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'''''Fuck''''' is an [[English language|English]] word that is generally considered [[profane]], that in its most literal meaning refers to the act of [[sexual intercourse]]. However, by extension it may be used to negatively characterize anything that can be dismissed, disdained, [[wikt:defiled|defiled]], or [[Demolition|destroyed]], and it is due to the convergence of these two weighty concepts (sex and destruction) that the term can carry such [[semantic overload|overloaded]] emphasis,{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} although it is frequently used as a mere intensifier.

"Fuck" can be used as a noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun, or interjection and can [[logic word|logically]] be used as virtually any word in a sentence (e.g. "Fuck the fucking fuckers"). Moreover, it is one of the only words in the English language which could be applied in the middle of a word (e.g. "Am I sexy? Absofuckinglutely!") It hence has various metaphorical meanings. The verb "to be fucked" can mean "to be cheated" (e.g. "I got fucked by a scam artist"). As a noun "a fuck" or "a fucker" may describe a contemptible person. "A fuck" may mean an act of copulation. The word can be used as an interjection, and its [[participle]] is sometimes used as a strong emphatic. The verb ''to fuck'' may be used [[transitive verb|transitively]] or [[intransitive verb|intransitively]], and it appears in [[wikt:fuck#Derived terms|compounds]], including ''fuck off'', ''fuck up'', and ''fuck with''. In less explicit usages (but still regarded as vulgar), ''fuck'' or ''fuck with'' can mean to mess around, or to deal with unfairly or harshly. In a phrase such as "don't give a fuck", the word is the equivalent of "damn", in the sense of something having little value. In "what the fuck", it serves merely as an intensive. If something is very abnormal or annoying "this is fucked up" may be said.

==Offensiveness==
The word's use is considered obscene in polite circles, but may be common in informal and domestic situations. It is unclear whether the word has always been considered [[vulgar]], and if not, when it first came to be used to describe (often in an extremely angry, hostile or belligerent manner) unpleasant circumstances or people in an intentionally offensive way, such as in the term ''[[motherfucker]]'', one of its more common usages in some parts of the [[List of countries where English is an official language|English-speaking world]]. In the modern [[English language|English]]-speaking world, the word ''fuck'' is often considered highly offensive. Most English-speaking countries censor it on television and radio. A study of the attitudes of the British public found that ''fuck'' was considered the third most severe profanity and its derivative ''[[motherfucker]]'' second. ''[[Cunt]]'' was considered the most severe (Hargrave, 2000). Some have argued that the prolific usage of the word ''fuck'' has de-vulgarized it, an example of the "[[dysphemism]] treadmill". Despite its offensive nature, the word is common in popular usage.

The highly profane term remains a [[taboo]] word to many people in English-speaking countries, while others feel the word remains inappropriate in social [[etiquette]] when used by a male in the presence of women. The word also carries a sacrilegious connotation to some. Many religious people oppose the use of profane, vulgar, and "curse" words which they see as offensive to a deity. Finally, it is considered highly offensive to utter the word in the presence of children.

Non-English-speaking cultures tend to recognize the word's vulgarity. However, it generally is not censored as frequently in those forums.

The [[Canadian Press]] now considers the word to be commonplace and has added usage advice to the ''Canadian Press Caps and Spelling'' guide. <!--[http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/08/14/CP_manual_adds_four-letter_expletive20050815.html] - Broken link -->

==Etymology==
The ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' states that the ultimate etymology is uncertain, but that the word is "probably cognate" with a number of native [[Germanic languages|Germanic]] words with meanings involving striking, rubbing, and having sex.<ref name=oed>"Fuck." ''[[OED Online]]''. Draft Revision, June 2008. [[Oxford University Press]]. Accessed 26 Aug 2008 [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50090566].</ref>

===Flen flyys and freris===
The usually accepted first known occurrence is in [[Code (cryptography)|code]] in a poem in a mixture of [[Latin]] and English composed some time before 1500. The poem, which satirizes the [[Carmelite]] friars of [[Cambridge, England]], takes its title, "[[Flen flyys]]", from the first words of its opening line, ''Flen, flyys, and freris'' (= "[[Flea]]s, [[flies]], and [[friars]]"). The line that contains ''fuck'' reads ''Non sunt in coeli, quia gxddbov xxkxzt pg ifmk''. Removing the [[substitution cipher]] (here, replacing each letter by the next letter in alphabetical order, as the English alphabet was then) on the phrase "''gxddbov xxkxzt pg ifmk''" yields ''non sunt in coeli, quia fvccant vvivys of heli'', which translated means, "They are not in heaven because they fuck wives of [[Ely, Cambridgeshire|Ely]]".<ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=fuck American Heritage Dictionary definition of ''fuck'']</ref> The phrase was coded likely because it accused some Church personnel of misbehaving; it is uncertain to what extent the word ''fuck'' was considered acceptable at the time. (The stem of ''fvccant'' is an English word used as Latin: English [[medieval Latin]] has many examples of writers using English words when they did not know the Latin word: "''workmannus''" is an example.)

===John le Fucker===
A man's name, '''John le Fucker''', is said to be reported from AD 1278, but the report is doubtful: an [http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0406a&L=ads-l&D=0&P=11606 email discussion] on [[Linguist List]] says:

{{quote|This name has been exhaustively argued over ... The "John le Fucker" reference first appears in [[Carl Buck]]'s 1949 [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] dictionary. Buck does not supply a citation as to where he found the name. No one has subsequently found the manuscript in which it is alleged to have appeared. If the citation is genuine and not an error, it is most likely a spelling variant of "fulcher", meaning [[soldier]].<ref>A detailed discussion can be found in [[A.W. Read]]'s "Milestones in The History of English" ''[may be ISBN 0-8223-6526-X]'', [[PADS]] 86.''.</ref>}}

===Anglo-Saxon===
An [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] [[charter]]<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=seek&query=S+108 |title = Anglo-Saxons.net : S 108 |accessdate = 2008-08-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = http://people.pwf.cam.ac.uk/rjr20/details/Pelteret/Ccc/Ccc%2018.htm |title = Charters of Christ Church, Canterbury |accessdate = 2008-08-16}}</ref> granted by [[Offa]], king of [[Mercia]], dated AD 772, granting land at [[Bexhill, Sussex]] to a bishop, includes this text in a mixture of [[Anglo-Saxon language]] and [[Latin]]:
{{quote|''Þonne syndon þa gauolland þas utlandes into Bexlea in hiis locis qui appellantur hiis nominibus: on Berna hornan .iii. hida, on Wyrtlesham .i., on Ibbanhyrste .i., on Croghyrste .viii., on Hrigce .i., on Gyllingan .ii., on Fuccerham 7 and on Blacanbrocan .i., on Ikelesham .iii.;''

Then the tax-lands of the outland belonging to [[Bexley]] are in these places which are called by these names: at [[Barnhorne]] 3 [[Hide (unit)|hides]], at ''Wyrtlesham'' [Worsham farm near [[Bexhill]] ] 1, at ''Ibbanhyrst'' 1, at [[Crowhurst, East Sussex|Crowhurst]] 8, at ([[Rye]]? The ridge north of [[Hastings]]?) 1, at [[Gillingham, Medway|Gillingham]] 2, at '''''Fuccerham''''' and at Blackbrook [may be Black Brooks in [[Westfield, East Sussex|Westfield]] village just north of [[Hastings]] ] 1, at [[Icklesham]] 3.}}

