everything, swearing included, in moderation

I saw one reference to the Bible early on. As a a dual doctorate biblical scholar, let me tell you that when Jesus was kicking over the tables in the temple he wasn’t calling these guys ‘Jerks’. ‘You pit of vipers’ and such was translated to be palatable to gentry, and stood for some much more down to earth language. He was, after all, human, and didn’t hold back in His cursing when appropriate.

“What about when your sailer friends meet your quite dinner party friends,” you ask. Here you prove your manliness and self control to both groups by telling your sailer friends “Don’t speak like that in front of the ladies/my mother/ these respected gentleman!”

English profanity is all about words wrapped up in puritanism and christian mythology. Swedish profanity is all about devils.

They’re just words use them to communicate or shock, as the situation merits.

While amongst like-minded friends, a light peppering of your speech with colorful words can lend a very strong hand to its humor: “Did you see her? She was stacked like a brick shithouse.”

To swear in mixed company, or because you simply can’t develop a more eloquent phrase, is not manly at all: “Hey, motherfucker! Come back here!”

Sometimes, however, there are certain colorful words or phrases one can use to immediately convey that you mean business, and they are as such more appropriate, and can be considered manly, if not downright poised: “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”

That statement is more offensive than most of the profanity-laden expressions I’ve heard in my life.

It has become more common to hear women swear mainly because men stopped showing self-control, or more importantly respect for women, by using profanity in their presence. I can still remember when real men did not swear in front of a lady and to do so could earn you a quick expulsion or a busted nose from more chivalrous gentlemen. Swearing is like anything else, get enough and you become desensitized to it. This is proven by how the “acceptable” words on television keep changing for the worse.

Anyway, man up

Only when needed for emphasis, and only the 4 “classics”, like hell, d#mn, sh#t, and as#…the F-bomb has historical provenance, but it’s too vulgar for a gentleman to use; it’s a definite no-no for ladies (notice I didn’t say ‘women’…some are worse than men).

I have always told my sons it’s OK to throw out a scorcher or two when working on an old car or hot rod, and sometimes you can make it specifically personal to the vehicle (usually of female connotation – the “B” word), especially if a set of busted knuckles are the trigger….
Rob

All humans get angry, and anger is the frustration of desire, an undesirable state of mental or emotional tension. Real men do not give in, they prevail, through fortitude, strength and work.

If you get frustrated and want to change then just growl under your breath like a bear, but do not give in to vulgarity.

What the deuce is a synonym of “what the dickens”. Dickens being by the way a pet name of Richard. The devil has been called by this name at times. So “What the deuce” could also be said to mean “What the devil”. This is at least the case with the older German phrases “Wat de duus!” and “Was der Daus!”.