[Ads-l] f------d

[Baker, John]

Does “fucktard” really only go back to the 1990s?  I didn’t check HDAS or The F-Word, but Green has it only as early as 1994.  It feels like I’ve heard it a lot longer than that.

It’s pretty striking to see “fucktard” spelled out right in the headline, in a story that elides “faggot” as “f—t.”  Since “-tard” obviously derives from “retarded,” the case for elision would seem at least equally as strong.  On the other hand, I’m not sure I would know what to make of a sentence in a news story that someone was called a “f------d.”


John Baker



From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> On Behalf Of Jonathan Lighter
Sent: Thursday, October 7, 2021 7:24 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: f------d

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https://www.yahoo.com/news/coca-cola-heir-called-lawyer-215748482.html<https://www.yahoo.com/news/coca-cola-heir-called-lawyer-215748482.html>

JL

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"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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