H2G2’s erudite and amusing guide to the joys of British invective.
“A stronger British term for testicles, which rhymes with ‘frollocks’, is probably worth a guide entry of its own. To talk this word would mean to talk rubbish or to be misinformed, while to say something is ‘the dog’s…’ (often gentrified as ‘the mutt’s nuts’) would suggest it is the best there is. Legend has it that in the 1950s, construction kits like Meccano would be sold in boxes of various sizes. The list of contents which came with the standard size box would be headed ‘Box, Standard’ (which elided into ‘bog standard’ when spoken) and the larger box was the ‘Box, Deluxe’ which was spoonerised to create the phrase ‘The Dog’s B******s’. This is such a satisfying explanation for two common forms of British English usage that one really wants it to be true.”
I’d also strongly recommend Stephen Burgen’s Your Mother’s Tongue if you want a concise history of European swearing, which covers the best obscenities from all of Europe’s major nations and also demonstrates judicious use of the word “fuck” to comic effect.
More on swearing:
Spike | Google | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Wikipedia
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