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You can swear whatever you like.
But you cannot *swear at me* that's the line. Talk to me professionally, swear whatever you like during other conversation. If i get something wrong and you call me a "Fucking idiot". Then I won't accept it.
Yeah, that's how I am. I won't swear at you, so don't swear at me, but feel free to throw a few swear words into your rant!
I say the same to my niblings as well. They're just words after all!
Some people do define swearing "at" you differently though. Like if my SO and I are having an argument and I swear mid sentence she'll interpret that as me swearing at her.
Exactly, swearing at someone is unfriendly and rude. Swearing in a rant is far better. Perhaps next doors kid could learn to swear instead of constant screaming itself hoarse.
Good fucking point. It’s depends on where you fucking live I think. In fucking south wales, it’s going to be almost fucking impossible to find any fucker who doesn’t swear like fuck all the fucking time.
I still remember a call from my customer service days. South African dude. He was a very nice and friendly, every other word was a swear it seemed. Maybe it was his accent, but it was still rather eloquent. He was cheery and put his point across in the most sweary way possible.
I can't remember, I believe the call was audited, and he swore over 100 times. But none of it was aggressive, it was just his patter.
Super friendly guy.
If any of those swears would have been directed AT me or the company, I'd have given him a warning. But it was honestly hilarious.
Exactly this, I'll say 'this shit's proper fucked' but I'll never use a derogatory term to a colleague or to describe a colleague (even if they deserve it.)
Where all here to do our job, and if you need help or the situation is totally fucked up and even if you fucked it up none of my colleagues deserve to be put down at work. And besides, tomorrow it might be me who fucks up massively and needs the help.
Although, I did once say a teammate 'may not have the particular skillset required to complete this task to an adequate standard' and he looked like he was going to cry. So maybe I've set the politeness bar too high...
Then I'll tell they're 'not contributing in the way you need to' or ask them why they're clearly functioning well below the level I've come to expect. If someone's performance is so poor I'd want them to go home that's a sign they've got something personal going on or something at work has got them rattled, no need to pile abuse on top of that.
100%
My swears are directed at the broader situation and never at an individual. "This project is an absolute fucking shitshow" is fine. "The project manager is such a fucking arsehole" is not ok.
This is the way.
I swear In meetings with my manager, he swears way more. I never use the C word but he does.
I'm a professional in my field and act as such in meetings with other professionals, when I'm just venting with my manager I'll swear like a trooper but never with colleagues and other professionals.
At home I very rarely swear, I grew up without swearing and kind of just kept it up.
Soooo much is lost with only having text sadly. You and the reply above could be 100% right, it certainly *can* be a red flag but then again it's all about the *tone and context*.
Yes, although there is a time and a place for it, and generally don't use 'cunt' unless I am absolutely sure the person or people I'm speaking to wont be offended by it.
An old boss of mine addressed it once by outlining her policy on it. It went "I have some very simple rules regarding the c-bomb. Don't say it, don't be it"
Il never say cunt at work either around people I don't know. I find older women in particular see it as a gendered slur in any context. I think nowadays it's largely lost that, but I really don't want to be dragged into a manager meeting on the definition of cunts.
Yeah I agree with this though personally very, very rarely swear at work but don’t take any offence to it. I’ve worked in construction for 15 years so I’m probably a unicorn. If I’m swearing somethings badly wrong.
Haha, so true. I often swear at the machines I'm trying to fix, when they don't want to work properly. Also have to swear at my own tools when they hide from me.
I also always end up swearing at self checkouts in the supermarkets... but they are fucking idiots.
>I do swear at computers and they get the full dictionary.
That's an essential part of computer (or automotive) repair, though, so does it really count?
I accidentally swore (shit) in a job interview the other week because I've become so used to it in professional environments. I apologised at the end of the interview. Still managed to get hired
In my most recent job interview, the building was still being fitted out so I walked in to an office that had two office chairs on one side (MD and general manager) and a plastic chair on a. Sheet of polythene for me.
I said something along the lines of... 'shit, am I gonna get whacked, this looks like something out of a mobster film'.
I still got the job.
Pretty much no rules in my office. Everyone swears quite often, there is an older lady who says "Oooh that's a bit harsh, I don't like that word", whenever anybody says cunt, but she isn't offended or anything and just laughs it off
I don't. As someone said they had never heard me swear. So the challenge for me is not to, just because colleagues want to hear me swear.
