Many Dutch swear words are as well, but they often feel weaker than the medical ones. Schijt is less like its English cognate and more like the gentler French merde.

Swear word or not, let's take a look at where it comes from. "Crap" has a basis in farming terminology, of all things. It is thought to have roots in Old Dutch (krappen meaning "to cut off ...

We tend to think of swear words as one entity, but they actually serve several distinct functions. Steven Pinker, in The Stuff of Thought, lists five different ways we can swear: “descriptively ...

It’s about damn time. Premiering Tuesday, Jan. 5, and hosted by Nicolas Cage, the new Netflix series “History of Swear Words” takes a deep dive into the roots of taboo words, such as “f--k ...

Our brains swear for good reasons: to vent, cope, boost our grit and feel closer to those around us. Swear words can act as social glue and play meaningful roles in how people communicate, connect ...

A prominent Dutch newspaper, NRC Handelsblad, is facing criticism for the headline and illustration on a book review series it published two weeks ago. The series, which reviewed several books ...

You need words with a little more oomph — expletives. In fact, Americans swear so often, ... The action, however, has a much more widespread history — Dutch schijten and German scheissen.

An analysis of the way 13 different Dutch swear words were used on Twitter during the month of September has revealed sharp regional variations and a nationwide fondness for the k word.. Broadcaster ...

‘Dirty gay’ is a swear word, says magistrate July 11, 2008 . Two men from Woerden have been fined for calling a police officer a ‘dirty gay’, the AD reports. The two were arrested for being drunk and ...

Strong language is common to most cultures, but what makes a word profane, and how does cursing vary from place to place? James Harbeck explains. The reason I can say this is because I am writing ...