To be honest, I'm not so great at censoring myself when it comes to using vulgar language. I picked up the habit from my dad, who famously inspired my brother to drop an F-bomb before he could string full sentences together.
Unsurprisingly, I'm always worse when hanging out with my big bro — something that we've both tried to rein in since his own son was born, but history definitely seems to be repeating itself. Luckily, the small fry hasn't had any awkward moments at daycare just yet. Maybe we can tone down our penchant for profanity by getting creative and looking to the past for inspiration.
Though they might sound silly to us now, the words and phrases below used to be some of the dirtiest utterances a person could make back in the day. Take a look to see what scandalous vocab used to be like!
Did we miss a crazy cuss you remember hearing from the past? Let us know in the comments and be sure to SHARE with your friends!
1. "Consarn It!"
This folksy take on "consternation" definitely has more charm than a regular old "gosh dang it."
2. "Fopdoodle!"
If someone is annoying you, just imagine the look on their face when you hurl this insult at them rather than "moron."
3. "Zounds!"
This zingy expletive comes from "God's wounds" and was used to express complete and utter shock or excitement.
4. "Gadsbudlikins!"
Another religiously based term, this refers to "God's little body" from way back in the 15th century.
5. "Potzblitz!"
When someone wanted to swear by what they were saying, this German word, which translates to "upon my soul," did the trick.
6. "Bejabbers!"
Similar to exclaiming, "by jove!" But much goofier and therefore way more fun.
7. "Thunderation!"
This one derives from "tarnation," so would likely be used in a phrase like, "What in thunderation?"
8. "Bedswerver!"
Wordsmith William Shakespeare concocted this not-so-nice name for someone who is known to be a cheater.
9. "Sard!"
To medieval English ancestors, this succinct remark was their version of "the F word."
10. "Arfarfan’arf!"
It might make you sound like you're barking at someone, but this is how Victorian people called someone a drunkard.
11. "Muckspout!"
Ironically, this was a vulgar way of referring to someone who was, well, too vulgar with their constant string of swear words.
Did we miss any other hilarious bad words from back in the day? Let us know below and be sure to SHARE with your friends!
