lol

Kaz (the film was still rubbish)

I was always taught that it was an anglo-saxon word for fornification!

Snopes says the acronym is not true.

Just type the word in the box and there are several sites to look at lol

This taken from snopes.com

"Origins: Though a few common english words have grown out of acronyms f*** isn't one of them. With precious few exceptions, words of acronymic origin date from the 20th century and no earlier. It's almost guaranteed, therefore, any word from before that time did not spring to life from a series of initials becoming so common that folks started pronouncing it as a its own word.

[insert further blurb that shows the acronyms are false]

So where did it come from: In plain English, this [see unquoted paragraph :P] means the term's origin is likely to be Germanic, even though no one can as yet point to the precise word it came down to us from out of all the possible candidates. Further, a few scholars hold differing pet theories outside of the Germanic one, theories which appear to have some holes in them.

F* is an old word, even if it's been an almost taboo term for most of its existence. It was around; it just wasn't used in common speech all that much, let alone written down and saved for posterity. Likely its meaning contributed ot its precise origin becoming lost in the mists of time - scholars of old would have been in no hurry to catalogue the growth of this word, and by the time it forced its way into even the most respectable of dictionaries, its parentage was long forgotten.

The earliest cite in The Oxford Dictionary dates from 1503. John Ayto, in his Dictionary of Word Origins cites a proper name (probably a joke or parody name) of John Le F***er from 1250, quite possibly proof the word we casually toss about today was being similarly tossed about 750 years ago.

and so on..."

I can't give the link coz it has the word in question in it but if you google the snopes entry should come up.

I chickened out of copying and pasting anything in case I missed a word that would have had to be deleted lol

I couldn't c/p from snopes... the right click function is deactivated on it, so I had to type it...which was good because I haven't had much touch typing practice for a while lol.

I do feel like I've learnt something today though lmao

Well done, was quite a long piece. When I started using the computer I hadn't typed for years but am surprised how fast I can do it and I use a lot less tippex than I used to in the office lol

I think even if the word didn't exist in the days of the movie you were watching there would have been something that would have been used in its place.

On the A Knight's Tale Dvd I have there is an interview with the Producer or Director person and there is this discussion about the use of the words "Yes!" and "Wow" - from the jousting scenes - and that they weren't necessarily the words that would have been used in the time setting of the movie, but that there would have been expressions people would have used.

Purple - I am sorry but the first thing that popped in my head when I read your reply was - why would someone be using tippex on a computer?

Michelle

I think although there has been debate over if it’s a myth but it was an ancient law about sex before marriage.

If you were unmarried and consented to sex you could be tried for 'Fornication Under Crown and Kingdom' which was a hanging offence.

Basically if you were caught you were F**ked.

Interesting thread..what makes a swear word offensive. A naval padre once said to me after I had apologised for swearing in front of him. ''don't apologise swearing is just ignorance of the English language and I probably know more swear words than you'' then after a pause he added ''but if I ever hear you blaspheme I will kick your f****** head in!''

Most of the words we consider swear words are the *common* words for bodily parts/actions/functions, but when William the Conk came over, the use was phased out by the new nobility, who began to ape the Norman speech. As only common people continued to use it, it became *vulgar* then *rude* and gradually it became swearing as we know it.

However, taking the Lord's name in vain was always considered blasphemy... so that *bloody* would have been worse than f***!!

Or so I was taught by my wonderful English teacher... so I am sure I am right... he was a scholar of Medieval languages.

Love

Daff xxx

see i learn something new evey day......xx

Thanks everyone for answering this question - very interesting word then in many ways! So the medieval man in the film could have used it *tuts* does that mean Robin Hood and his merrymen swore - I will never look at Kevin Costner in the same light Lol
Special thanks to summer scribe for typing it all out!!

and Colin - pmsl at your story!

Kaz :o)