From Heather, at A Minha Vida, I learned of an interesting compilation of HIV-related slang (originally from PlusNews). As they observe, the euphemisms we choose to say the unsayable often tell us quite a bit about our own cultures. In Angola, for example, getting HIV is like “pisar na min” –stepping on a landmine. But [...]
As of today, UK companies can no longer use the “bastard defence” against claims of sexist abuse.
The bastard defence rests on the claim that you’re not being sexist if you call a female colleague a silly cunt, because you’re just as likely to call a male colleague a stupid bastard. This “we’re just as foul [...]
Some readers may have had yesterday’s literary post zoned out by the language police. By happy coincidence, Blog Around the Clock drew my attention to the cuss-o-meter, and I ran The Wisdom through it. Just 16.6% of my posts are grubby, which shows there’s lot more science than sex on this blog. I [...]
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