Bloody Mary

[Wendalyn Nichols]

Actually, "bloody" did use to be a swear word--counted among the many words
relating to the death of Christ and thus considered profane, including
"zounds" (short for "God's wounds"). Nowadays it has about the same impact
as saying "damned."

But to get back to the original question, Bloody Mary is so named because
of her reputation for having Protestants killed (she didn't physically kill
them herself--queens have other people to do the nasty work for them)--and
yes, schoolchildren call her that without a second thought. I doubt they
even connect it with the "swearing" use of "bloody," which most of them
employ frequently enough!

Wendalyn Nichols

At 11:38 AM 9/25/03 -0400, you wrote:
>Yeah, otherwise "My Fair Lady" wouldn't have used it. I remember one of my
>teachers (a Presbyterian Scot) warning us never to use the word as an
>adverb. He apparently dared not give examples! Maybe he thought it obscene?
>
>T.M.P.
>www.paikeday.net
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Victoria Neufeldt" <vneufeldt at MERRIAM-WEBSTER.COM>
>To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2003 10:17 AM
>Subject: Re: Bloody Mary
>
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail
>header -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Victoria Neufeldt <vneufeldt at MERRIAM-WEBSTER.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: Bloody Mary
> > --------------------------------------------------------------------------
>-----
> >
> > '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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