ALSO ON THIS BLOG:

19 August 2016

10 Words That Sound Rude (But Really Aren’t) - 500 Words Ep. 32


A few days ago, HH tweeted this:


It’s one of those words that, if you’re not careful, could be taken in a very, very questionable direction. But there are plenty of words that don’t even have to be mispronounced to raise eyebrows—they’re just straight-up dirty. Or, at least, that’s how it might seem.




Peniaphobia, for instance, is nothing more than the fear of poverty and destitution. Pissasphalt is a type of bitumen. A tittynope is a crumb or portion of something, left over after all the rest has been used. A cockchafer is a beetle. A cock-bell an icicle. In fact, whether you’re talking about assart or spunk-water (you can thank Tom Sawyer for that one), there are quite a few words in the English language that sound rude, but really—genuinely—aren’t.

So brace yourselves, because it’s 10 of those that are the subject of this week’s YouTube video:




If you haven’t had your fill, there are nearly 100 words like these for your perusal over on Mental Floss, any one of which could have made the final cut here. One word that didn’t, however, and that perhaps needs a little more explanation, is this:


The key to this word (and others like it) is that sluttish originally meant just “untidy” or “slovenly”, while labelling someone (of either sex—Chaucer describes a man as sluttish in the Canterbury Tales) as a slut once simply implied that they were messy or disorganised.

But by the end of the fifteenth century that meaning had begun to broaden. Now it was people’s characters and morals—and, wholly unfairly, women’s morals in particular—that were being described as sluttish, if they were loose or disreputable, and it’s from there that the word’s modern connotations eventually emerged.


The older use of slut and sluttish to mean “untidy” survived right through to the early 1900s, giving the word coverslut more than enough time to emerge in the language in the mid-1600s. Essentially, it referred to nothing more than a garment warn to disguise untidy clothes underneath, or to protect your clothes from messy work or chores. So despite appearances, it was really nothing more than an apron.




17 comments:

  1. Interesting. In German, "Schlampe" (slut) and "schlampig" (sluttish/slutty) seem to have undergone a similar change. While back in the 1970ies my elementary school teacher repeatedly called me "Schlampe", because my desk was always messy, nowadays a "Schlampe" usually is a woman of questionable morals.

    ReplyDelete
  2. lovely words to use if merely to make people startle.

    ReplyDelete
  3. you can find the study materials for the govt exams in the below link…click on it…it is useful http://www.kidsfront.com/govt-jobs-exams/sbi-clerk.html

    ReplyDelete
  4. Interesting. In German, "Schlampe" (slut) and "schlampig" (sluttish/slutty) seem to have undergone a similar change. While back in the 1970.

    Please click on this post if you wanna paly with online casino.Thank you.
    บาคาร่า online
    goldenslot
    gclub online

    ReplyDelete
  5. replica rolex Orologi, che combina uno stile elegante e una tecnologia all'avanguardia, una varietà di stili di replica rolex explorer ii Orologi, il puntatore cammina tra il tuo stile di gusto esclusivo.

    ReplyDelete
  6. At Liberty Kilts,Liberty Kilts we offer a large variety of kilts outside of standard tartan kilts. We also offer utility kilts that feature just as much functionality and storage as they offer style, as well as hybrid kilts that combine the best of both worlds between tartan and utility kilts. Leather and denim kilts are also available for those who want to express their personalities through kilt wearing in a different way and for those who want more options when it comes to where and when you can wear these kilts. Beside our passionate beliefs about kilt wearing and manufacturing, we believe that owning a proper Liberty Kilts is crucial. Every proud Scot deserves a kilt they will feel proud of wearing whether you are sporting full kilt dress or are just going out on the town for a day. With our policy surrounding hand making each kilt, we create high-quality kilts that feel great and look even better. We strive to create kilts that will not only satisfy the expectations you have for them, but kilts that will exceed them as well.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good work and high level of word using
    https://kiltmaster.com/leather-kilts-for-sale

    ReplyDelete
  8. เกมสล็อต ค่าย Pg วันนี้จะมาแนะนำเกมสล็อตยอดฮิตทั้งหมด 7 เกมที่กำลังได้รับความนิยมเป็นอย่างมาก ด้วย ภาพ เนื้อหาของเกม และที่สำคัญแตกง่ายมากๆ อีกด้วย กับ สล็อต 2022

    ReplyDelete
  9. สล็อตเว็บตรง คือเป็นเว็ปตรงของPG ที่ไม่ผ่านเว็ปหรือระบบใดๆเหมือนระบบย่อย ระบบย่อยคือระบบที่ลองลงมาจากเว็บตรงPGอีกทีลูกค้าส่วนใหญ่เลยให้การสนับสนุนเกี่ยวตัวเกมส์PGแต่ต้องเป็น สล็อตเว็บตรง

    ReplyDelete
  10. Pgslot แหล่งรวมสล็อตสุดฮิต โบนัสแตกง่าย 100 % แจก free เครดิต PG เพียงแค่สมัครสมาชิก สามารถเข้าเล่นได้ตลอด 24 ชั่วโมง เล่นง่าย ได้เงินจริง ฝากถอนด้วยระบบออโต้

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks for sharing good information about park advisory boards and its loss angles. and I request you to keep posting.all the best
    Here is sharing Kubernetes Administration related stuff may be its helpful to you.

    Kubernetes Administration Training

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow, happy to see this awesome post. Thanks for sharing a great information

    ReplyDelete
  13. Fantastic post! Please keep sharing post like this. Thanks, have a good day.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I like it whenever people come together and share thoughts. Great website, continue the good work!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Nonetheless, I found iit and I’ll be bookmarking and checking back frequently!

    ReplyDelete