Re: Boffins & saving email
Camille Scaysbrook (c_scaysbrook@yahoo.com)
Thu, 02 Sep 1999 13:13:35 +1000
Tim wrote:
> Ah, dictionaries -- you have to love them. If you REALLY enjoy
> etymology, check out what Jesse Sheidlower is doing at
> http://www.randomhouse.com/jesse/ (Jesse's Word of the Day). He
> knows more words than anyone alive, I think. 8-) One of the books
> he has written is "The F Word," which is a history of the word Holden
> spends so much time eradicating. Another is a compendium of his
> "Word of the Day" entries of obscure words he has featured on his web
> page.
The F word has become a hot topic over here at the moment because a judge
dismissed the case of a boy who was accused of swearing at a police officer
because it has `lost the power to shock'. This may lead to a whole
reconsideration of the laws about behaviour in public. Maybe it has lost
its shock value ... but I've still never, ever come across an Australian
edition of Catcher that doesn't have the expurgated `f--- you's in it.
Camille
verona_beach@geocities.com
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