Are there any native Brits out there? I'm asking because I keep reading fics and I don't understand all the different views on Spike's speech. People say that on teh show it was more obviously American English with an accent and a few slang words thrown in. After reading some very vehement rants I'm pretty sure he speaks with a North London accent instead of Cockney like a lot of people say. I also don't mind an author spelling words phonetically for him, or just dropping a g on a word like "droppin' ". What people keep changing is the swear words.
I read a British slang site for fun written by someone who grew up in Liverpool and he says:  Bloody - One of the most useful swear words in English. Mostly used as an exclamation of surprise i.e. "bloody hell" or "bloody nora". Something may be "bloody marvellous" or "bloody awful". It is also used to emphasise almost anything, "you're bloody mad", "not bloody likely" and can also be used in the middle of other words to emphasise them. E.g. "Abso-bloody-lutely"! Americans should avoid saying "bloody" as they sound silly.

Other times people talk about how unlikely it is to use the word so much as fanfic authors do. Other times people say it's equivalent to Americans using the F word and would never have been allowed on television at such a low rating if Brits had been rating it. Forgetting Americans who think they understand, does anyone on the site know how appropriate some of Spike's words are? Not forgetting he is supposed to be a coarse individual, of course.

Im at enemy base camp (both sides look at us with distaste because we are equally Man'c and L'pool populated )  well the town that meets inbetween Manchester and Liverpool.
People use bloody but its  bit outdated, if someone uses it is usually draws out some giggles. The F word still regins supreme i am afraid. But back in Williams time im sure bloody was well popular as the C word.

Bollocks is still a favorite around these parts at least, as i know well since i often hear " its utter bollox " Sodding comes up too especially when it comes to my mom in law *child of the 60's*

Most of the words he uses are used more by the older generations so i dont see why it doesnt work. Though if you compare that way, well spikes language is pretty toned down, because therse nothing like old brits to swear so your ears burn.
And they can alsow call you the sweetest things like Flower, now thats something i dont mind being called. Old school polite compliment. *sigh* im too romantic i need more smut

Hi,

I am a Brit who has lived in both North and central London, so I feel qualified to comment. Bloody can be (and by certain Londoners is) used as every other word in most sentences. There is abso-bloody-lutely nothing bloody well wrong with using the bloody word. So overuse - not sure it's possible. Having said that, it's all about sounding like Spike, not a foul-mouthed Londoner.

North London v cockney accent? Hate to diss, but he uses an "American trying to sound like a non-posh Brit" accent. I don't personally believe he sounds particularly like either - general Londoner-ish is about as specific as I'd be.

Knickers are what Americans call "panties" - a phrase I would never use. An alternative is pants, but this confuses Americans who think we mean trousers. It is not a rude word, unless you are a five year old from the 1950's. Bollocks is also fair common-use vocab - means S*%$, or crap. Shagging is a far less common one, used in a similar way to bloody, though it's more difficult to place. See the sentence above - all could, but generally wouldn't, be replaced with shagging. Blimey is more Giles than Spike - it means "I want to say bollocks but I'm in polite company".

Dropping letters is fine and good, but is not always necessary. Given that plenty of middle word letters are also dropped, it would make the writing pretty hard to read. "Cer'ainly" is an example, and to me it just ruins flow to try and use them.

Quick apology to any Americans insulted by this post - it is all meant with love. Let's face it, no America, no BtVS! Any other words need explaining, please post!

There is abso-bloody-lutely nothing bloody well wrong with using the bloody word. So overuse - not sure it's possible. Having said that, it's all about sounding like Spike, not a foul-mouthed Londoner.

Well... that sounds like a contradiction there. If there's nothing wrong with using it, why would using it make one "foul-mouthed"? "Nothing wrong with using it" implies it's not a curse word - but it is. Maybe this is a cultural difference, since it seems Brits are less concerned with swearing than Americans. But to be honest, when I lived in London, I didn't hear "bloody" nearly as much as you imply - it was used sparingly, about as much as I'd use American curse words.

