The F-Word
- ISBN-10
- 0199751552
- ISBN-13
- 9780199751556
- Category
- Reference
- Pages
- 320
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2009-09-04
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Author
- Jesse Sheidlower
Description
We all know what frak, popularized by television's cult hit Battlestar Galactica, really means. But what about feck? Or ferkin? Or foul--as in FUBAR, or "Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition"? In a thoroughly updated edition of The F-Word, Jesse Sheidlower offers a rich, revealing look at the f-bomb and its illimitable uses. Since the fifteenth century, no other word has been adapted, interpreted, euphemized, censored, and shouted with as much ardor or force; imagine Dick Cheney telling Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy to "go damn himself" on the Senate floor--it doesn't have quite the same impact as what was really said. Sheidlower cites this and other notorious examples throughout history, from the satiric sixteenth-century poetry of James Cranstoun to the bawdy parodies of Lord Rochester in the seventeenth century, to more recent uses by Ernest Hemingway, Jack Kerouac, Ann Sexton, Norman Mailer, Liz Phair, Anthony Bourdain, Junot Diaz, Jenna Jameson, Amy Winehouse, Jon Stewart, and Bono (whose use of the word at the Grammys nearly got him fined by the FCC). Collectively, these references and the more than one hundred new entries they illustrate double the size of The F-Word since its previous edition. Thousands of added quotations come from newly available electronic databases and the resources of the OED, expanding the range of quotations to cover British, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, Irish, and South African uses in addition to American ones. Thus we learn why a fugly must hone his or her sense of humor, why Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau muttered "fuddle duddle" in the Commons, and why Fanny Adams is so sweet. A fascinating introductory essay explores the word's history, reputation, and changing popularity over time. and a new Foreword by comedian, actor, and author Lewis Black offers readers a smart and entertaining take on the book and its subject matter. Oxford dictionaries have won renown for their expansive, historical approach to words and their etymologies. The F-Word offers all that and more in an entertaining and informative look at a word that, while now largely accepted as an integral part of the English language, still confounds, provokes, and scandalizes.
Get the book
Other editions
Similar books
-
The F Word: A personal exploration of modern female friendship
By Lily PebblesIf my 1998 diary is anything to go by, female friendships are incredibly complex and emotional but they're the mini love stories that make us who we are.
-
The F Word: How to Survive Your Family
By Louis Anderson, Carl KurlanderBut because we all have one, Louie Anderson has written this honest, funny, and brilliant survival manual for anyone who's ever choked on... THE F WORD.
-
The F Words
By Barbara GregorichCaught spray-painting the F word on his Chicago high school after his community activist father's arrest, sophomore Cole Renner is sentenced to write two poems a week and uses his words to fight for justice for his father, for himself, for ...
-
Feminism: Reinventing the F-Word
By Nadia Abushanab HigginsAfter reading this book, readers will be able to respond to "Am I a feminist?" with a confident, informed voice.
-
Understanding the F-word: American Fascism and the Politics of Illusion
By David McGowanBy offering a radical review of the last one hundred years of US history, this work is intended as a counterpoint to the rampant revisionism of the flurry of books glorifying the "American Century".
-
The Other "F" Word: How Smart Leaders, Teams, and Entrepreneurs Put Failure to Work
By John Danner, Mark CoopersmithYou might as well put it to work. How? In this provocative book, the authors share failure-savvy insights from exclusive interviews with leaders of large multinationals, small and mid-size businesses, and startup ventures.
-
F**k: An Irreverent History of the F-Word
By Rufus LodgeAn amusing, informative, controversial and utterly irreverent history of the world’s favourite word.
-
Toothpaste and Cigars
By Michael, T. J., RinaldiToothpaste and Cigars
-
The F Word: Small Changes for Extraordinary Results Using Keto and Low Carb
By Emma MartinPacked with an abundance of easy to implement steps, you can reclaim your energy, jeans size, health, sleep, your mindset and most importantly, your shazam, for seemingly unbelievable, but simple results.Once you have read this book and ...
-
The Other F-Word: A Novel
By Natasha FriendWhen Milo's doctor suggests asking his biological father to undergo genetic testing to shed some light on Milo's extreme allergies, he realizes this is a golden opportunity to find the man he's always wondered about.