benlehman

This is inspired by Shreyas, on Story Games. You don't need the context.

The word "fuck" is brilliant. I'm told it's the oldest world in English, and I wouldn't be surprised. It's definitely ancient, and on an ancient topic. Original meaning: to plow, or to have sex with. Related topics, naturally. I think that this meaning infuses the word with an energy and vigor. It is related to life, passion, and the dirty, gritty, nasty bits of reproduction.

I think it's primacy and age have something to do with how fun it is to say, and why, in the modern age, we use it for basically everything. It is, in many ways, the quintessential English sound, light initial, grunty vowel, sharp final. It feels to me like all other syllables are varied from the one.

I have most recently been using it to sell S/Lay w/Me, the game I've been playing a lot recently: "This game has fucking in it."

And it is so useful: Fuck you, fuck me, fucking hell, fucking shit, fuck this, fuck this shit, fuck your mother, fuck a duck, fucking fantastic, fuck yourself, go fuck yourself, oh fuck, fuck me harder, fucked over, fucked around, you got fucked, this shit is fucked, fuck off, fucknugget, fuckwad, fucking extraordinary, get fucked, fuck around, to fuck around on, oh fuck it, fuck over, etc.

Fuck.

Fuck!

Fuck (there's a rising intonation that goes with this, indicating approval, that I don't have a punctuation mark for. You've all heard it.)

And many more. (feel free to suggest more in the comments.)

I think it is probably my favorite word (it's that or "conflate.") I will argue that it is the best word in English.