The other issue is - even if it is common for Londoners to use "bloody" every other word, Spike didn't on the show. So when fanfic writers write his dialogue that way (usually because they think it's making Spike sound more British), they're not maintaining his voice from the show.

An alternative is pants, but this confuses Americans who think we mean trousers.

Ah, yes. I will never forget the "I wish I'd worn pants" incident. We went out one night, mixed group, Brits and Americans, and this one American girl is wearing a skirt. She says, "It's cold. I wish I'd worn pants." And all the Brits' eyebrows go sky-high, lol.

There are really two different issues here - one is the use of appropriate British slang, for which we have several experts to consult.   I suspect that, even with our experts, the responses are going to be influenced by age, region, education and social groups.

So, the first issue is Spike's accent - how to get it right. There are many things that come into play when talking about Spike's language and accent. Using just the canon version to begin with, we have an upper class (I'm assuming), educated and bookish man from the Victorian era who has remade himself as a tough guy.  Sometimes it works for him, sometimes it doesn't.  Spike's grammar is rarely poor, too much William in him for that; however, his speech is sprinkled with British slang expressions. I suspect that is as much to help cover James' American accent as it is anything else - but let's give Spike the slang because he likes to use it.  

Because of his age, even antiquated expressions wouldn't be out of order once in a while, it seems to me.  The rough accent, regardless of which part of London he is imitating, is something he's been using for a very long time and is, no doubt, his way of speaking now. He probably would have heard enough of it from servants and other lower class Londoners to have a pretty good ear for it and would have perfected it before he left London.  He also, however, has lived all over the world and has been in the US several times for extended periods (we really don't know how many time or for how long), so his accent and slang usage can easily have been affected by exposure to Americans.  I don't think there is much in canon to indicate that the Fanged Four spent a lot of time in the UK after William was turned, so he can't be blamed for bungling his chosen accent occasionally.

As far as the show is concerned, we have an American actor putting on an accent with which he isn't familiar and which changes a bit (based on what my British friends have said - I wouldn't know. lol) during the course of the show as he gets help from ASH. (see above suggestion as to why he uses so many British slang expressions)  Said show is also taking place in an American city in which both Giles and Spike have lived for quite a while.  It seems very likely that they might both have picked up some Americanisms over the years.

The second, and separate issue, is the dropping of letters.  This is more of a writing style issue than a canon issue, IMHO.  General consensus among writers and editors whose opinions I respect is that you only need a touch of it every once in while to keep the reader aware of the accent. (This is true, BTW, of any dialect - not just Spike's)  As jess stated above, too much of it makes the writing hard to read and distracts from the story.  Think about the northern farmers in All Creatures Great and Small and how difficult it is to understand them.  Or, in Lady Chatterley's Lover,  her lover's rough accent takes a good bit of getting used to before you can understand him.  It can work, if you are consistent with the character, and if the accent/dialect isn't too outside the normal range of spoken English; but as often as not, it turns out to be as much of distraction as it does a help. It's the kind of thing that will take the reader some time to "get into" (like reading or listening to Shakespeare) before they can adjust and can see the words rather than the accent.  This is made more difficult if the other characters are not using the same dialect. Using small bits dialect for minor characters' speech is probably more appropriate than for a main character's. (This isn't referring specifically to Spike - it's a general comment on using dialect in written work. Common wisdom is that a little bit goes a long way. Stories written completely in dialect can be very difficult to read. You don't want your readers losing the thread of the plot by bogging down in trying to translate the dialogue.)

That's my two cents' worth.

Had to add a PS after reading Eowyn's comments.  As far as writing Spike is concerned, IMHO, the goal of a fanfic writer should be to write a Spike as much like the one we met on the show as is possible.  There are a (very) few, very good writers out there (mostly those who've been around for a long time) who have their own versions of Spike-speech which are very consistent throughout all their fics and which, while not word-for-word the Spike we met on the show, are so obviously Spike in spirit that it doesn't matter.  For the rest of us, watching the dvd's, studying his actual use of slang expressions and the cadence of his speech so that we can approximate it in our dialogue is about the best we can hope to do.

however, his speech is sprinkled with British slang expressions.

