The NY Times had an excellent article by Natalie Angier, entitled "Almost Before We Spoke, We Swore." I can't link to the NY Times, but I found it in "Our Community Online." Basically it says that, while our Senate wants to revert to the gentler language of yesteryear, in fact cursing has been universal, in all dialects and languages, from the beginning of language. She wrote a wonderful timeline of words that were considered "curses," and that part isn't in the link I added. That timeline includes:

1300: Strumpet (prostitute); sodomite (homosexual man); Gog (Gd)
1400: Wretch (exile); Rascal (rabble of an army); Scullian (servant of lowest class)
1500: Slangrill (oaf); Brock (rotten man); Punk (prostitute); Jove (Gd)
1600: Zounds (Gd's wounds); Criminy (Christ); Gadzooks (Gd's hooks); Sfoot (to have sex)
1700: Gosh (Gd); Deuce (devil); Molly (homosexual); Heck (Hell)
1800: Jiminy Crickets (Jesus); Drat (Gd rot); Shucks (darn); Gee Whillikins (Jesus)
1900: Zerk (jerk); Zib (fool); Meddle (to have sex); Stem siren (prostitute)

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Meddle (to have sex)

Wow, gives a whole new meaning to meddling in the affairs of others.

I remember many years ago someone who was changing all the sexist lyrics in old hymns saying that "wretch" was sexist because it implied a female.

Is there some indication that it is gender specific?

Interestingly, this article stated was that once a word has been pegged "dirty," it is very hard to change that definition of the word. I think of the snickers for the word "weiner;" that word will, unfortunately, never be the same!

Weiner, Arkansas, Kalleh? Dirty?

Or is Norbert Wiener's name what you are remarking on?

Either way, it's remarkable.

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once a word has been pegged "dirty," it is very hard to change that definition of the word.

I agree. For example, it is now very difficult to use the word "intercourse" in other than its sexual connotation, even though the OED gives the non-sexual meaning as its first definition.

And it is a very useful word to describe non-specific communication between individuals, and I find it hard to think of a precise synonym for "social intercourse".

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once a word has been pegged "dirty," it is very hard to change that definition of the word.

Perhaps so, but some words manage to preserve both a clean meaning and a dirty one. For example:

A riddle: What's the difference between a hematologist and a urologist? Answer here.

Hic, that's funny! And of course there we have another word that one dare not use. Another, as we talked about on the chat today, is "come." I have heard guffaws when someone has said, "Can you come?" Sheesh! Before we know it, there will be no words that we can use!

Here's another one. Quoting AHD:

congress: ... 3.a. The national legislative body of the United States ... 5. Sexual intercourse.

If you use this word everyone will think of the former of the definitions above, ignoring the latter.

Hmmm ... is this a case of the dirty meaning being driven out by a cleaner one? or being driven out by an even more distasteful one?

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Sheesh! Before we know it, there will be no words that we can use!

It gets harder and harder to find words that are up to the challenge of being clean when our minds are all so filthy. Well, maybe not yours, Kalleh.

I've been trying to remember who it was who said on TV that any word can sound 'dirty' if you say it 'right'. He then went on to prove it by saying two perfectly ordinary words with a such a leer and salacious intonation that they did, indeed sound like the depths of depravity.

Can anyone jog my memory?

LATER - while writing the above, Joey in Friends came to mind. Could it have been him?

Joey does come to mind, Arnie, but I am not sure.

I am reading a book where the auther (Barbara Ehhrenreich)was searching for a job. She said that when you put "job" into Google, you come up with lots of sites where it is prefaced by hand or blow. Sheesh, you can't even search for a job in peace!

My husband is an avid birder (goes out with binocular, etc) . . . try googling "bird" and see what you come up with! Lots of Australian Porn sites!

Pickup line for chat rooms ..... "Do you come this way often ?"

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Originally posted by arnie:
I've been trying to remember who it was who said on TV that any word can sound 'dirty' if you say it 'right'. He then went on to prove it by saying two perfectly ordinary words with a such a leer and salacious intonation that they did, indeed sound like the depths of depravity.

Can anyone jog my memory?

The Frantics?