Bloody Mary

[Victoria Neufeldt]

'Bloody' isn't obscene in British English.

Victoria

Victoria Neufeldt
727 9th Street East
Saskatoon, Sask.
S7H 0M6
Canada
Tel: 306-955-8910




> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society
> [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU]On Behalf
> Of James A. Landau
> Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2003 6:49 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Bloody Mary
>
>
> My daughter wants to know whether Mary Tudor was called
> "Bloody Mary" because
> she killed so many people or acquired the nickname "Bloody"
> because so many
> people disliked her and used "Bloody" as a perjorative.
>
> Also, considering that "Bl**dy" is an obscene term in
> British English, are
> British schoolchildren allowed to refer to Mary Tudor as
> "Bloody Mary"?
>
>                - Jim Landau
>
> "When I say I like your ruddy complexion, that doesn't mean
> I like your
> bloody cheek!"
>     - W. S. Gilbert, to someone who objected to the name "Ruddigore"

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