The placename ''Fuccerham'' looks like either "the home (''hām'') of the fucker or fuckers" or "the enclosed [[pasture]] (''hamm'') of the fucker or fuckers", who may have been a once-notorious man, or a locally well-known [[Stud (animal)|stud]] male animal, or a group of such, or something unrelated.{{Citation needed|date=August 2008}}

===Older etymology===
====Via Germanic====
The word has probable [[cognate]]s in other Germanic languages, such as [[German language|German]] ''ficken'' (to fuck); [[Dutch language|Dutch]] ''fokken'' (to breed, to strike, to beget); dialectal [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] ''fukka'' (to copulate), and dialectal [[Swedish language|Swedish]] ''fokka'' (to strike, to copulate) and ''fock'' ([[penis]]).<ref name=oed /> This points to a possible etymology where [[Common Germanic]] ''fuk–'' comes from an [[Indo-European language|Indo-European]] root meaning "to strike", cognate with non-Germanic words such as Latin ''pugnus'' "fist".<ref name=oed /> By reverse application of [[Grimm's law]], this hypothetical root has the form *''pug–''. In early [[Proto-Germanic]] the word was likely used at first as a slang or euphemistic replacement for an older word for ''intercourse'', and then became the usual word for ''intercourse''.{{Citation needed|date=August 2008}}

Yet another possible etymology is from the [[Old High German]] word ''pfluog'', meaning "to plow, as in a field" (pronounced similarly to "fuk-"). This is supported in part by a book by [[Carl Jung]], ''[[Carl Jung publications|Psychology of the Unconscious: A Study of the Transformations and Symbolisms of the Libido]]'', in which he discusses the "primitive play of words" and the [[phallic]] representation of the plough, including its appearance on a vase found in an [[archaeological]] dig near [[Florence, Italy]], which depicts six [[wikt:ithyphallic|ithyphallic]] (erect-penised) men carrying a plow.

The original [[Proto-Indo-European language|Indo-European]] [[root (linguistics)|root]] for ''to copulate'' is likely to be * ''h<sub>3</sub>yeb<sup>h</sup>–'' or *''h<sub>3</sub>eyb<sup>h</sup>–'', which is attested in [[Sanskrit]] [[wikt:यभति|यभति]] (''yabhati''), [[Russian language|Russian]] [[wikt:ебать|ебать]] (''yebat'''), [[Polish language|Polish]] ''[[wikt:jebać|jebać]]'', and [[Serbian language|Serbian]] ''[[wikt:jebati#Serbian|jebati]]'', among others: compare the Greek verb [[wikt:οἴφω|οἴφω]] (''oíphō'') = "I have sex with", and the Greek noun [[wikt:Ζέφυρος|Ζέφυρος]] (Zéphyros) (which references a Greek belief that the west wind [[Anemoi#West wind (Zephyrus)|Zephyrus]] caused pregnancy).

====Via Latin or Greek====
* Other possible connections are to Latin [[wikt:futuo#Latin|fūtuere]] (almost exactly the same meaning as the English verb "to fuck"); but it would have to be explained how the word reached [[Scandinavia]] from Roman contact, and how the ''t'' became ''k''.{{Citation needed|date=August 2008}} From ''fūtuere'' came [[French language|French]] ''foutre'', [[Catalan language|Catalan]] ''fotre'', [[Italian language|Italian]] ''fottere'', [[Romanian language|Romanian]] ''futere'', vulgar peninsular [[Spanish language|Spanish]] ''follar'' and ''joder'', and [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] ''foder''. However, there is considerable doubt and no clear lineage for these derivations. These roots, even if cognates, are not the original Indo-European word for ''to copulate'', but [[Wayland Young]] (who agrees that these words are related) argues that they derive from the Indo-European *''b<sup>h</sup>u–'' or *''b<sup>h</sup>ug–'' ("be", "become"), or as causative "create" [see Young, 1964]. A possible intermediate might be a Latin 4<sup>th</sup>-[[declension]] [[verbal noun]] *''fūtus'', with possible meanings including "act of (pro)creating".
* A derivation from [[Latin]] ''facere'' = "to do", "to make" has been suggested.{{Citation needed|date=August 2008}}
* Greek ''phyō'' (φυω) has various meanings, including (of a man) "to beget", or (of a woman), "to give birth to".<ref name="ReferenceA">Liddell, Henry George, & Scott, Robert. ''Greek-English Lexikon''; 3rd ed. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1857; p. 1638a, b.</ref> Its [[perfect tense]] ''pephyka'' (πεφυκα) can be likened to "fuck" and its equivalents in other Germanic languages.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

===False etymologies===
One reason that the word ''fuck'' is so hard to trace etymologically is that it was used far more extensively in common speech than in easily traceable written forms. There are several [[urban legend|urban-legend]] [[false etymology|false etymologies]] postulating an [[acronym]]ic origin for the word. None of these acronyms were ever heard before the 1960s, according to the authoritative [[lexicographer|lexicographical]] work ''The F-Word'', and thus are [[backronym]]s. In any event, the word ''fuck'' has been in use far too long for some of these supposed origins to be possible. Some of these urban legends are that the word ''fuck'' came from [[Ireland|Irish]] law. If a couple were caught committing [[adultery]], they would be punished "For Unlawful [[wikt:carnal knowledge|Carnal Knowledge]] In the Nude", with "FUCKIN" written on the [[stocks]] above them to denote the crime. Another theory is that of a royal permission. During the [[Black Death]] in the [[Middle Ages]], [[town]]s were trying to control populations and their interactions. Since uncontaminated resources were scarce, many towns required permission to have [[children]]. Hence, the legend goes, that couples that were having children were required to first obtain royal permission (usually from a local magistrate or lord) and then place a sign somewhere visible from the [[road]] in their home that said "[[fornicate|Fornicating]] Under [[Consent]] of [[King]]", which was later shortened to "FUCK". This story is hard to document but has persisted in oral and literary traditions for many years; however, it has been demonstrated to be an urban legend.<ref>http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/fuck.asp</ref>

The word "fuck" did not come from any of:
* "File Under Carnal Knowledge"
* "[[Fornication]] Under the Christian King"
* "Fornication Under the Command of the King"
* "Fornication Under Carnal/Cardinal Knowledge"
* "False Use of Carnal Knowledge"
* "[[Felony|Felonious]] Use of Carnal Knowledge"
* "Felonious Unlawful Carnal Knowledge"
* "Full-On Unlawful Carnal Knowledge"
* "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge"
* "Found Under Carnal Knowledge"
* "Found Unlawful Carnal Knowledge"
* "Forced Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" (referring to the crime of [[rape]])

==Usage history==
===Early usage===
Its first known use as a verb meaning to have sexual intercourse is in "[[Flen flyys]]", written around [[15th century in literature|1475]].

[[William Dunbar]]'s 1503 poem "Brash of Wowing" includes the lines: "Yit be his feiris he wald haue fukkit: / Ye brek my hairt, my bony ane" (ll. 13–14).