I think what makes Spike sound like he's speaking American with an English accent to me is that the slang used are the obvious ones - the title of this thread says it all, I think. (I suspect those are the only British expressions the writers knew, lol.) But Spike doesn't use a lot of more subtle things that I've come to associate with English speech - like saying "meant to" instead of "supposed to," or "I've not" instead of "I haven't," or "mind" instead of "watch out for" (most commonly heard in "mind the gap," but I've also heard it used by people other than Tube conductors, like "mind that broken step" ). Giles doesn't really use those more subtle expressions, either, although I think ASH knew enough to alter things occasionally to sound more authentic. He also has a cadence that sounds more English than Spike does.

I do realize that I've noticed it a lot more now that I have BBC America, and can switch from Buffy to actual Brits one right after the other. My exposure to real live Brits was a year or so before I saw Buffy, so it wasn't as obvious then. But now the difference between the way Spike speaks and the way natives speak is quite noticeable.

When I said nothing wrong with using "bloody", I meant nothing non-British about it. It is a curse word, so to use it is impolite. As for it being Spike-ish, it is so long as it's used the way Spike does. As to whether or not people use it a lot or not, it depends on lots of things - not just a london or non-London thing. I don't use it as much as it was in that sentence (the sentence being a joke), but I do know people who use it, or another swear word, every sentence.

it was used sparingly, about as much as I'd use American curse words.

Then you must not swear nearly as much as I do   From jess's explanation, bloody sounds to be as versatile as f*ck.  I know I use f*ck in all those ways...

Ah, yes. I will never forget the "I wish I'd worn pants" incident. We went out one night, mixed group, Brits and Americans, and this one American girl is wearing a skirt. She says, "It's cold. I wish I'd worn pants." And all the Brits' eyebrows go sky-high, lol.

Now, that's just bloody f*cking funny

P.S.  Funny how I felt the need to write "f*ck," but not "bl**dy."

When I said nothing wrong with using "bloody", I meant nothing non-British about it. It is a curse word, so to use it is impolite.

Ah, gotcha. That's really what I was trying to get at - the politeness of it, not the Britishness. (I think we all agree it's British.)

And IB, I probably do swear less than you, but I'd bet you don't go around in everyday life using "fuck" every other sentence. (And if you do, you do an excellent job of censoring yourself online, lol.) Yet, I've seen authors who write Spike's use of "bloody" that way. He's most certainly a bit of a potty-mouth, but he's never been one to curse like a sailor. And I got the sense that the reason for it was because more bloody=more British to those authors, without registering that it's a curse word, and not something you'd say, perhaps, to your girlfriend's mother, or in front of a social worker from Child Services, lol.

Besides 'rubbish', bollocks also means testicles, as in 'a kick in the bollocks'!

if you do, you do an excellent job of censoring yourself online

I do censor online.  Never no what 9-year-old is reading In RL, I'm not so innocent; but, no matter how much I swear, I take solace in the fact that it would be impossible to swear as much as my mother   But, yes, you are right about the more bloody = more British thing.   find it terribly distracting when Spike is written with too much bloody cursing.  I do think that, if the show hadn't been held to U.S. censorship, the character would probably have sworn more; but, since he didn't, it just doesn't sound right.

That's interesting, Lou, about the bollocks.  I've never heard it used to refer to testicles.

Crap That was me.  Didn't log on.  And, since I can't edit that post, please ignore the typo

Bollocks = testicles, yes very true. Actually is what I mean if I say bollocks normally, like "crap, I just accidentally kicked my best friend's boyfriend in the bollocks."

