Invisapeeps 2.0

Forty-two · Guru

A double scribble

RichardInTN · I believe in I.D.I.C.

What is and isn't "cursing" depends solely on the individual.

It's kind of on par with "cheating" (where some think it cheating to even LOOK at another person, others think the line is at seeing them naked, and still others think it's only if sex happens).

Personally I don't have any "trigger" words that bother me... but I understand that there are a few that are (more or less) universally recognized as "curse words": Ass (unless referring to a donkey) is one of them, and Dick (unless referring to a guy named Richard, that doesn't mind the nickname) is another.

George Carlin (smart man, RIP) once created the well known "List of 7 forbidden words on TV". Your two are not on that list.

Cactus · Senior Member

I would say no.

flan327 · Senior Member

I love George Carlin!!

flan

flan327 · Senior Member

To answer your question, 42, I guess it depends on the audience. Those are not words that I would use at work, for example.

flan

Forty-two · Guru

RichardInTN wrote:
What is and isn't "cursing" depends solely on the individual.

It's kind of on par with "cheating" (where some think it cheating to even LOOK at another person, others think the line is at seeing them naked, and still others think it's only if sex happens).

Personally I don't have any "trigger" words that bother me... but I understand that there are a few that are (more or less) universally recognized as "curse words": Ass (unless referring to a donkey) is one of them, and Dick (unless referring to a guy named Richard, that doesn't mind the nickname) is another.

George Carlin (smart man, RIP) once created the well known "List of 7 forbidden words on TV". Your two are not on that list.

I agree with this and I think these are curse words. I want to raise my kids to be classy and I want to set an example of being classy and that includes not using foul language. I was having dinner with a friend last night and she swore up and down ass was not a curse. I told her she was crazy. I had broken my cardinal rule and said ass in front of my child and he told me what an awful parent I was. He carried on so much I thought Family Services would be at more door when I got home.

-- Edited by Forty-two on Friday 23rd of May 2014 07:00:20 AM

Balloon Animal · Guru

Yeah they are curse words. Basically if you would feel uncomfortable saying it in front of a priest or your boss or your great grandmother-it is probably a curse word.

winds55 · Guru

There are curse words and then words 'we don't use in polite company'. I'd throw your examples in the second category.

There are plenty of words I wouldn't be comfortable using in conversation with a priest or a boss that are perfectly fine words in any other conversation, so I wouldn't use that as criteria.

iluvsuomi1989 · Senior Member

A curse is to condemn someone, so saying "Go to Hell" is a actually a curse; or "God Damn You."

In Great Britain, ass is on par with calling someone a donkey (in other words, doesn't refer to or mean a human body part) and even years ago, I saw it used in British advertising and on British TV; here, it's considered somewhat crude, but not a curse. Assh--e would be even cruder. In many translations of the Bible, the word ass connotes a donkey or beast of burden as in "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's ass" doesn't mean you don't covet your neighbor's hind quarters, but his donkey.

It's a "know your audience" kind of thing.

Evil Stepmother · Guru

I wouldn't consider it a curse word, but a vulgar word. Winds is right you don't use that language in "polite company".

Desdenova · Motherhood: Sleep is for the weak!!

winds55 wrote:
There are curse words and then words 'we don't use in polite company'. I'd throw your examples in the second category.

There are plenty of words I wouldn't be comfortable using in conversation with a priest or a boss that are perfectly fine words in any other conversation, so I wouldn't use that as criteria.

I totally agree with this!

OpheliaDev1 · Guru

I broadly define it as words I wouldn't want my nephew to say at kindergarten. So I would call ass and dick bad words.

kinalikamom · Senior Member

'dick' definitely.

'ass' I would say what the context is. If you are speaking about an animal, I'm not going to judge. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on an ass.

Any other use of the word is a curse word.

Probably best with kids to refrain from using either and make the distinction as they age.

EmmDee · Guru

I too would differentiate between curse and vulgar/inappropriate for proper conversations. I think ass falls in the second category.

aberswyth · Member

No, not technically. Those words are just slangy vulgarities.

Forty-two · Guru

aberswyth wrote:
No, not technically. Those words are just slangy vulgarities.

What do you mean not technically?

But the crazy thing is DH, TB and I went out to dinner tonight (i guess at this hour it would be last night) and TB said ass was not a curse just a word that you should not say. The food came and I forgot to ask him what he thought a curse was. BTW this kid is six years old.

aberswyth · Member

As Suomi said upthread, a curse is technically when you say "God damn you" or "go to hell:" "a solemn utterance intended to invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone or something." Anything that falls outside that definition is simply a profanity or expletive.

Forty-two · Guru

I use this definition from Merriam-Websters.

1curse noun \ˈkərs\
: an offensive word that people say when they are angry