[[John Florio]]'s 1598 Italian-English dictionary, ''A Worlde of Wordes'', included the term, along with several now-archaic, but then vulgar synonyms, in this definition:
*Fottere: ''To jape, to sard, to fucke, to swive, to occupy.''
Of these, "occupy" and "jape" still survive as verbs, though with less profane meanings, while "sard" was a descendant of the Anglo-Saxon verb ''seordan'' (or ''seorðan'', <[[Old Norse|ON]] ''serða''), to copulate; and "swive" had derived from earlier ''swīfan'', to revolve.

While [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]] never used the term explicitly; he hinted at it in comic scenes in a few plays. ''[[The Merry Wives of Windsor]]'' (IV.i) contains the expression ''focative case'' (see [[vocative case]]). In ''[[Henry V (play)|Henry V]]'' (IV.iv), Pistol threatens to ''firk'' (strike) a soldier, a [[euphemism]] for ''fuck''.

===Rise of modern usage===
Though it appeared in John Ash's 1775 ''A New and Complete Dictionary'', listed as "low" and "vulgar," and appearing with several definitions,<ref>"Expletive Deleted - A good look at bad language" by Ruth Wajnryb, Copyright 2005, published by FREE PRESS</ref> ''fuck'' did not appear in any widely-consulted dictionary of the English language from 1795 to 1965. Its first appearance in the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (along with the word ''[[cunt]]'') was in 1972. There is anecdotal evidence of its use during the American Civil War. {{Citation needed|date=July 2008}}

==Modern usage==
Most literally, to ''fuck'' is to ''[[Sexual intercourse|copulate]],'' but it is also used as a more general [[expletive]] or intensifier. Some instances of the word can be taken at face value, such as "Let's fuck," "I would fuck her/him", or "He/she fucks." Other uses are [[dysphemism|dysphemistic]]: The sexual connotation, usually connected to [[masturbation]] (in the case of "go fuck yourself" or "go fuck your ass") is invoked to incite additional disgust, or express anger or outrage. For example, "Fuck that!", "Fuck no!", "Fuck off", or "Fuck you!". By itself, ''fuck'' is usually used as an exclamation, indicating surprise, pain, fear, disgust, disappointment, anger, or a sense of extreme elation. In this usage, there is no connection to the sexual meaning of the word implied, and is used purely for its "strength" as a vulgarity. Additionally, other uses are similarly vacuous; ''fuck'' (or variations such as "the fuck" or "fucking") could be removed and leave a sentence of identical [[syntax|syntactical]] meaning. For example, rap music often uses the word ''fucking'' as an emphatic adjective ("I'm the fucking man") for the word's [[rhythm]]ic properties. Insertion of the [[trochaic]] word ''fucking'' can also be used as an exercise for diagnosing the [[cadence]] of an English-language word. This is the use of "fuck" or more specifically "fucking" as an [[infix]], or more properly, a [[tmesis]] (see [[expletive infixation]]). For example, the word ''in-fucking-credible'' sounds acceptable to the English ear, and is in fairly common use, while ''incred-fucking-ible'' would sound very clumsy (though, depending on the context, this might be perceived as a humorous [[improvisation]] of the word). "Absofuckinglutely" and "motherfucking" are also common uses of "fuck" as an [[affix]]. While neither dysphemistic nor connected to the sexual connotations of the word, even the vacuous usages are considered offensive and gratuitous, and censored in some media. For example, "None of your fucking business!" or "Shut the fuck up!" A common insult is "Get fucked," which in a non-offensive context would translate as "get stuffed". The word is one of the few that has legitimate colloquial usage as a [[verb]], [[adverb]], [[adjective]], [[command]], [[Grammatical conjunction|conjunction]], [[Interjection|exclamatory]], [[noun]] and [[pronoun]].

In another usage, the word ''fucker'' is used as a term of endearment rather than antipathy. This usage is not uncommon; to say "you're one smart fucker" is often a term of affection. However, because of its ambiguity and vulgarity, the word ''fucker'' in reference to another person can easily be misinterpreted. Though ''fuck'' can serve as a noun, the ''fucker'' form is used in a context that refers to an individual. Normally in these cases, if ''fuck'' is used instead of ''fucker,'' the sentence refers to the sexual ability of the subject (for example, "He's a great fuck!"), although confusingly in a minority of occasions the word "fuck" can hold the exact same meaning as "fucker" (e.g. when preceded by an adjective: "You're a pretty clever fuck.").

Related to ''fucker'' is the word ''[[motherfucker]].'' Sometimes used as an extreme insult—an accusation of [[incest]]—this term is also occasionally used to connote respectful awe. For example, "He's a mean motherfucker" does not mean "He's abusive, filthy and copulates with his mother," but "He's someone to be afraid of." In this context, some [[gang]] members might even describe themselves as "motherfuckers." ''Motherfucker'' can be used as a [[rhythm]]ic filler in [[hip hop music|hip hop]], rap or [[dance]] music. The word "fuck" is used in many forms of music. A good example of this is in [[The Crystal Method]]'s song "Name of the Game." At about 3:30 into the song, there's a dramatic buildup and then a sudden pause. To fill the space, an audio sample of someone exclaiming ''motherfucker'' (or, as it's pronounced, "mutha fucka") is injected, filling the gap with perfect rhythm. Perhaps ''motherfucker's'' rhythmic compatibility is due to its [[syllable|quadrisyllabic]] [[pronunciation]], making it a natural fit for popular music that is written in 4/4 [[metre]]. Also contributing to its use in aggressive, high-energy music is the fact that it includes a hard "k" sound in its third syllable, making it easy to exclaim, particularly when pronounced as "mutha fucka." Despite these rhythmic qualities, ''motherfucker'' has not become as accepted in English usage as its root ''fuck.''
A more succinct example of the flexibility of the word is its use as almost every word in a sentence. The phrase "Fuck you, you fucking fuck!" is a memorable quote from the movie [[Blue Velvet (film)|Blue Velvet]] from 1986, and is still used today as heard in Strapping Young Lad's "You Suck" from their 2006 album ''The New Black''. Another example is, "Fuck the fucking fuckers!" Because of its vulgar status, the word ''fuck'' is usually restricted in mass media and barred from titles in the [[United States]]. In 2002, when the controversial [[Cinema of France|French film]] ''[[Baise-moi]]'' ([[2000 in film|2000]]) was released in the [[United States|USA]], its title was changed to ''Rape Me,'' rather than the literal ''Fuck Me,'' though this may have been for effect. Similarly, the [[Sweden|Swedish]] film ''[[Fucking Åmål]]'' was retitled ''Show Me Love.''

Online forums and public [[blog]]s may censor the word by use of automatic filters. For example, [[Fark.com]] replaces the word ''fuck'' with ''fark''. Others replace the word with [[asterisk]]s (''****'') to censor it (and other profanities) entirely. To avert these filters, many online posters will use the word ''fvck''. This particular alteration is in common usage at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]], where students use it in reference to the inscriptions on MIT's [[neoclassicism|neoclassical]] buildings, in which the letter ''[[U]]'' is replaced by ''[[V]].'' A typical coinage in this idiom would be "I'm fvcked by the Institvte." (Other less common spellings to cheat a censor are "fück" and "phuck.") Another way to bypass a word filter is to use [[leet]] (Fuck becomes F(_)c|< or |=(_)Ck to name a couple.)