Question - is bollocks swearing? I ask this to fellow Brits. Can't decide. It certainly isn't in my mind when talking anatomically, but might be when meaning rubbish.

Also, IB, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who swears a bit in real life. Realised I used the word bloody several times this evening. Anyone else out there who uses it, or am I just out of date?

Finally, part of why I think I use bloody so much is because it isn't as rude as f**k. I don't even say "oh God" as it's blasphemy to me (yes I actually say "oh gosh"!), but bloody just isn't all that rude IMO. Opinions from other parts would be interesting.

I've used "bloody" since high school, and that was in the '90s. And I'm from California.

Bollocks is either slang or mild swearing depending on the context, according to one explanation I saw. Interchangeable with saying "Oh, balls!"

CM

I'm an American, and my husband is Canadian.  Occasionally, he'll use a British curse word, usually bloody.  My in-laws are all from Canada, so they use the word, too.  Jess, you have a good point about bloody not being as rude as f*ck.  My mother-in-law hates f*ck, but she uses bloody all the time.

From what you guys are saying, I guess bollocks' meaning depends on the context of the sentence.  If I were to translate into American, it would be something like thins:

British: "I just kicked my brother in the bollocks."
American: "I just kicked my brother in the balls, nuts, 'nads, etc."

British: "That's complete bollocks."
American: "That's complete bullshit, nonsense, etc."

You got it.

*raises hand* Somewhat both on topic and off, do Brits have a funny word for umbrellas? Because last night they were showing a clip of a british newscast and I didn't know she was referring to her umbrella because it sounded like she said "body" and gave me a start when she said - The wind's blowing hard enough to turn your body inside out! - I did a double take, let me tell you!! lol

It's "brolly".

I have quite a few Britsh friends and yes they use words like that, and other words that I sometimes for get what they are. It took me 10 mins the other week to remember what a cop was called there.

I grew up in a part of Canada that is still very much Britsh in speech, but still have trouble. My suggestion would be to get a British slang website, I have one but can't find the link right now.

Sandra

 As a long time Brit, having lived and worked in London all my life, here are my views, in no particular order.   I've always felt that William was a member of the genteel upper-middle classes.  In his time he would have never have sworn in front of a lady and being the character he was, probably never sworn in front of men, either. When he became Spike, he took on a new persona, one of the rough Londoner he obviously thought was fun to be.   So he began to sprinkle swear words into his speech.  Would he have sworn in front of Dru?   Forget she was a mad vampire, she was also his lady, and a Catholic who had been about to enter the church.  So, even as Spike, I won't write him swearing when he is with her.

The words the writers give him are OKish.  Bloody is and was in every day use.  Now it has been watered down to an incredible level because of the upswing of sexual words.  F***, Sh*** and C***.    Sodding is a stronger word than bloody and used to show a stronger emotion. In general usage, it is often used twice for emphasis.  "The sodding tax office and messed up my sodding papers again!"  

But "blimey" was seen and heard everywhere.  Now it sounds dreadfully old-fashioned.  " Flaming" would have been used. As in  "if that flaming dog doesn't stop barking, I'll bloody well put it outside."   Flaming was used instead of f******   in mixed company.

I know it sounds weird to the present generation, but even thirty years ago, men tended not to swear in front of women, unless they were drunk.   In all honesty, I can say i never heard my father swear at home ever.  

I still wince when I read "bugger me" in fan fic, because it only means one thing and quite often it has nothing to do with the story!   Bollocks, yes, means balls and I think Spike would have used that a lot.  

Blast - that was the word girls used - or damn - which comes from "hell and damnation to you" - or so I have been taught!   An extremely strong curse which has been softened over the years.

The odd thing is that swearing, at least in England, has lost a lot of its power since the f word came into common usage.  "Get your effing face out of my effing way before I call the effing law to effing nick you."   You lose interest half way through.   And now the word "effing" , just as it sounds, is in every day use as well.

When 4 Weddings and a Funeral first came out, people were appalled at the opening scene.  Now I don't think it would even raise an eyebrow.

