The F-Word: Second Edition

Thanks to ADHD, I have a hard time focusing for any length of time on the written word, but I love reference books and I love the English language. I have numerous lexicons from American Slang, to quotations, scientific dictionaries, etc. This one is not for the kids, but it has come in helpful a number of times.

I used to feel pretty hip, but now that my teen years are far behind me, I no longer know everything - and I am really feeling like an old codger when I hear a new phrase on TV or in a movie I've never heard before.

If someone has remolded the "F-word" into another word or phrase, it's in this little dictionary. Almost an encyclopedia of the F-word. Each entry gives an approximate date of usage (some usages are timeless, and used for over a hundred years, some are over a hundred years old and just aren't used at all. If the phrase or word first showed up in a book or movie, that reference is also given. Examples are cited and the origins of how each word evolved (as appropriate) are also noted.

As needed, a listing will note if it is a colloquialism for an age group, racial group, sexual lifestyle group, etc.

I had no idea what Stevie Wonder's song "Bad Mamma Jamma" meant until reading the definition in this text!

The illustrations are clever, and surprisingly not vulgar, considering what book they are in. This is far more than just a snicker-fest - although you can sit down and read it and giggle here & there, it is truly a reference book for American slang at its worst.

I seriously believe there's no such thing as an "obscene" word; it's usage that gives a word any perceived obscenity. That said, "The F Word" is an interesting little book that doesn't mince...um...words. The smart and irreverent introduction provides you with the etymology of the f word; Roy Blount's foreword is another nice touch.

Then there's the body of the book. This is a dictionary, straight and simple. Like any other dictionary, it gets a little eye-numbing if you try to read it straight through. This is a volume to dip into in bits and pieces. The F Word is a definitive study of a the word that we're not supposed to say but all know so very well! Use it for humor, use it for reference, use it your own word education. Writers stuck for an insult within their prose will certainly find a plethora of potential in these pages.

This book contains probably more than anyone could possibly want to know (but at least have at one point contemplated during drunken conversations with friends) about a word that, judging by some of the horrified reviews I've read before posting my own, still has the power to shock and/or offend.

The fact that this book does exist and has been so thoroughly researched before being released confirms what most people have suspected for quite some time; that words indeed are losing their force as a means of communication. This (drastically overworked) term, once found predominantly in hard-edged movies ("Scarface" being the most obvious example to come to mind) and hardcore rap/heavy metal music is now found in mainstream, widely acceptable films such as "High Fidelity" and cool '60's-style pop music acts such as the ridiculously brilliant Dandy Warhols. We have to face up to the fact that the shock value of the word is gone (although writing it out in an Amazon review will still result in its censorship).

That being as it may, I know there are still those who consider themselves to be guardians of the English language (a lot of them being English teachers) who still take offense at the proliferation of the word. I'd like to see these elbow-patched, corduroy-jacketed souls buying a copy of this book and assigning a student who was misfortunate enough to be heard uttering the expression the task of reading the book and submitting a 10-page report on it. F***, I'm tempted to do it just to see if I can get it published somewhere.

This book contains probably more than anyone could possibly want to know (but at least have at one point contemplated during drunken conversation with friends) about a word that..., still has the power to shock and/or offend.

The fact that this book does exist and has been so thoroughly researched before being released confirms what most people have suspected for quite some time; that words indeed are losing their force as a means of communication. This (drastically overworked) term, once found predominantly in hard-edged movies ("Scarface" being the most obvious example to come to mind) and hardcore rap/heavy metal music is now found in mainstream, widely acceptable films such as "High Fidelity" and cool '60's-style pop music acts such as the ridiculously brilliant Dandy Warhols. We have to face up to the fact that the shock value of the word is gone (although writing it out in an Amazon review will still result in its censorship).

That being as it may, I know there are still those who consider themselves to be guardians of the English language (a lot of them being English teachers) who still take offense at the proliferation of the word...

Whats not to like about the F-word? Its fierce, its funny, its frightening, its even fantastic! If you object to it, you must have duct-tape on. Go buy this book and show your respect to the F word!