early obscenities from the Law databases (UNCLASSIFIED)

Mullins, Bill AMRDEC Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL
Thu Dec 6 23:03:54 UTC 2007


Classification:  UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE



1.   Figurative use of "fuck"

Don't know what HDAS has.
OED's earliest figurative use seems to be 1922:

2. Used profanely in imprecations and exclamations as the coarsest
equivalent of DAMN v. 5.

1922 JOYCE Ulysses 587 God fuck old Bennett! 1929 F. MANNING Middle
Parts of Fortune II. xv. 379 'Fuck the bloody thing!' he said fiercely
under his breath. 1955 S. BECKETT Molloy 69 Fuck the son of a bitch.
1959 F. KING So Hurt & Humiliated 151 'Suppose any of the neighbours
were to look out and see them.' 'Oh, f the neighbours!' 'Really, Henry!'
1969 'J. MORRIS' Fever Grass ii. 24 Why don't you..tell whoever it is to
go fuck themselves?

Found via HeinOnline:
Afternoon Session - October 9, 1894 3 New York (State) Legislature.
Senate. Committee on Police dept. of the city of New York, Report and
Proceedings of the Senate Committee Appointed to Investigate the Police
Department of the City of New York 609 (1895) p. 3158
"Q.  Repeat what he said to you?  A.  He said, "Go on, fuck yourself,
you son-of-a-bitch; I will give you a hundred dollars." "


2.  Cocksucker:  OED has 1891.
State v. White, _Southwestern Reporter_ v. 87 June 7 - July 12 1905; p.
1190.
"When Nolan started behind the bar, he said, "You cocksucker!  I will
kill you before night!" "


3.  Mother fucking:  OED has 1889.
Melton v. The State _Texas criminal reports _ v. 47 1904. p. 455
"I asked him to take back what he had said to my wife, and he said, 'You
mother fucking son of a bitch, I will see you and her both in hell
further than a pigeon can fly before I will take it back.' "
Classification:  UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

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