I was interested when I first saw Buffy of the use of the word "ho".   Was that because the TV networks weren't allowed to say whore, or is it a common term in States?   Over here most people would say "slag", in the context Buffy uses the word.  

Two countries divided by a common language!   Yes, umbrella is commonly "a brolly".   Our trousers are your pants,  our handbags are your purses,  our taps your faucets, etc. etc.  They had to removed the sign from Wimbledon Centre Court which said "Knocking up time 5 mins" because Americans kept stealing it!

"Ho" is common street lingo. It's part of our slang now. You hear it more from ethnic groups, usually, but anyone from L.A. or SoCal in general is well used to it. Probably the same for most big cities in the US.

Oh, gosh, 4W&F......a friend and I tried watching that movie and shut it off because of those first few minutes. I hate the F word for a myriad of reasons.

CM

I think the usage depends on where you live and who you live with. Where I live 'ho' isn't commonly used. Slut or whore really, sometimes skank. Everyone in my family cursed, men or women, so I was use to it from an early age and copied my family. My mother never had any scrupples saying ' those f**cking ba****ds' in front of me or my brother when we were children, and it was used so much by my mother and my grandfather the birds we use to have started saying stuff like m**therf**ker. I've been trying not to swear as much in real life, but I'm so use to doing it that I don't even realize when I say one most of the time.

The only one who ever saw a problem with it was my Catholic grandmother, who looked at everyone disapprovingly whenever a curse passed their mouths. And even she could say them if she was angry enough.
 

I'm just chiming in here to second what IB said. I'm an American married to a Canadian too. While my husband doesn't use the word "bloody" (I've been told he sounds more Southern than I do  now.) my mother-in-law does. So does my neighbor.

And at least where I come from (Houston, Texas) "ho" is very common.

When 4 Weddings and a Funeral first came out, people were appalled at the opening scene.

Really? I don't remember that. Huh. I just thought it was a good movie and I was a teenager when it came out. And no I didn't swear much then. I only really swear when I'm pissed off. Of course, I also had a foul-mouthed friend from Manchester so that might have been why it didn't faze me. (Dude was nuts, I swear.) I also had an Australian friend (from Melbourne) who was shocked when on the Simpson’s Bart said "Not bloody likely." This was around 1994 so that might have been why, I don't know. I just know that she had to explain that "bloody" was considered a swear word.

They had to removed the sign from Wimbledon Centre Court which said "Knocking up time 5 mins" because Americans kept stealing it!

I would have been tempted to steal it too! That is priceless! Its right up there with the sign they have on the outside of the bathrooms at the Satay Club in Singapore that says "No bathing in toilets." (The place is right next to the beach.)

Now that I'm done giggling, what does "Knocking up time 5 mins" mean for you guys?

What are the British curses that Spike is likely to use? Bloody, sodding and bollocks are given, but what else?

When 4 Weddings and a Funeral first came out, people were appalled at the opening scene.

Really?  I saw it here in the states, and no one so much as batted an eye.  That's a great movie.
I was interested when I first saw Buffy of the use of the word "ho". Was that because the TV networks weren't allowed to say whore, or is it a common term in States?

No, "ho" was commonly used when that first aired, especially by the younger generation.  "Ho" doesn't necessarily mean whore.  A whore is generally exactly that: one who is paid for sex.  A ho is probably just a woman who is promiscuous, payment doesn't usually apply.  I don't think the networks would have had a problem with either being aired at that time.

They had to removed the sign from Wimbledon Centre Court which said "Knocking up time 5 mins" because Americans kept stealing it!

I wouldn't have stolen it, but I'd definitely have taken a picture.  That really is priceless. Talk about lost in translation.

he sign they have on the outside of the bathrooms at the Satay Club in Singapore that says "No bathing in toilets."

My hotel in Hawaii had a sign in the bathroom that said "Please bathe inside the tub."  I guess that's not a given for some...

