a brief outline of English scatolinguistics

[jrtom]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A753527

A scholarly discussion, with a historical bent and an understated sense of humor. People that are concerned about soiled eyeballs (you know, what you get when you read "dirty" words) should probably skip this one.

Let's hear it for h2g2.

Comments

heh. :)

[amnesiadust.livejournal.com]

Clearly I was too bored for my own good here, but through some twist of fate I found myself reading this entry. It's hilarious -- I remember now memorizing the odd Monty Python routine with phrases like "stupid git" and "you great pillock" and having no idea where those words might have originated or what they meant (but not of course imagining that they might be considered crude!).

Reminds me of a UK scientist of my acquaintance once referring to an American dollar bill as a "bifocal" -- apparently because, in comparison to the British pound sterling, it "buys f*** all". :) That's certainly more true today than it was at the time he said it...