Page 2 of 2

Re: BLIMEY

Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 5:40 pm
by Perry Lassiter
In this case, the First Amendment is in the settings where you can disable spell check, or reducing it to red underlines leaving you the choice.

Re: BLIMEY

Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 5:53 pm
by Philip Hudson
Because of my delicate upbringing, I have a paucity of swear words. Now that we have switched to Spanish, I know a few. My high school Physics teacher’s favorite imprecation was “gatos y perritos”. Colorado (as an expression of exasperation), Chihuahua (as a taunt of shame), and cabrío (as an insult) are frequently used in Tex Mex.

Re: BLIMEY

Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 8:20 pm
by LukeJavan8
Try Google translate:

http://translate.google.com/#

Re: BLIMEY

Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 9:00 pm
by Perry Lassiter
Of course, "caramba" is an all purpose interjection.

Re: BLIMEY

Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 10:33 pm
by Audiendus
Etymology aside, I have the distinct impression that "bloody" was among the worst swear words in Britain. How about it, Englanders? What say you?
It certainly used to be among the worst. The single occurrence of the phrase "Not bloody likely!" in George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion caused uproar when it was first performed in 1913. More recently, the British TV sitcom Till Death Us Do Part (1965-75) featured a loud-mouthed Cockney character, Alf Garnett, who used "bloody" continually. That also caused much more controversy than it would do today. As call_copse pointed out in this thread, it is a fairly mild swear word these days.

I remember hearing someone say "She has a voice like a bloody chainsaw". It struck me that the remark would be much less funny without the "bloody". Likewise in Michael Caine's celebrated line in the film The Italian Job: "You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!" The word acts like a well-timed drum beat on an important chord in a piece of music.

With regard to Philip Hudson's suggestion that "bloody" is derived from "by our Lady", I have my doubts about this, as "bloody" is never used on its own, as are "blimey", "crikey", "zounds" and the like. It is always used either as an adjective before a noun, or as an adverb before a verb/adjective/adverb.

Re: BLIMEY

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 12:47 am
by Philip Hudson
Audiendus: Thanks for your comment on my suggestion that "bloody" is derived from "by our Lady". It has given me cause to pause. I will look into it more.

Re: BLIMEY

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 7:56 am
by call_copse
'cabrío' as an insult reminds me of Tanzania - 'mbuzi' is often used there to denigrate another's driving skills. Generally with good cause in the traffic there!

Re: BLIMEY

Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 10:44 pm
by Slava
Blimey! This has been a popular topic.