The 'worst' thing I've ever heard Spike say is 'wankers' at the beginning of Seeing Red. Is that just a Brit thing or do you Americans say it too? Either way, that made me have a bit of an instinctive British 'oh my!' reaction! Still pretty tame though compared to some language out there.

Here's a thought for my fellow Brits: does anyone else think that Spike has northern (and I mean Yorkshire and above) moments? Especially the use of the infamous 'pet' and 'love'. I've never heard anyone south of Yorkshire use pet-names like that and those in particular, especially not in the North London area. 

The thing that always confused me is that- kudos to James for doing an amazing job (I've heard much worse 'British' accents)- there were still some things that just sounded wrong. Yet they had an expert (Antony Head) on set all the time. Crazy.... 

The 'worst' thing I've ever heard Spike say is 'wankers' at the beginning of Seeing Red.

I had to ask my husband what that meant.  So, no, we don't use that term.  We'd say "jerkoffs."

I forgot to include the links to the British slang sites that I use. I'd be interested if anyone would take a look and verify authenticity

http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/index.htm
www.translatebritish.com/

This might be a little off topic but what is some common things that Brits will eat the American's don't?

Just tried the translatebritish site. It looks really good to me. I typed in a few random (and very contemporary) slang things ['minger' and 'chav' for those interested] and they found US equivalents. I was very impressed. So impressed that I think I'll use the American-British side when I'm trying to write US-stylee!

And about the food: Bangers and mash!!! (sausages and potatoes) And Shepherd's Pie (and numerous other pies). And Yorkshire puddings (don't ask me to explain- check out Wikipedia) Also a lot of Indian-influenced food: tikka masala and so on. That's about all I can think of right now....

A ho is a slut.  Ludacris made a whole song about it--terribly funny.  Nowadays, people (well, the people I know anyways) use the term "ho bag" in replacement of ho. 

What are some British curseword adjectives?  Would sodding be appropriate?  I ask because here, it's either (I so hope I'm not offending anybody) "fuckin'" or "mutha fucka."

I've never seen Four Weddings, but hearing the F word a bunch of times wouldn't bother me.  If anyone's offended by that, don't watch the Bernie Mac portion of The Kings of Comedy--but it is really hilarious.

On the topic of Brit food - not everyone likes mushy peas! Sorry, it's just one of those things that everyone seems to believe, but is in no way true. They are evil (prepares for disagreement!) Eggs and soldiers are a possible breakfast, or Marmite on toast. Eclairs are a good Brit pudding - not sure if that's crossed over. Also, spotted dick (no joke), bread and butter pudding, treacle sponge etc. All good. If anyone's interested in Scottish food specialities, there Cullen skink, mince and tatties, haggis, faggots, and deep fried Mars bars (the last one is exactly what it sounds like, the rest can be found on Wikipedia). Sorry if any of these are also common in the US, I know little, as it has been many years since I was last there.

British curseword adjectives - bloody, f**king, s**tting, sodding, and when absolutely necessary shagging (though not that common IMO). Any combination in any order. for example, when stubbing one's toe, one would remark "bloody, f**king, s**tting, sodding, bloody, f**king hell. To hear something like this, try Father Ted or similar. bloody f**king is a particularly common double act, at least when I'm in pain! :-0 If we were to use "mutha fucka", it would be as "mother f**king", but that's pretty course, even for me.

For those who haven't seen it, Four Weddings is famous for the fact that it start with Hugh Grant saying s**t and f**k something like 11 times before any other words are said. In its defence though, the words all fit - I'd probably swear in that situation too!

 Having great friends in Missouri, I have explored the food puzzle many times!   My family are Marmite fiends.  They have all eaten it on toast since they could chew!   My US friends throw up at the smell of it!   Marmite, by the way, is a strong beef extract, you spread it very thinly as if it were butter.

Custard - proper custard made with Birds Eye Custard powder!   

Kippers.

Black pudding fried with streaky bacon and fried bread.

