Holy Sh*t: Here’s what we used to say before the f-word was invented

HOLY expletive. Do you know what people said before the f-word came about? Once you know, it’ll bring a whole new meaning to wonder soap.

DO you know what we said before the f-word? Once you know, it’ll bring a whole new meaning to wonder soap.

Academia’s not always all precision, postulations and prose. In this instance, it’s all about profanities.

Author Melissa Mohr’s taken a look at the history of swearing in her book Holy Sh*t, A Brief History of Swearing.

Yes: Just like their bathrooms, history’s language was nowhere near as sanitary as we have been led to believe. Nor did they have as sensitive ears to swearing.

Just take some of their street names: Pissing Alley ... Shitwell Way ...

“Medieval people were, to us, strikingly unconcerned with the Shit,” Mohr writes.

While Mohr delves back into the depths of ancient Rome, one of her most surprising revelations is the word we used before f**k entered the modern lexicon in the 15th century.

It served the same purpose. It was the word used to describe engaging in sexual intercourse. It was also a widely used expletive.

The word was ... sard.

No, not the well known brand of wonder-soap.

It was full-blown, all-the-way snogging.

Mohr points to one example of its use in nothing less than an Early English translation of the Bible: In Modern English, Matthew 5:27 reads: “You have heard that it was said to them of old, don’t sin, and don’t sard another man’s wife.”

We’re not sure if this sarded up that translation’s chances of being read by high society, but he probably had a sarding fun time writing it!

But, as Mohr writes, there was a catch.

An oath invoking the name of God had much greater power in medieval society.

Shouting “Holy Sh*t” in surprise was believed to have the power of ... making God’s bowels move in heaven.