Ah. Memories of perennial points of discussion with PTD on a.u.e.
Which actual phonetician was the character of Prof. Higgins based on?
What were Shaw's actual views on English accents and dialects?
Was "My Fair Lady" meant to have a sly reference to "Mayfair"?
and probably more.

But Crystal is interested in one word. This was apparently the talk of
the town when the play opened. Eliza Doolittle (played by Mrs Patrick
Campbell) was to speak the line: "Not bloody likely!" The second word
there was, at the time, not considered printable, nor speakable on the
stage. She did speak it. Nothing happened. She wasn't arrested, the play
was not shut down, but people continued to talk about it for years.

"Bloody" developed its intensifying force in the late 17th century.
Sometime in the 18th century respectable opinion turned against it, and
Johnson (1755) labels it "very vulgar".

I used the word as a youth (in Canada); it was certainly colloquial, but
not indecent, and in fact seemed to me like an avoidance term, less
offensive than its alternatives in something like:
Shut the bloody (*damn) (**fucking) window!

When I arrived in New Zealand, I was surprised to find that many people
still considered it "strong language", not suitable for a respectable
academic. I don't know if it's ever been banned from stage or print
here. But by now things have changed....

Ar an triú lá déag de mí Aibreán, scríobh Ross Clark:

> [...] When I arrived in New Zealand, I was surprised to find that many
> people still considered it "strong language", not suitable for a respectable
> academic. I don't know if it's ever been banned from stage or print here.
> But by now things have changed....

I never hear it here (west coast of Ireland), even from the 80-somethings and
90-somethings. Do they (did they) use it in the US?

--
‘As I sat looking up at the Guinness ad, I could never figure out /
How your man stayed up on the surfboard after fourteen pints of stout’
(C. Moore)

On 2024-04-13, Aidan Kehoe <kehoea@parhasard.net> wrote:

> > [...] When I arrived in New Zealand, I was surprised to find that many
> > people still considered it "strong language", not suitable for a respectable
> > academic. I don't know if it's ever been banned from stage or print here.
> > But by now things have changed....
>
> I never hear it here (west coast of Ireland), even from the 80-somethings and
> 90-somethings. Do they (did they) use it in the US?

As far as I can tell, "bloody" is not used as a swear word in North
American English other than in conscious imitation or parody of
British usage.

--
Christian "naddy" Weisgerber naddy@mips.inka.de