The History of Swear Words and Taboo Language

Have you ever wondered where the &%@! swear words come from? Well today, Kate is going Betwixt the Sheets to find out.

Linguist legend Deborah Cameron is back on the podcast to tell us more about the history of some of your favourite curse words. From the f-word and the c-word, to nicknames for nether regions; we're looking at the etymology of these words, and discovering when they were deemed offensive by society.

Saxon origins, medieval myths and internet abbreviations - you'll never think of swear words in the same way again.

Read more about Deborah's work here.

This episode was edited by Ella Blaxill and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.

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