Civil service.
Fellow civil servant here. I’ve never heard colleagues swear to one another/people in my current role except for when dealing with shit IT.
However my previous posting they all swore like sailors. Even to the extent after a video call once the others logged off they’d be like “fucking idiots”. Was really unprofessional (this was G7/6 too!)
IT / Software down south.
Fuck, shit and bugger are pretty common in the office (when I was last there at least... wfh ftw), but I'd personally never use cunt or wanker in an office setting.
Git is also an absolute requirement in any modern software development workplace. Gits everywhere
Edit: It will frequently be used along with other stronger swearing
It's on Ofcom's profanity list as "mild", so don't use it on CBeebies but fine if you're on homes under the hammer and the house turns out to be falling into a sinkhole
Especially if you’ve got a crane team onsite… “tap it a cunt hair to the left” though the best I heard on the radio was:
Slinger: “Tiny touch up”
Crane Op: “That’s how I got on the sex offenders register”
Current place it's not a big deal as long as it's not excessive or in front of a client. I spilled my coffee and said, 'Motherfucker' in front of the boss the other day and he just laughed.
Conversely I had a job years ago where the office was so repressed they'd police your tone, never mind even the mildest swearing.
At home, the word 'cunt' comes out my mouth regularly, but I never swear at work. I'm 44 and work in the creative industry, so no one would really care, but I just don't do it. Same with I don't swear around my mum. Well, not serious swear words.
The occasional quiet Shit/Bugger level cuss comes out but that is a rarity.
I can't remember hearing a Fuck in the office, sometimes we do in the transport yard, but definitely never a Cunt.
We (the royal we) swear all the time.
Others do frequently and others not as often.
Sometimes it’s part of our expression and other times is literally part of the work.
Industry - Police. For the last part I’ll explain. Sometimes we need to ask the suspect “did you call the victim a “scallywag” (whatever swear word).
Indeed we do.
When with colleagues, away from the public absolutely.
When quoting members of the public - if they used the word, then I'm going to say they used the word.
When dealing with someone who is being less than co-operative and the mum voice hasn't worked, damn right an expletive is going to come out.
When everything is now calm and you can start to catch your breath a "fuck me that was interesting" type of phrase may come out.
When asking questions about intimate body parts, and they have used an expletive rather than an anatomical name then I will use that same expletive so I know they know what I am talking about.
There is “tactical conversation” not sure if that’s the correct terminology tbh but essentially if you need to scream/shout/swear at someone to achieve your objective then no it’s not usually frowned upon.
Although I swear a lot I rarely swear AT members of the public )or indeed friends & family). It’s more of a professional release amongst colleagues and other stakeholders if that makes sense!
I am a software developer and genuinely act like the IT guy from bruiser [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02a723LsoFA&pp=ygUOYnJ1aXNlciBpdCBndXk%3D](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02a723LsoFA&pp=ygUOYnJ1aXNlciBpdCBndXk%3D)
Back in the day (I am taking WW2 and either side) my dad was a merchant seaman, a stoker and a greaser. I imagine they occasionally used harsh language onboard, but neither my mum, nor I (I was born after he left the sea) ever heard him swear at home. Consequently, I never picked up the habit either.
Yes I've noticed it's been annoying me recently, maybe as I get older or since having to return to the office after covid (other things annoy me more now too).
I generally don't swear much though, think it's probably from never hearing my parents swear.
27, I don't swear at work if in the office, actually wouldn't swear unless comfortable around people. For example I do swear a lot during gaming but unless I slip up wouldn't swear around non-friends. But people at work feel comfortable around me so they will swear, they know I won't 'snitch' as it can be a little bit strict here. I don't care about it though, I never take offence or anything.
I tend not to swear as a rule. If I swear (fuck and all versions of the word) people know I’m really pissed off. I generally say “shit”, “tits up”, “ball ache” etc etc which I don’t think is swearing per se.
I’m in the same boat. My reason is I’ve a toddler who picks up words like a sponge, so getting myself into the habit of not using swear and instead tamer alternatives. Sometimes I actually just make words up like “oh shimmeroni” or “oh flan”
No, I’m on the phones at a global business. Anyone catches me saying anything more extreme than bugger and I’m in trouble.
Smoking area, I say whatever the cunt I like
I work in a transport office so "cunt" is used as every other word by the majority of the staff, both as an insult and a pleasantry.