The staple food of most families with children - Heinz Baked Beans on toast!  

Potatoes roasted in beef dripping.

And every sort of cake under the sun that isn't either a chocolate brownie or angel cake!   

Steak and Kidney Pudding.

And yes, Spike's use of Luv and Pet are very North of England. But then didn't the Fanged Four go up to Yorkshire at one point when they were being chased?   Pet is very South Yorkshire where everyone calls you Petal.

spotted dick

If someone offered me that, I'd give him penicillin.

ROFL at IB. So would I!

As the reigning old lady on the site, I can assure the younger members that as little as forty (okay, maybe 45 - sheesh! Is is already 2008?) years ago, you would not hear the word "fuck" in public, or in private unless you were around very crude people.  It was in use among men in all-male situations such as the military, where my husband assures me everything was capable of copulation.   Its use as a swear word is a result of the 60's quest for freedom and rebellion against the status quo. "It's just a word" was the chant.  As an example of how language can change - 15 years ago, a student in our middle school who said something or somebody "sucked" would find his mouth being washed out with virtual soap. (In other words, he'd be spending some quality time with me.) Now, everyone, including the staff uses it.  I think the use of "ho" is, to some extent, a way to get around calling someone a "whore", which is a more explicit description of a woman's lifestyle.   The "ho", since it is heard on songs and TV seems less critical and therefore can be thrown around more freely to mean a woman who is a bit free with her affections without actually accusing her of being a prostitute. 

PS - Can any of our Brit members explain the derivation of "bloody"? Where does it come from? What does it refer to? Is it a crude word or a curse word? I seem to have a nagging memory of it having something to do with the crucifixion, but I may be imaging that.

When I studied abroad in London, they gave us a crash course in cultural differences, and the one that stands out most clearly was the "Food or STD?" quiz - spotted dick and treacle were both on there.

What about Toad in a Hole?  I think I prefer Lilachigh's list of sweet goodies to any of this revolting sounding stuff.  Especially Marmite.  We do have our own version of Weetabix - it's called shredded wheat here.

Also, Spike tells Giles to piss off.  Also, he calls one of his former minions a pissant (a good Southern expression here in the US as in - Do you want to grow up to be a pissant?)

I'm 30, and I didn't hear the F word in public until I was in high school. But I grew up in an upper-middle class neighborhood. My boyfriend that's 28 was poor enough to not always have food growing up, and he says he was hearing it from elementary school kids (which is something, since his mother insisted on putting him in Christian schools instead of public, lol). I had to sit with soap in my mouth for 5 minutes for saying a swear word I wasn't even aware of in kindergarten, at my daycare. Ivory Soap. Never forgotten that.

My grandmother, who was raised by an Irish mother, also used "love" as an endearment often.

CM

 

Here you go, Patti... according to the Oxford Online:

~ ~
Bloody

 • adjective informal, chiefly Brit. 1 used to express anger or shock, or for emphasis. 2 dated unpleasant: don’t be too bloody to Nigel.

  — ORIGIN perhaps connected with the ‘bloods’ or aristocratic rowdies of the 17th and 18th centuries; to be bloody drunk (= as drunk as a blood) meant ‘very drunk indeed’.

~ ~

I was always under the impression that it was a derivative of 'By our Lady' and as such was considered a curse because it was blasphemous, obviously not. lol

Oh, and for anyone interested, here's an Aussie ad featuring the word bloody.  Bloody Idiot  ( And our police have recently been running an advertising campaign telling people that if you drink and drive you're a bloody idiot)

And just for the fun of it (because it's a bloody good ad!), an old Toyota ad Bugger

 We have shredded wheat, too.  Different to Weetabix.  Our shredded wheat looks just like that Greek dessert whose name i can't remember. Agnes will kill me!  

