Four-letter word

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The phrase four-letter word refers to a set of English words written with four letters which are considered profane, including common popular or slang terms for excretory functions, sexual activity, and genitalia. The "four-letter" claim refers to the fact that most English swear words are monosyllabic, and therefore are likely to have 4 letters on average.

Common four-letter words (in this sense) include: shit, cock, fuck, damn, hell, cunt, piss, arse (U.K.) and twat. These, in addition to at least ten others (knob, dick, and so on), are widely considered vulgar or offensive to some degree.

Contents

1 Similar euphemisms in other languages

1.1 Group of profane words
1.2 Specific curses euphemisms

2 Tetragrammaton
3 Quotation
4 See also

Similar euphemisms in other languages

Group of profane words

Dutch: A similar tradition occurs with "three-letter words": (kut, pik, lul, gvd)

Specific curses euphemisms

Spanish: the word puta ("whore") is sometimes referred to as cuatro letras (four letters), e.g. Esa chica es una cuatro letras (That girl is a four-letters) designating a sexually disinhibited lady.

French: the word merde ("shit") was sometimes referred to as les cinq lettres ("the five letters") before its use became widespread and mild.

German: the phrase "Setz dich auf deine vier Buchstaben" ("sit down on your four letters") is mainly used speaking to children, as it refers to the word "Popo", meaning "bum" in baby talk. Variants of the above phrase "Setz dich auf deine fünf Buchstaben" ("sit down on your five letters") or "Setz dich auf deine vier oder fünf Buchstaben" ("sit down on your four or five letters") allude to the vulgar use of the word "Arsch" ("ass").

Latin: a common insult used to be "Es vir trium litterarum", meaning "you are a man of three letters". The underlying implication was that the addressed was a fur, meaning "thief", although if challenged, the speaker could always claim he simply meant vir, i.e. "man".

Polish: the word dupa ("ass") is called cztery litery ("the four letters")

Russian: the word хуй ("penis"), the most common obscenity, is called "the three letter word" (слово из трех букв) or "three jolly letters" (три весёлые буквы)

Tetragrammaton

Another interesting meaning of "four-letter word" (in Greek, tetragrammaton) is the Hebrew name of the Abrahamic god, that is, י-ה-ו-ה (commonly transliterated as "YHVH", "Yahweh", and "Jehovah"), which Jews do not speak aloud, and protect when written (see Geniza). The taboo within the observant Jewish religion and culture of desecrating this, may have contributed to the etymology of the vernacular "four-letter word."^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}

Quotation

Good authors too who once knew better words

Now only use four-letter words

Writing prose.

Anything goes.

: — Cole Porter, "Anything Goes"

The fact that love is a four-letter word has been used in several popular songs, including "Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word" written by Bob Dylan and performed by Joan Baez, and "Four Letter Word" written by Ricky and Marty Wilde and performed by Kim Wilde. A television show called [Love is a Four-Letter Word] was produced by ABC in Australia. The band Cake also made a play on words in their song "Friend is a Four Letter Word", while The Blood Brothers took their prose in a different direction with their song "Love Rhymes with Hideous Car Wreck", which still stays true to the original meaning.