Minced words are sissy swears. They’re the words we might
substitute for real profanity. Instead of penning or uttering foul epithets, we use
these seemingly euphemistic exclamations, perhaps hoping to avoid offending
polite company.
What does mincing
even mean?
Mincing points to posturing, pretending, or putting on airs.
In terms of language, mincing refers to lessening, palliating, softening, or
weakening the words we use. It's sort of a creative cussing, except it's not really all that creative.
How many of these 75 minced
word phrasings do you recognize?
And can you decipher the actual swear words for which they
stand? (If you know the answers, don’t shout them out!)
- balderdash
- baloney
- bejabbers
- bleeding heck
- bloody
- bloody heck
- B.S.
- bugger
- by golly
- by Jove
- cheese and crackers
- cheese whiz
- consarn
- crikey
- cripes
- dad gum it
- dagnabbit
- dang
- darn
- doggone
- drat
- egad
- fark
- fiddlesticks
- figs
- for crying out loud
- for Pete’s sake
- for pity's sake
- freaking
- fudge
- gadzooks
- gee whiz
- gee willikers
- godfrey
- gol-darn
- golly
- good gravy
- good grief
- goodness gracious
- gosh
- gosh darn
- great godfrey Daniel
- Heaven's to Betsy
- heck
- holy cow
- holy heck
- holy moley
- holy smokes
- holy spit
- horse feathers
- jeepers
- jeepers creepers
- jeez
- Jiminy Christmas
- Jiminy Cricket
- Judas Priest
- land sakes
- moley mackerel
- my goodness
- my word
- OMG
- omigosh
- Sam Hill
- shoot
- shucks
- son of a beach
- son of a biscuit
- son of a gun
- suffering succotash
- sugar
- tarnation
- thunderation
- ticked off
- what the dickens
- what the heck
Maybe we’re not as
polite as we think we are.
What’s more, this collection of sissy swears or minced words
does not even include euphemisms for the worst ethnic, gender, or other
particular people-directed curse words.
Image/s:
Girl Chopping Onions
by Gerrit Dou
1646
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