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Post by ojiveojive on Jun 4, 2006 21:12:45 GMT
As someone with a lifelong interest in language, its uses and its changes of meaning I offer the following:
350-400 years ago "c u n t" was a long, cylindrical leather sheath carried on the belt of an agricultural worker to house the stone used to resharpen one's scythe. Apparently people used these sheaths to satisfy their unsatisfied desires - hence the current usage. To provide a contrast with a word that has become acceptable, "poppycock" was rather vulgar in the 16th century, meaning exhibitionism in its most male sense (pop your c o c k). By the nineteenth century its venom had been spent and it was widely used by well educated Victorian ladies to mean "nonsense". I just thought I'd share that with you all.
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Post by ambersalamander on Jun 4, 2006 21:35:10 GMT
I've no idea what your sources are, but I'm sure those accounts are both incorrect! The C-word, as you so delicately put it was used extensively, in precisely its current meaning, at least as far back as the 14th century. If you don't believe me, read Geoffrey Chaucer. He also, for the record, spelled the word in at least six different ways (this is before the days of standardised spellings) but it's very clearly the same word. The word "poppycock" is known to be a corruption of the Dutch "pappe kak" which means "soft sh*t."
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Post by Col ISIHAC. on Jun 4, 2006 23:18:54 GMT
You know! I loked at the title of this thread, and quite naturally assumed that the word in question was "Conference" Imagine my surprise when it wasn't!
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Post by luvlydory on Jun 4, 2006 23:22:15 GMT
I saw the programme 'Balderdash & Piffle', and they researched it - I can't remember exactly when it was (memory ?!), but it was a long time ago that it was first used. it is in the oxford english dictionary apparently, and that will tell you when it was first used ? and why ?!
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Post by ojiveojive on Jun 5, 2006 7:30:53 GMT
Bloody hell, that didn't take long to shoot down. My source was a letter in the New Statesman in response to an article about the origins of the C word in a previous edition which had used the anglo-saxon swear word explanation and also the dutch connection with poppycock. My own rudimentary research has shown that the origins of the C word are indeed lost in the mists of time and have been tenuously connected to arabic, asian, german, latin and greek derivatives. To poppycock, however, was in use as a verb in the UK for many centuries before its first appearance in the USA in the 18th century as a dutch derivation taken over there by settlers.
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Post by luvlydory on Jun 5, 2006 8:35:17 GMT
tenuously connected to arabic, asian, german, latin and greek derivatives. /quote] Wot no Italian ?? ;D
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Post by ojiveojive on Jun 5, 2006 8:38:09 GMT
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Post by luvlydory on Jun 5, 2006 8:49:14 GMT
one of these days i'll get the hang of this quote business. this laptop needs taking in hand(?!). www.oed.com/bbcwordhunt/this is great fun !! i just had a play on thios site and it's quite entertaining with words such as minger, mackem, bonk & ditsy ! ;D
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Post by ambersalamander on Jun 5, 2006 14:07:59 GMT
Latin'll do for now, until ojive can find the necessary evidence for Italian language involvement
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Post by DJhinckley on Jun 5, 2006 20:57:59 GMT
is this a good time to test the swear filter again?
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Post by ambersalamander on Jun 5, 2006 22:05:42 GMT
it'll only tell you you're a "thingy," DJ
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Post by luvlydory on Jun 5, 2006 22:21:54 GMT
I loked at the title of this thread, talking of words and language ! loked being crazy or out of control, straight gone wild and insane, all out crazy and enraged, about to beat some ass, do something crazy, feeling crazy, full of crazy energy, etc.
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Post by Col ISIHAC. on Jun 6, 2006 5:47:04 GMT
I loked at the title of this thread, talking of words and language ! loked being crazy or out of control, straight gone wild and insane, all out crazy and enraged, about to beat some ass, do something crazy, feeling crazy, full of crazy energy, etc. I have my moments! Currently straight, gone wild - about to beat some ass!! Rather like the sound of that ;D
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Post by luvlydory on Jun 6, 2006 9:09:00 GMT
does that mean you 'loked out', or are you just being normal ?! ;D
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Post by Col ISIHAC. on Jun 6, 2006 13:09:22 GMT
You decide... Normal is entirely at the discretion of the beholder.
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