I've never heard 'pissant' spoken over here ever!   Piss off, all the time. Piss artist is common in London.   F... off, all the time.   Can be used nastily, spoken in a sharp, hard manner, or in a sort of awed tone as in "We won 8 - Nil? Fuck - offff" At the football games the crowd regularly chant Wanker! Wanker! at the referee if he gives a bad decision.  (They also shout "Can we introduce your parents" which I think is wittier)  I think Spike would have used Wanker a lot if he hadn't been in the States when he was.

I'm not sure where he got Peaches from?  In all my fiction I've tried to make it clear that the Irish/English divide is alive and well and living in Spike. I have had him call Angel a Bog-trotting Paddy, several times. 

On a completely different note - and the PTB can make this a different link if they wish -  can I have some American idioms for getting pregnant, please. Do you use "she's got a bun in the oven"?

I think, in my rather limited knowledge, that the c word is the worst you can throw at a woman.  Unless you want to get into the racial slurs, which perhaps we don't!

C word is so nasty!

Pregnant - "bun in the oven" is a bit old, but yeah, people still know what it means. You'll hear "knocked up", "preggers", "eating for two now", I know there are more....

CM

I'm not sure where he got Peaches from
I always assumed he was referring to his manhood, or calling fruity.  Angel's "soft," I think he was getting at.

I think that as far as offending a woman, sometimes just adding an adjective to a curse will do it.  Like instead of saying she's a bitch, calling her a frigid bitch will probably make it worse.  I don't really hear the "C" word that often, unless it's a woman calling another woman that.  I dunno, maybe that's just my town.

As for pregnant, depending upon age, some might say "Oh--she's a statistic now."  But I do think "knocked up" is the most common one today.

~Scarlet

I was always under the impression that it was a derivative of 'By our Lady' and as such was considered a curse because it was blasphemous, obviously not.

That was the origin I had heard, too.

I'm not sure where he got Peaches from?

Uh, fanon, mostly. lol

As for pregnant, depending upon age, some might say "Oh--she's a statistic now."

I don't think that's slang so much as a judgment or a criticism.

Yeah, I know it's not slang, but it's been used in replacement for it (lately).  At least, from the people that I know.  I actually don't know anyone personally who uses the term "knocked up" in actual conversations.  Usually, it's just  "Oh, she's pregnant."

And doesn't Spike call Angel Peaches in "Lover's Walk?"

~Scarlet

I think Spike does call Angel Peaches in Lover's Walk, but I think that's the only time he uses it. He tends to come up with names for Angel on a whim it seems.

And everyone I know uses the term 'knocked up.' I've never actually heard the term 'she's a statisic now' though.

An older polite one was "she's in the family way". Well, it wasn't said in a polite tone, but it was something you could murmur quietly while gossipping.

CM

Quick note defending British puddings - they are awesome. Sticky toffee pudding and treacle sponge are both hot sponges with caramelised sugar drenched over them. What's not to like?

Now haggis on the other hand...:-0..

Interesting about bloody - but makes sense. I, too, had thought it had a religious origin of some sort.

I don't think c- - - is used much here except as an especially crude insult.  I can't recall hearing or reading it being used to refer to the actual body part more than once or twice; nor have I actually heard anyone call someone else that (that I can recall), but I know it happens.

If we're talking connotations, c*nt is most likely the most offensive word to call a woman.  Much worse than, say, bitch, ho, etc.  You could even use those in a joking way amongst friends.  C*nt is never joking.

"Knocked up" is probably the most chiefly used euphemism for pregnant, especially if the mother is unwed.  I think it carries a more derogatory meaning when used in place of pregnant.  It's mostly used by younger people, say under 35, so it's definitely a more modern term.  "In the family way" is kind of the 1950's version of knocked up

Slang is very regional in the U.S.  I'm from Michigan, and I live in Connecticut.

ROFL at IB.  Girls/women have been getting "knocked up" since I was a pup.  It's not new, just, perhaps used by more people now because most of those who said "in the family way" are all dead or in nursing homes. *g*  

And, I agree, c*nt is the most offensive word you can call a woman.