The word ''fuck'' is a component of many [[acronym]]s, some of which—like ''[[SNAFU]]'' and ''[[FUBAR]]''—date as far back as [[World War II]]. Many more recent coinages, such as the shorthand "[[wikt:WTF|WTF]]?" for "what the fuck?," have been widely extant on the [[Internet]], and may count as examples of [[meme]]s. Many acronyms will also have an F or MF added to increase emphasis, for example OMG (Oh My God) becomes OMFG (Oh My Fucking God). Abbreviated versions of the word tend not to be considered as offensive. Despite the proclaimed vulgarity of the word, several comedians rely on ''fuck'' for comedic routines. [[George Carlin]] created several literary works based upon the word. Other comedians who use or used the word consistently in their routines include [[Denis Leary]], [[Lewis Black]], [[Andrew Dice Clay]], [[Chris Rock]], [[Richard Pryor]], [[Eddie Murphy]], and [[Sam Kinison]].

==List of recent uses==
In 1928, [[D. H. Lawrence]]'s novel ''[[Lady Chatterley's Lover]]'' gained notoriety for its frequent use of the words ''fuck'', ''fucked'', and ''fucking''. Perhaps the earliest usage of the word in popular music was the 1938 [[Eddy Duchin]] release of the [[Louis Armstrong]] song "Ol' Man Mose". The words created a scandal at the time, resulting in sales of 170,000 copies during the [[Great Depression]] years when sales of 20,000 were considered blockbuster. The verse reads:

{{quote|(We believe) He [[kick the bucket|kicked the bucket]],<br />(We believe) Yeah man, buck-buck-bucket,<br />(We believe) He kicked the bucket and ol' man mose is dead,<br />(We believe) '''Ahh, fuck it!'''<br />(We believe) Buck-buck-bucket,<br />(We believe) He kicked the bucket and ol' man mose is dead.}}

The liberal usage of the word (and other vulgarisms) by certain artists (such as [[James Joyce]], [[Henry Miller]], [[Lenny Bruce]], [[Peter Cook]] and [[Dudley Moore]], in their [[Derek and Clive]] personas) has led to the banning of their works and criminal charges of [[obscenity]]. After [[Norman Mailer]]'s publishers convinced him to [[Thomas Bowdler|bowdlerize]] ''fuck'' as ''fug'' in his work ''[[The Naked and the Dead]]'' [[1948|(1948)]], [[Tallulah Bankhead]] supposedly greeted him with the [[quip]], "So you're the young man who can't spell ''fuck''." In fact, according to Mailer, the quip was devised by Bankhead's [[public relations|PR man]]. He and Bankhead didn't meet until 1966 and did not discuss the word then. The rock group [[The Fugs]] named themselves after the Mailer [[euphemism]].

''[[The Catcher in the Rye]]'' by [[J. D. Salinger]] featured an early use of ''fuck you'' in print. First published in the United States in 1951, the novel remains controversial to this day due to its use of the word, standing at number 13 for the most banned books from 1990–2000 according to the American Library Association.<ref>[http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/100mostfrequently.htm ALA 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The book offers a blunt portrayal of the main character's reaction to the existence of the word, and all that it means.

One of the earliest mainstream [[Hollywood]] movies to use the word ''fuck'' was director [[Robert Altman]]'s irreverent antiwar film, ''[[MASH (film)|MASH]]'', released in 1970 at the height of the [[Vietnam War]]. During the football game sequence about three-quarters of the way through the film, one of the MASH linemen says to an 8063rd offensive player, "All right, bud, your fuckin' head is coming right off." Also, former [[Beatle]] [[John Lennon]]'s 1971 release "[[Working Class Hero]]" featured use of the word, which was rare in music at the time and caused it to, at most, be played only in segments on the radio.

