h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Yup - I know they have. Take a look at the link on my home page though, Lucinda.

I'd welcome your comments. As I said, it is very rough, and I need to check the references.

Ben

Oh well. A shame, really.

well, I can give you the origin of the four letter F-word. The old name for the crime of rape was "Forced Unlawful Carnal Knowledge", and part of the punishment was that an abreviation of the crime would be branded on the perpetrators head. Hence, people with "F. U. C. K." on their head were known to be rapists. Hence, being called a "f/ck" or a "f/ckhead" was equivalent to being called a rapist. Similarly, "to f/ck" is equivalent to "to rape".

> "Anal sex is the only sexual act performed between consenting adults which is still illegal in the UK."

Well... BDSM is still illegal, but I thought anal sex was legal amongst over-16s (previously over-18s). If not, what was all that lowering of the age of homosexual consent?

BDSM?

Re b*****y and homosexual consent - I dunno. This is one of the things that I need to check, particularly as it is a statement of fact, rather than opinion or usage.

That origin for the f-word sounds like an urban myth to me, particularly since it appears so similarly in related languages. For example in Afrikaans it is "fok", and "f" and "k" certainly appear in the Danish word. Unfortunately I don't have a Dane I can ask, though I did just verify the Afrikaans with a South African. Can I include that definition in the article, with the comment that it is not proven, and the additional comments about other languages?

Do you think I have got the mix and tone right? I want most people who read it to laugh at least once, and read at least one thing that they find interesting and did not know.

Thanks for the input. It has been mainly ignored, partly because of the response from the Towers, and it would be MUCH stronger for additional suggestions and comments.

atb

agcB

BDSM = bondage, sado-masochism, that kinda thing. I can't remember the exact acronym... it's only the more extreme variants which are illegal, but people have been prosecuted for such before now. Sadly.

Yeah, I suspect it's an urban myth - but one can never tell, can one? I like the tone generally - I think it's just about right...

Thanks.

I'll be working on it later this week.

atb

agcB

This is beginning to become a Long Guide to Short Words. I think it is almost ready for me to submit to Peta for rejection on grounds of taste.

Any comments, as always, gratefully received. Do you want me to credit you or not to credit you?

agcB

oh, I found this on [URL removed by moderator] "Ask Doctor Dictionary" FAQ at [URL removed by moderator] {note to squack: UK fair use legislation may possibly require this URL to stay so that the following quote will be properly attributed - squack it at your own risk}.

--
Q. What is the origin of the f-word?
A. It is remotely derived from the Latin futuere and Old German f****n/f****n.

Originally, this was a quite acceptable word! It was recorded in a dictionary in 1598 (John Florio's A World of Words). It is remotely derived from the Latin futuere and Old German f****n/f****n meaning 'to strike or penetrate', which had the slang meaning 'to copulate'. Eric Partridge, a famous etymologist, said that the German word was related to the Latin words for pugilist, puncture, and p***k. The word, which entered English in the late 15th century, became more rare in print in the 18th century when it became a vulgar term. It was even banned from the Oxford English Dictionary. In 1960, Grove Press (in the US) won a court case permitting it to print the word legally for the first time in centuries -- in D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover (written in 1928). One folk etymology, which is incorrect, is that it derives from "[booked] for unlawful carnal knowledge."
--

In other words, I was indeed wrong about the whole Forced Unlawful Carnal Knowledge thing. No surprises there, but it makes a good story...

Dear Mystery Poster...

You can always email your comments to me direct, (email address on my personal space). I am also on AIM, ICQ and MSN if you have lots to say.

A Girl Called Ben - Wary of Moderators - Dontates to Amnesty

To worries, I was quoting from dictionary.com - you can get the details there.

It's in their "Ask Dr. Dictionary" section - they have an FAQ which includes an answer to the origin of the f-word. The take-home message is that my etymology is indeed folk etymology and incorrect - no surprises. But they have a more detailed set of origins, too, which might be worth reading.

I see it's back again...

Yes, and I have quoted it verbatim in the Short Guide - if that is ok w/ you?

You are quite right about posts getting lost in the mists of time, though. I think I'll suggest that when a post is restored the moderator posts a post saying they have reposted the post.



agcB