Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New profile posts
Latest activity
Internet Search
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
Parent Support Forums
General Parenting
Giving options for new outbursts of frustration....
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 264038" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>In Australia we use rhyming slang a lot (originated from the Cockney component of early settlers). A suit would be "bag of fruit". Your mate would be your "old china" as in "china plate" = mate. You might be able to use the concept of rhyming slang to come up with some sanitised terminology.</p><p></p><p>Other terms - instead of referring to someone as a d***head, we refer to them as having circumcision scars on their necks. Or as Richard Cranium.</p><p></p><p>Another way of calling someone a cat when they're being particularly catty, is to offer, "Coffee? Tea? Bowl of cream?"</p><p></p><p>Latin is useful. Terry Pratchett (my favourite author) writes fantasy satire, setting his work on Discworld, a fictional world in the form of a disc being carried on the back of four elephants, all of them standing on the back of a giant space-going turtle. One important character in a number of these books is a very cowardly wizard called Rincewind, who faces death often and somehow survives. Because these books are supposed to be sufficiently clean for British children to read (well, British teens, at least) he disguises any swearing by using more polite terms or using Latin. Example - Rincewind, screaming in terror as he yet again faces certain death, says, "Stercus, stercus, morituri sum." This translates to "oh sh**, oh sh**, we're going to die."</p><p></p><p>Another phrase of Pratchett's which I also use is another polite but medieval alternative for a common phrase - when something bad is happening and everything is rapidly turning into a real mess, Pratchett describes this as "the midden hit the windmill." I've also heard this called, "the excrement hit the air conditioning."</p><p></p><p>Isaac Asimov once sent a story to his favourite publisher and obviously the publisher didn't like it - the publisher sent back a small slip of paper on which he had written the formula for butyl mercaptan. This is the chemical that makes skunks smell so bad! Also, as mercaptans are a chemical responsible for some of the more odorous fecal smells, that could be an alternative word for you - "oh, mercaptan!"</p><p></p><p>I'm told Yugoslav is most satisfying to swear in. I like to use German. Or you can use Geology and refer to a type of rock, known as schist.</p><p></p><p>Swearing in other languages can be useful. easy child 2/difficult child 2 at work often says, "merde!" which apparently is not so offensive in French as the English equivalent. The French are a strange people - they get offended if you call them a cow or a blue pig but don't seem to bat an eyelid at "merde!" or "Mon Dieu!"</p><p>But then - in Australia we have our politicians using language that would curl your hair, in formal situations in parliament, even when it's televised into schools. And one of our political parties had as its slogan, "We'll keep the bast**ds honest!"</p><p></p><p>Maybe you could use some good old Aussie slang? Take a leaf from our former PM (several PMs ago) Paul Keating. He raised (lowered?) parliament to new standards of language use, when he called his colleagues scumbags. Ratbag is another good one. Louse, bludger, dingo, galah, drongo - all publicly acceptable here, but satisfying to utter when you're annoyed with someone. "You stupid galah! Ya flamin' drongo! Why'd ya hafta go and do that for?"</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 264038, member: 1991"] In Australia we use rhyming slang a lot (originated from the Cockney component of early settlers). A suit would be "bag of fruit". Your mate would be your "old china" as in "china plate" = mate. You might be able to use the concept of rhyming slang to come up with some sanitised terminology. Other terms - instead of referring to someone as a d***head, we refer to them as having circumcision scars on their necks. Or as Richard Cranium. Another way of calling someone a cat when they're being particularly catty, is to offer, "Coffee? Tea? Bowl of cream?" Latin is useful. Terry Pratchett (my favourite author) writes fantasy satire, setting his work on Discworld, a fictional world in the form of a disc being carried on the back of four elephants, all of them standing on the back of a giant space-going turtle. One important character in a number of these books is a very cowardly wizard called Rincewind, who faces death often and somehow survives. Because these books are supposed to be sufficiently clean for British children to read (well, British teens, at least) he disguises any swearing by using more polite terms or using Latin. Example - Rincewind, screaming in terror as he yet again faces certain death, says, "Stercus, stercus, morituri sum." This translates to "oh sh**, oh sh**, we're going to die." Another phrase of Pratchett's which I also use is another polite but medieval alternative for a common phrase - when something bad is happening and everything is rapidly turning into a real mess, Pratchett describes this as "the midden hit the windmill." I've also heard this called, "the excrement hit the air conditioning." Isaac Asimov once sent a story to his favourite publisher and obviously the publisher didn't like it - the publisher sent back a small slip of paper on which he had written the formula for butyl mercaptan. This is the chemical that makes skunks smell so bad! Also, as mercaptans are a chemical responsible for some of the more odorous fecal smells, that could be an alternative word for you - "oh, mercaptan!" I'm told Yugoslav is most satisfying to swear in. I like to use German. Or you can use Geology and refer to a type of rock, known as schist. Swearing in other languages can be useful. easy child 2/difficult child 2 at work often says, "merde!" which apparently is not so offensive in French as the English equivalent. The French are a strange people - they get offended if you call them a cow or a blue pig but don't seem to bat an eyelid at "merde!" or "Mon Dieu!" But then - in Australia we have our politicians using language that would curl your hair, in formal situations in parliament, even when it's televised into schools. And one of our political parties had as its slogan, "We'll keep the bast**ds honest!" Maybe you could use some good old Aussie slang? Take a leaf from our former PM (several PMs ago) Paul Keating. He raised (lowered?) parliament to new standards of language use, when he called his colleagues scumbags. Ratbag is another good one. Louse, bludger, dingo, galah, drongo - all publicly acceptable here, but satisfying to utter when you're annoyed with someone. "You stupid galah! Ya flamin' drongo! Why'd ya hafta go and do that for?" Marg [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Parent Support Forums
General Parenting
Giving options for new outbursts of frustration....
Top