==Use in politics==
''Fuck'' is not widely used in politics, and any use by notable politicians tends to produce controversy. Some events of this nature include:
*In 1965, [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] said to the Greek ambassador Alexandros Matsas when he objected to American plans in [[Cyprus]], "Fuck your parliament and your constitution. America is an elephant. Cyprus is a flea. Greece is a flea. If these two fellows continue itching the elephant they may just get whacked by the elephant's trunk, whacked good." <ref>Deane, Philip. I Should Have Died. pp. 113-114 ISBN 0241890381. ISBN 9780241890387 ASIN: B000XYDADM </ref><ref>Blum, William. Killing hope: US military and CIA interventions since World War II. # Publisher: Zed Books Ltd; 2nd edition (July 9, 2003)
# ISBN 1842773690
# ISBN 978-1842773697[http://books.google.com/books?id=-IbQvd13uToC&pg=PA215&lpg=PA215&dq=fuck+your+parliament+and+your&source=bl&ots=cGw5EeDk9J&sig=2HNG-H0bsSQrnTyrmE4niqse83Q&hl=en&ei=R3Q5S-GVL8O1lAeh-bSbBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBUQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=fuck%20your%20parliament%20and%20your&f=false] [http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Greece_KH.html]</ref>
* During the [[1968 Democratic National Convention]], [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]] mayor [[Richard J. Daley|Richard Daley]] became so enraged by a speech from [[Abraham A. Ribicoff]] that he shouted "Fuck you!"<ref>Kaiser, Charles. [http://books.google.com/books?id=9o2vWzx0IT0C&pg=PA241&lpg=PA241&dq=richard+daley+fuck+nytimes&source=web&ots=9mdY2cQ3Tl&sig=tzOTMbo22zephP7sP08nIq0aF6U 1968 in America], p241. Grove Press, 1997. ISBN 0802135307</ref> Daley would later claim that he was shouting "you fink, you" and calling Ribicoff a "faker".<ref>Taylor, Elizabeth. [http://books.google.com/books?id=zcTXikCFIgwC&pg=PA478&lpg=PA478&dq=richard+daley+ribicoff+faker&source=web&ots=ZEXx7ZSWxr&sig=mGlP_TCqS2r8CpSv9gzRQyRYgQY American Pharaoh: Richard J Daley: His Battle for Chicago and the Nation], p478. Back Bay, 2000. ISBN 0316834890.</ref>
* During debate in February 1971 in the [[Canadian House of Commons]], Canadian [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Pierre Trudeau]] mouthed the words "fuck off" under his breath (perhaps almost silently) at [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Conservative]] [[Member of Parliament#Canada|MP]] [[John Lundrigan]], while Lundrigan made some comments about unemployment. Afterward, when asked by a television reporter what he had been thinking, Mr. Trudeau famously replied "What is the nature of your thoughts, gentlemen, when you say '[[fuddle duddle]]' or something like that?". "Fuddle duddle" consequently became a [[catchphrase]] in Canadian media associated with Trudeau.<ref>Montcombreaux, Charles. [http://www.themanitoban.com/2004-2005/1117/article.php?section=culture&article=01 "Flip the Bird: How Fuck and "The Finger" Came to Be"] [http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-73-571-2955-20/that_was_then/politics_economy/trudeau_fuddle_duddle]. ''[[The Manitoban]]'', November 17, 2004. Vol 92, Issue 13.</ref>
* The first accepted modern use in the [[British House of Commons]] came in 1982 when [[Reg Race]], [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] MP for [[Wood Green (UK Parliament constituency)|Wood Green]], referred to adverts placed in local newsagents by [[prostitution|prostitutes]] which read "Phone them and fuck them". ''[[Hansard]]'', the full record of debates, printed "F*** them", but even this euphemism was deprecated by the [[Speaker of the British House of Commons|Speaker]], [[George Thomas, 1st Viscount Tonypandy|George Thomas]].<ref>http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1982/feb/03/licensing-of-sex-establishments#S6CV0017P0_19820203_HOC_296 [[Hansard]] LICENSING OF SEX ESTABLISHMENTS
HC Deb 03 February 1982 vol 17 cc321-66: "''[[David Sullivan (publisher)|Conegate]] Ltd. provides opportunities for [[prostitute]]s to operate. The shop in [[Lewisham]] was recently raided by the police and was the subject of a court case. When two women who had been accused of daubing the shop with paint were acquitted by the [[magistrates court]] it was revealed in the national newspapers that Conegate had been operating a list of sexual contacts in the shop, the heading of which was "Phone them and … them"."''"</ref>
* Shortly after [[Tony Blair]] was elected Leader of the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]], the then left-wing Labour MP [[George Galloway]] told a public meeting "I don't give a fuck what Tony Blair thinks" when questioned about the party's move to the right.<ref name="fnalmanac">''The [[Almanac of British Politics]]'' by [[Robert Waller (pundit)|Robert Waller]] and Byron Criddle (Routledge, London, Fourth Edition 1991 and Fifth Edition 1996) ISBN 0-415-00508-6 and ISBN 0-415-11805-0</ref>
*A famous British usage of fuck comes from a 2001/2002 scandal at the [[Department for Transport|Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions]], while [[Stephen Byers]] was the [[Secretary of State for Transport#Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions|Minister]]. His press officer, [[Jo Moore]], sent an email after the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]] suggesting it would be "a good day to bury bad news". As the scandal unravelled, Permanent Secretary to the Department, Sir [[Richard Mottram]] was widely reported to have said "We're all fucked. I'm fucked. You're fucked. The whole department is fucked. It's the biggest cock-up ever and we're all completely fucked." To British ears this was particularly amusing coming from someone so senior in the civil service.
* In late 2003, US presidential candidate [[United States Senate|Senator]] [[John Kerry]] used the word ''fuck'' in an interview with ''[[Rolling Stone]]''. Referring to his vote in favor of the resolution authorizing [[President of the United States|President]] [[George W. Bush]] to use military force in Iraq, Senator [[John Kerry]] stated, "I voted for what I thought was best for the country. Did I expect [[Howard Dean]] to go off to the left and say, 'I'm against everything'? Sure. Did I expect George Bush to fuck it up as badly as he did? I don't think anybody did."<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20031208081632/http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/43544.htm Cursing Kerry Unleashes Foulmouthed Attack On Bush], ''[[New York Post]] On-line Edition'' ([[Waybacked]]).</ref>
*In June 2004, during a heated exchange on the [[U.S. Senate]] floor about [[Halliburton]]'s role in the reconstruction of Iraq, [[Vice President]] [[Dick Cheney]] told [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] senator [[Patrick Leahy]], "fuck yourself". Coincidentally, Cheney's outburst occurred on the same day that the Defense of Decency Act was passed in the Senate.<ref>Dewar, Helen & Dana Milbank. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp%2Ddyn/articles/A3699%2D2004Jun24.html "Cheney Dismisses Critic With Obscenity"], ''[[Washington Post]]'', 25 June 2004</ref>
*In February 2005, [[United Kingdom|British]] media chief [[Alastair Campbell]] accidentally sent the email "Just spoke to trev. think tbwa shd give statement to newsnight saying party and agency work together well and nobody here has spoken to standard. Posters done by tbwa according to political brief. Now fuck off and cover something important you twats!" to the [[Newsnight]] journalist Andrew McFadyen, instead of a party official. Trev. refers to Trevor Beattie the boss of [[TBWA]].
*In February 2006 (Australia), [[New South Wales]] [[Premiers of New South Wales|Premier]] [[Morris Iemma]], while awaiting the start of a [[Council of Australian Governments]] media conference in [[Canberra]], was chatting to [[Victoria (Australia)|Victorian]] [[Premiers of Victoria|Premier]] [[Steve Bracks]]. Not realizing cameras were operating he was recorded as saying "Today? This fuckwit who's the new CEO of the [[Cross City Tunnel]] has ... been saying what controversy? There is no controversy."<ref>AAP. [http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/anger-good-swearing-bad-iemma/2006/02/11/.html "Anger good, swearing bad: Iemma"], ''[[The Age]]'', 11 February 2006</ref> The exchange referred to the newly appointed CEO of a recently-opened toll road within [[Sydney]].
* On January 31, 2007, New York Governor [[Eliot Spitzer]] angrily retorted to Assembly Minority Leader [[James Tedisco]], "Listen, I'm a fucking steamroller, and I'll roll over you and anybody else." According to ''The New York Post'', Spitzer confirmed the exchange the following day.<ref>Dicker, Fredric. [http://www.nypost.com/seven/02012007/news/regionalnews/full_steam_ahead_for_spunky_spitz_regionalnews_fredric_u__dicker_________state_editor.htm Full Steam Ahead for Spunky Spitz], ''[[New York Post]]'', February 1, 2007. Retrieved on July 28, 2007.</ref>
* In 2007, [[U.S. Senator]] [[John Cornyn]] objected to [[John McCain]]'s perceived intrusion upon a Senate meeting on [[immigration]], saying, "Wait a second here. I've been sitting in here for all of these negotiations and you just parachute in here on the last day. You're out of line." McCain, known for his short temper,<ref name="nyt030400">{{cite news |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A01EFD81738F937A35750C0A9669C8B63 |title=For McCain, Concerns In the Senate Are Subtle |author=[[Adam Clymer]] |publisher=[[The New York Times]] |date=2000-03-04 |accessdate=2008-01-06}}</ref> replied "Fuck you! I know more about this than anyone else in the room."<ref name="mccainvscornyn">{{cite news | url=http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2007/05/mccain_cornyn_cursing_showdown.html | title=McCain, Cornyn Engage in Heated Exchange | publisher=''[[The Washington Post]]'' | date=2007-05-18 | accessdate=2007-06-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2007/05/23/immigration/ |title=Is Rush Limbaugh right? |publisher=''[[Salon (magazine)|Salon]]'' |date=2007-05-23 |accessdate=2007-05-23}}</ref>
* In April 2007, [[New Zealand]] Education Minister [[Steve Maharey]] said "fuck you" to [[Jonathan Coleman (politician)|a fellow MP]] during parliamentary question time.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10432760|title=A couple of quick words from the Minister ... whoops|publisher=[[New Zealand Herald]]|author=Audrey Young|date=5 April 2007|accessdate=2007-10-19}}</ref> He apologized shortly afterwards.
*In December 2008, recorded telephone conversations revealed Illinois Governor [[Rod Blagojevich]] trying to "sell" an appointment to the Senate seat that [[Barack Obama]] resigned after being elected [[President of the United States|President]]. In the phone conversation, Blagojevich said in reference to his power to appoint a new Senator, "I've got this thing and it's fucking golden and I'm just not giving it up for fuckin' nothing." In the recorded conversations, Blagojevich also referred to Obama as a "motherfucker" and repeatedly said "fuck him". When speaking of the Obama's administration request that [[Valerie Jarrett]] be appointed as Obama's replacement, Blagojevich complained, "They're not willing to give me anything except appreciation. Fuck them." Blagojevich also said [[Tribune Company]] ownership should be told to "fire those fuckers" in reference to ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' editors critical of him.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://cbs2chicago.com/local/rod.blagojevich.wiretaps.2.883438.html|title=Governor Blagojevich: In His Own Words|publisher=[[WBBM-TV|CBS 2 Chicago]]|date=9 December 2008|accessdate=2009-02-07}}</ref>
* In December 4, 2008, [[Brazil]]ian President [[Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva]] caused a stir in the press after declaring, in a metaphor about the [[Global financial crisis of 2008–2009|economic crisis of 2008-2009]], that he was going to act as a doctor that gives medicine to a sick patient rather than one that tells him to "sifu". "Sifu" is a [[portmanteau]] of the phrase "se fuder", which literally means "fuck oneself" in [[Portuguese language]]. Lula's speech was clearly aimed at [[neoliberal]] politics, once he defended more attention from the state (doctor) in the economy (sick patient). The Office of Communication of the Presidency of the Republic was accused of censoring the word in the transcript of the speech. Instead of "sifu", it contained the text "(inaudible word)".<ref>{{pt icon}} Menezes, Maiá. [http://oglobo.globo.com/economia/mat/2008/12/04/lula_cobra_de_agnelli_explicacoes_sobre_demissoes_na_vale-586843466.asp "Lula cobra de Agnelli explicações sobre demissões na Vale"], ''[[O Globo]]'', December 4, 2008. Accessed on April 7, 2009.</ref><ref>{{pt icon}} [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG0oMXDtEdc [[TV Globo]] report about Lula's speech] on [[YouTube]].</ref> The word was eventually included in the transcript.
* In December 2009 a member of the Irish parliament [[Dáil Éireann]], Deputy [[Paul Gogarty]] caused a media furore when he verbally attacked a fellow Deputy, [[Emmet Stagg]] with the outburst "With all due respect, in the most unparliamentary language, fuck you Deputy Stagg! Fuck you!". Although Deputy Gogarty immediately apologised, videos and video remixes of his eruption became a temporary internet sensation. <ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/1211/politics.html|title=Gogarty sorry for 'unparliamentary language'|publisher=[[RTÉ News, Ireland]]|author=RTE|date=11 December 2009|accessdate=2010-1-08}}</ref>

