When I say ‘I swear I will do it by today’ I mean ‘I promise I will do it by today’ I dont mean anything vulgar. Yet, when I see people using the term swear, they mean those vulgar words. When and why did this shift happen?
In: 79
Because many of the early “swear” words were religious. Today, in English “curse words” can include references to religion, sex, or excrement. In Canadian French (Quebecois), the curse words are from the scared domain, focusing on objects of the Mass: the tabernacle, the host (wafer), the oil, the chalice, etc.
Many religious “oaths” were watered down and abbreviated (“minced”). Here’s a few that i remember:
Bloody! “by our lady” still considered a swear word in the UK
Zounds! “God’s wounds” the wounds of the crucifixion
Gadzooks! “God’s hooks” the nails of the crucifixion
Latest Answers