Thinking about it, I swore a lot, and aggressively, in my teens/ early 20s. I have a video we made at 17 with some mates and every other word is one...my mother turned around to her friend and said 'These boys have a very limited vocabluary don't you think?'

I think what changed was going to work in an office environment and being around much more polite people. I definitely don't use the C word, and to a lesser extent the F word nowhere near as much - but I also have young kids..

Does she work here?

It's a great swear word, but only in relation to guys. Calling a women that is not cool.

Americans are shocked when they hear Aussies/Poms/Saffas using the word freely.

Yeah, I think it's a cultural thing. In North America twat and wanker are not considered swearing where in UK they are. Some words we use are strange to Aussies/Poms/Saffas. For instance I use "****ing the dog" all the time. It basically means doing nothing but one of the girls I work with thought it was really offensive.

Can you give us the context? Like..."yeah...it was too hot so I just stayed at home all day ****ing the dog"!?

"My wife came home early and caught me ****ing the dog..."


S

Actually it should probably be "My wife came home early and caught me ****ing the dog, eh..."

Pretty much. The conversation would go something like this...
"So, what did you do at work today?"
"Meh, not much. Just sat around ****ing the dog all afternoon."

It's along the same lines of if I'm having a particularly lazy day I'll say I just sat around looking pretty all day. Not quite the same effect, but means the same thing.
No, that would just be wrong.

I hate to use it.... used it a lot more when I was younger and reckon it's the swear word with the most effect.

Re Kids and swearing... I reckon that the younger generation... whatever group they full under are swearing a lot less in everyday conversation than ten years ago.

I notice this because there is a 10 year age difference between our first two kids and our younger two... I never hear my 15 YO son and his mates swearing when they talk between each other... my 18 yo daughter and her mates swear a bit .... whereas 10 years ago their older two sisters as the same age where swearing in almost every sentence... I reckon we're on the cusp of a new conservatism amongst the young. Could be the Muslim influence.

I can say hand on heart it is a word I have never used and probably never will. I rarely swear as it is, there is no real need to.

A big word for a big situation, used any other way is either not necessary or going to start a fight. Never to be used in front of a lady although i've heard it spoken by plenty.

I don't swear much but not out of any moral outrage. I just cannot understand how particular words are offensive in themselves. It's possible to be just as offensive without swearing.

If someone swears in a different language would you be as offended? How would you even know? I could write lots of non-English swear words here and who would object?

It seems that some people think you should be offended ("a big word") but that says more about them than me.

Ch33sy cu?!

I think it used to be viewed as THE worst swear word and it was usually ONLY men that used it. Nowadays it's used all the time , and I see it as a funny word now.