==Censorship==
The films ''[[Ulysses (movie)|Ulysses]]'' and ''[[I'll Never Forget What's'isname]]'' (both [[1967 in film|1967]]) are contenders for being the first film to use the word 'fuck,' although the word 'fucking' is clearly mouthed silently in the film ''[[Sink the Bismarck!]]'' ([[1960 in film|1960]]), and the title character says it in the cartoon ''[[Bosko's Picture Show]]'' (1933). Since the U.S. adoption of the [[MPAA film rating system]], use of the word has been accepted in R-rated movies, and under the older rules, use of the word in a sexual way would automatically cause the film to be given an R rating. Later changes could allow for a maximum of three, non-sexual, strictly exclamatory uses of the word in [[Motion Picture Association of America film rating system#The PG-13 rating is Adopted|PG-13 movies]], extreme example being the movies ''[[The American President (film)|The American President]]'' and ''[[Nine Months]]'' (this is more of a guideline than a rule, however, since the [[MPAA]] states it has no strict rules on how a movie is rated).

In 1968, [[The Beatles]]' "[[The Beatles (album)|White Album]]" had the word censored in their track "[[Revolution 9]]" in which band member [[George Harrison]] exclaims "So I joined the fucking navy and sailed to sea." Just two years later in 1970 fellow Beatle [[John Lennon]] successfully got the word past the censors on his song "[[Working Class Hero]]" with the lines "They hate you if you're clever and they despise a fool, till you're so fucking crazy you can't follow their rules" and "You think you're so clever and classless and free, but you're still fucking peasants as far as I can see."

Since the 1970s, the use of the word "fuck" in R-rated movies has become so commonplace in mainstream American movies that it is rarely noticed by most audiences. Nonetheless, a few movies have made exceptional use of the word, to the point where such films as [[Fuck (film)|''Fuck'']], ''[[Good Will Hunting]]'', ''[[Casino (film)|Casino]]'', ''[[The Last Detail]]'', ''[[Menace II Society]]'', ''[[The Big Lebowski]]'', ''[[The Departed]]'', ''[[Scarface (1983 movie)|Scarface]]'' ([[1983 in film|1983]]), ''[[Pulp Fiction (film)|Pulp Fiction]]'', ''[[Blue Velvet (film)|Blue Velvet]]'', ''[[South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut]]'', and ''[[Goodfellas]]'' as well as the [[HBO]] TV series ''[[The Sopranos]]'' are known for its extensive use. In the movie ''[[Meet the Parents]]'', and its sequel ''[[Meet the Fockers]]'', the main character's last name of "Focker" is a running joke. In the popular comedy ''[[Four Weddings and a Funeral]]'', it is the chief word, repeatedly uttered, during the opening five minutes. To many, one of the most humorous tirades demonstrating various usages of the word appears in the comedy, ''[[Planes, Trains & Automobiles]]'' ([[1987 in film|1987]]), where [[Steve Martin]] expresses his dissatisfaction in his treatment by a rental car agency.

In several [[MPAA film rating system|PG-rated]] movies, however, the word is used, mainly because at the time there was no PG-13 rating and the MPAA did not want to give the films R ratings; for instance, ''[[All the President's Men (film)|All the President's Men]]'' ([[1976 in film|1976]]), where it is used seven times; ''[[The Kids Are Alright]]'' ([[1979 in film|1979]]), where it is used twice; and ''[[The Right Stuff (film)|The Right Stuff]]'' ([[1983 in film|1983]]), where it is used five times. ''[[Spaceballs]]'' ([[1987 in film|1987]]) is one of three anomalies in that it was rated PG after the 1984 introduction of the PG-13 rating, yet it includes [[Dark Helmet]]'s line, "'Out of order'?! Fuck! Even in the future nothing works!" The second is ''[[Big]]'' ([[1988 in film|1988]]) which has the character of Billy asking Tom Hanks's character, "Who the fuck do you think you are?" The third is ''[[Beetlejuice]]'' ([[1988 in film|1988]]) which has the character Betelgeuse kick over a fake tree and scream, "nice fucking model!"<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094721/quotes</ref> In the PG-13 rated movie ''[[Soapdish]]'' (1991), [[Sally Field]] played an aging [[soap opera]] actress who, appalled that her costume included a turban, complained to her show's producer, "What I feel like is [[Gloria Swanson|Gloria fucking Swanson]]!" Also in the [[1999 in film|1999]] film "[[Galaxy Quest]]," [[Sigourney Weaver]]'s character Gwen DeMarco is edited from the line "Well, fuck that!" to "Well, screw that!" The change was made to avoid a PG-13 rating, and the original line is obvious when reading her lips.

