Jesse Sheidlower on Morning Edition

Mullins, Bill AMRDEC Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL
Thu Mar 27 14:22:46 UTC 2008


Classification:  UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

 Props to Jesse explaining "suck" this morning on the radio -- nothing
makes a bowl of Cheerios go down (sic) better.

"Why Children Curse"
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89127830

Money quote:

"  "There is an assumption that 'sucks' was a reference to oral sex,"
explains Jesse Sheidlower, editor-at-large of the Oxford English
Dictionary. Some scholars debate this, but Sheidlower says perception is
what matters.

"Suck" may sound edgy or obnoxious to middle-aged ears, but parents may
be at a loss to explain why it's a bad word, especially to an 8- or
9-year-old. "It brings up a conversation you might not want to have
right now," says Sheidlower. "
Classification:  UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

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