Films edited for broadcast use matching [[euphemism]]s so that [[lip synch]]ing will not be thrown off. One televised version of [[Quentin Tarantino]]'s ''[[Jackie Brown (movie)|Jackie Brown]]'', for instance, had the actors dub in the words ''frick'', ''Nubian'', and ''melon farmer'' for ''fuck'', ''[[nigger]]'', and ''[[motherfucker]]'', respectively. In similarly dubbed versions of ''[[Die Hard]]'' and ''[[Die Hard 2: Die Harder|Die Hard 2]],'' [[Bruce Willis]]' catchphrase "Yippee-ki-yay, [[motherfucker]]" is replaced by "Yippee-ki-yay, Mister Falcon" or "Yippee-ki-yay, Kemo Sabe." Similarly, the TV broadcast edit of ''[[Snakes on a Plane]]'' has [[Samuel L. Jackson]] saying "I have had it with these monkey-fighting snakes on this Monday-to-Friday plane", emending two occurrences of ''motherfucking''.<ref>http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/joes-movie-lounge/joes-movie-lounge/2009/07/the-jonas-brothers-to-star-ina-movie-about-a-flatulent-canine/</ref> In the film ''[[The Big Lebowski]]'', [[John Goodman]]'s character repeatedly yells, "This is what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass" while trashing a car. It was infamously censored on television as "This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps."<ref>http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/22717626/lebowski_on_the_web</ref> His character also repeatedly says to [[Steve Buscemi]]'s character, "Shut the fuck up, Donny," or "Donny, shut the fuck up." In the television version, ''fuck'' is censored with ''hell.''

Many [[stand-up comedy|stand-up comedians]] who perform for adult audiences make liberal use of the word ''fuck''. While [[George Carlin]]'s use of the word was an important part of his stage persona, other comedians (such as [[Andrew Dice Clay]]) have been accused of substituting vulgarity and offensiveness for genuine creativity through overuse of the word. [[Billy Connolly]] and [[Lenny Bruce]] were pioneers of the use of the word in their shows for general audiences.

Recently, the hip-hop group Black-Eyed Peas' hit song "Don't Phunk With My Heart" was censored on many radio stations to "Don't Mess With My Heart", establishing a new trend toward eliminating all euphemisms for "fuck" as well as the word itself. [[James Blunt]]'s first major song, ''[[You're Beautiful]]'', featured the line "she could see from my face that I was fucking high" - this was censored to "flying high" for broadcasting purposes.

===Use in marketing===
In April 1997, clothing retailer [[French Connection (clothing)|French Connection]] began branding their clothes "'''fcuk'''" (usually written in lowercase). Though they insisted it was an [[acronym]] for French Connection United Kingdom, its similarity to the word "fuck" caused controversy.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/.stm "Time called on FCUK posters"], ''BBC News'', 4 April 2001</ref> French Connection fully exploited this and produced an extremely popular range of t-shirts with messages such as "fcuk this", "hot as fcuk", "mile high fcuk", "fcuk me", "too busy to fcuk", "fcuk football", "fcuk fashion", "fcuk fear", "fcuk on the beach", "the joy of fcuk", etc.

===Freedom of expression===
In 1971, the [[United States Supreme Court|U.S. Supreme Court]] decided that the mere public display of ''fuck'' is protected under the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First]] and [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourteenth Amendments]] and cannot be made a criminal offense. In 1968, Paul Robert Cohen had been convicted of "disturbing the peace" for wearing a jacket with "FUCK THE DRAFT" on it (in reference to conscription in the [[Vietnam War]]). The conviction was upheld by the Court of Appeals and overturned by the Supreme Court. ''[[Cohen v. California]]'', ''403 U.S. 15'' (1971).

In 1983, pornographer [[Larry Flynt]], representing himself before the U.S. Supreme Court in a [[libel]] case, shouted, "Fuck this court!" during the proceedings, and then called the justices "nothing but eight [[asshole]]s (referring to Justices [[Warren E. Burger]], [[William J. Brennan, Jr.]], [[Byron White]], [[Thurgood Marshall]], [[Harry Blackmun]], [[Lewis F. Powell, Jr.]], [[William Rehnquist]], and [[John Paul Stevens]]) and a token [[cunt]]" (referring to Justice [[Sandra Day O'Connor]]). Chief Justice Warren E. Burger had him arrested for [[contempt of court]], but the charge was later dismissed on a technicality.<ref>David Bowman, "[http://dir.salon.com/story/books/int/2004/07/08/flynt/index.html Citizen Flynt]", Salon.com, 2004 July 8.</ref>

===Band names===
The word "fuck" has been used in a number of band names, generally based on common compounds. Although most of these bands are in the aggressive, non-mainstream genres of [[Punk rock|punk]] and [[Heavy metal music|metal]], others fall into the categories of more accessible forms of [[electronic rock]] and [[Pop music|pop]].<ref name="exclaimmag">{{cite web | author= Sutherland, Sam | title= "What the Fuck? Curse Word Band Names Challenge The Music Industry "| url= http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/research.aspx?csid1=116| work = Exclaim! Magazine | year=2007| accessdate=2007-10-30}}</ref>

===Holy fuck===
"'''Holy fuck'''" is a widely used example of 'liturgical profanity' used interjectionally to express anger, contempt, disgust, or amazement. Usually vulgar.<ref name=0xford_slang>{{cite book
| author = Ayto, J.
| coauthors = Simpson, J.
| year = 1992
| title = The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang
| publisher = Oxford University Press, USA
| isbn = 0198610521
}}</ref> Noted by academics <ref name=Impertinent_Gallop>{{cite journal
| author = Gallop, J.
| year = 1980
| title = Impertinent Questions: Irigaray, Sade, Lacan
| journal = SubStance
| volume = 9
| issue = 1
| pages = 57–67
| doi = 10.2307/3683929
}}</ref><ref name=Fat_Rice>{{cite journal
| author = Rice, C.
| year =
| title = Becoming the fat girl
| journal = Women, Health, AND Education: CASWE 6 THBi-Annual International Institute Proceedings
| url = http://www.med.mun.ca/comhealth/CASWE/pdf_docs/Proceedings_july22-06_diana.pdf#page=241
| accessdate = 2008-02-21
| quote =Sharon: I didn’t feel like a girl. Do girl things. I was not a girl, not a boy, just someone existing. Then compound that with being a black female. It's even worse ‘cause you feel, Jesus, I’m nowhere. ‘Cause it's bad enough being a white little girl and you’re fat. But when you’re fat and you’re black, it's like holy fuck. That's like the lowest. The worst thing you could ever be.
| pages =249
}}</ref> and used in literature <ref name=Crobsie>{{cite book
| author = Crobsie, L.
| year = 1997
| title = Paul's Case: The Kingston Letters
| publisher = Insomniac Press
| isbn = 189583709X
}}</ref><ref name=Tested_Faith>{{cite book
| author = Goodell, J.
| year = 2002
| title = Our Story: 77 Hours That Tested Our Friendship And Our Faith
| publisher = Hyperion
| quote = "... holyfuck, what is it? I yelled at Harpo, "Get the fuck out o here now! ..."
| isbn = 1401300553
}}</ref><ref name=Shadow_worlds>{{cite book
| author = Steffensmeier, D.J.
| year = 1986
| title = The Fence: In the Shadow of Two Worlds
| publisher = Rowman and Littlefield Publishers
| page = 60
| isbn =
}}</ref>, deriving its power from a combination of the sacred, [[holy]], and the profane, fuck. An exclamation, similar to "[[shit|holy shit]]!", but more offensive, also used informally for sex within a religious context.{{Dubious|date=March 2008}} <ref name=Male_lust>{{cite book
| author = Kay, K.
| coauthors = Nagle, J.; Gould, B.
| year = 2000
| title = Male Lust: Pleasure, Power, and Transformation
| publisher = Haworth Press
| isbn = 1560239824
| page =103
}}</ref>

===In machine mistranslations===
The word ''fuck'' occurs sometimes in Chinese/English bilingual public notices in China as a machine translation of the [[Simplified Chinese]] character [[干]] which can also mean "dry" and "do", e.g. "spread to fuck the fruit" for "loose dried fruit", "fuck to adjust the area" for "dry seasonings section", "fuck the certain price of goods" for "dry foods price counter". The fault occurred in some versions of commonly-used Chinese to English [[machine translators]], for example Jinshan (金山 = "Gold Mountain") by [[Kingsoft]].<ref>{{cite web|url = http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/005195.html |title = Language Log: The Etiology and Elaboration of a Flagrant Mistranslation |accessdate = 2008-08-16 |date = December 9, 2007}}</ref>

==Common alternatives==
{{Main|Minced oath}}

In conversation or writing, reference to or use of the word ''fuck'' may be replaced by any of a large list of alternative words or phrases, including "the F-word" or "the F-Bomb" (a play on [[atomic bomb|A-Bomb]] / [[hydrogen bomb|H-Bomb]]), or simply, ''"eff"'' (as in "What the ''eff!''" or "You ''eff-ing'' fool!"). In addition, there are many commonly used substitutes, such as ''flipping'', ''frigging'', ''fricking'', ''freaking'', ''[[feck]]'', ''fudge'' or any of a number of similar sounding nonsense words. In print, there are alternatives such as, "F***", "F – – k", etc.; or the use of a string of non-[[alphanumeric]] characters, for example, "@$#*%!" and similar (especially favored in [[comic book]]s).

A common replacement word used mainly on the internet is ''[[fsck]]'', derived from the name of the Unix '''f'''ile '''s'''ystem '''c'''hec'''k'''ing utility.<ref>*'''2002''', David D. Huff Jr., ''Re: Mandrake 8.2 Musings'', <tt>alt.os.linux.mandrake</tt>, [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.os.linux.mandrake/msg/3641a310fcc6ed93?dmode=source] "At some point in your Linux career you should ask yourself: 'If there are 3.4 million successful, happy Mandrake users...what the '''fsck''' is wrong with me?'"</ref> In [[Battlestar Galactica|''Battlestar Galactica'']] the bowdlerized form '[[Frack]]' (spelt 'Frak' in the [[Battlestar Galactica (reimagining)|reimagined 2003 version]]) was used as a substitute for fuck. The word is sometimes jokingly used as a curse by fans, but its use in unrelated media is growing.<ref>{{cite news |work=Associated Press|title=What the `frak'? Faux curse seeping into language |first=Chris |last=Talbott |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/09/02/entertainment/e084605D27.DTL |date=2008-10-20}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Censorship]]
* [[Euphemism]]
* [[For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge]]
* [[Four-letter word]]
* [[Fucking, Austria]] (name of a village)
* [[Harcourt interpolation]]
* [[List of films that most frequently use the word "fuck"]]
* [[Madonna on Late Show with David Letterman]]
* [[Profanity]]
* [[Sexual slang]]
* [[Seven dirty words]]
* [[South Park]]

*[[Profanity in American Sign Language]]
*[[Profanity in science fiction]]

*[[:Category:Profanity by language|Profanity by language]]
*[[:Category:Profanity|Category of English profanity]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

===Further reading===
* Hargrave, Andrea Millwood (2000). [http://www.asa.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/1EAEACA7-8322-4C86-AAC2-4261551F57FE/0/ASA_Delete_Expletives_Dec_2000.pdf Delete Expletives?] London: Advertising Standards Authority, British Broadcasting Corporation, Broadcasting Standards Commission, Independent Television Commission.
* [[Jesse Sheidlower]], ''The F Word'' (1999) ISBN 0375706348. Presents hundreds of uses of ''fuck'' and related words.
* Michael Swan, ''Practical English Usage'', OUP, 1995, ISBN 0194311988.
* Phillip J. Cunningham, ''Zakennayo!: The Real Japanese You Were Never Taught in School'', Plume (1995) ISBN
* Wayland Young, ''Eros Denied: Sex in Western Society''. Grove Press/Zebra Books, New York 1964.

=== Books ===
*[[Jesse Sheidlower]], ''The F Word'' (1999) ISBN 0-375-70634-8. Presents hundreds of uses of ''fuck'' and related words.
*Michael Swan, ''Practical English Usage'', OUP, 1995, ISBN 0-19-431197-X
*Philip J. Cunningham, ''Zakennayo!: The Real Japanese You Were Never Taught in School'', Plume (1995) ISBN 0-452-27506-7
*[[Wayland Young]], ''Eros Denied: Sex in Western Society''. Grove Press/Zebra Books, New York 1964.
*[[Carl Jung]], ''Psychology of the Unconscious: A Study of the Transformations and Symbolisms of the Libido''. Moffat, Yard and Company, New York 1916. Translated by [[Beatrice M. Hinkle]], M.D., Neurological Dept. of Cornell University Medical School and of the New York Post Graduate Medical School.
*[[Richard Dooling]], ''Blue Streak: Swearing, Free Speech & Sexual Harassment,'' (1996) ISBN 0-679-44471-8. Chapters on famous swear words, including the f-word, and the laws pertaining to their use.

==External links==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|Fuck wiki audio.ogg |2006-08-04}}
* [http://slate.msn.com/id// Re: the Cheney-Leahy incident, slate.com] discusses how American newspapers decide whether or not to print ''fuck''.
* [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=fuck&searchmode=none "Online Etymology Dictionary."] Some etymological research on the word ''fuck''.
* [http://ssrn.com/abstract=896790 Fuck], academic paper exploring the legal implications of the word, by [[Christopher M. Fairman]], [[Ohio State University]] - Michael E. Moritz College of Law March 2006. Ohio State Public Law Working Paper No. 59.

[[Category:Profanity]]
[[Category:Sexual slang]]
[[Category:Interjections]]
[[Category:Cultural history]]

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[[ja:ファック]]
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Revision as of 23:19, 3 February 2010

MANDY SCHULTZ!!

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