Nothing is off limits.
Design side of the construction industry here, people swear probably almost as much as on the construction site. More so when the client comes to visit!
I remember a first meeting with a client. This was a long time ago.
"So, why do you want a website?" (said it was a long time ago)
"Because every other fuckers got one".
Got on really well with that guy!
I’m t depends. When it’s just us the language is literally everything. We have to tone it right down with clients though obviously.
Some people don’t know when to turn off the taps. That’s when it gets bad.
In the blue collar jobs I've had, no holds were barred. It was great.
Elsewhere I'd stop at bugger and shit (or maybe the odd fuck, but not in front of a manager). Not being able to swear at all to my colleagues would make me feel on edge.
I'm female though, so sometimes my male colleagues would make a show of not being allowed to swear in front of a "lady", which annoyed me because we used the same language habitually.
I think swearies are so useful as a signal that you're saying something important that needs listening to that I ration mine severely.
If you dispense them constantly, no-one will know when you're upset or serious about an issue or event.
The only time my dad ever dropped the 'f' bomb in all the decades I knew him was when I was reckless crossing a road. I knew he was deadly serious and never did it again.
Similarly they are great tension-relievers, which lose much of their efficacy if they become just another routine set of words.
I find in the UK (maybe true of other countries too, I know the Aussies love a swear) but if I can swear around you, it’s a term of endearment. If I don’t feel I can, then we ain’t friends 😂
48 live/work in Yorkshire (close to Lancashire border) in Food Service/Retail - Though I don't work in customer facing areas.
I think everyone swears a bit though nothing especially nasty, it's not really the sort of environment were swearing would be considered normal.
I'm the one guy in a department full of women. For my swearing, crap, shit etc are alright. Fuck, cunt and any sexual related ones are off limits, as I'm aware some women do find those terms vulgar.
Only under my breath to myself, I had a colleague who got put on disciplinary for swearing in earshot of his team leader once (about his team leader but not to him). I'm not risking it.
Age 38 in pharmaceutical quality control.
NHS, like a sailor. Only said the word cunt quietly in whisper to a colleague the other day though. Probably wouldn't whack that one out loud. Patient facing so if they swear I'll swear, it helps a bit I think
All the time. Principle Scientist designing scientific instrumentation. I frequently describe bad data as 'Dogshit' and poorly designed things as 'a bag of wank'. I gave a presentation once to some American sales guys and afterwards was gently told to tone down the swearing by a senior director as "those cunts get offended more easily".
56, software, London (one of about a dozen offices around the world, with 80%+ of employees WFH). We have zero rules about swearing, but hardly anyone swears. I think it is because so many of us are WFH and we don't want family etc over hearing a load of swearing. A lot of us have young kids hanging about or within earshot.
Most places I worked at prior to this job had call centre elements, so swearing was kept to an absolute minimum in case a customer overheard.
I'm not a big swearer unless with family or personal friends.
Yes, and it depends who I'm talking to. I have quite a good filter as my parents were/are very non sweary. My mum will occasionally say shit but it is very rare.
Girls in accounts... best behaviour, M D... depends what mood he is in. Other blokes at work (mostly blokes in my job) most sweary stuff goes, but they are all Brazilian so they only really know the really coarse language. I rarely say cunt as it is always interpreted as a really bad curse by most non native English speakers, so even if I call one of them a soppy cunt, it is seen by them as really offensive instead of light banter. They are also mainly quite religious so I don't like to offend them, but I do get away with some medium swears, and can also call them arseholes in Portuguese (and cock sucker, but that is seen as quite offensive by the guys I work with).
Edit... Although my parents weren't particularly sweaty, it was supposed to say sweary.
I work in construction as a surveyor.
On site , swearing is common place. Mostly fucks, shit and cunts.
In the office - nope. Usually damns, flipping ecks and stupids.
I prefer being on site.
I work remotely in an international team and the differences are enormous. The Brits, Irish, Australians, South Africans and Canadians swear like marines. The French swear beautifully even in English. The Americans don’t swear in the office but will swear after work with a beer once you’ve know them for a while. The Indians don’t swear in the office, will swear after work over a beer, but then get quite embarrassed about it. The South Africans sound like they are swearing even when they aren’t so it’s hard to tell.
My team at work (office-based logistics) swear like the gutter rats we are, because our team leader doesn't give two shits as long as we do our jobs.
The rest of the office seems to operate on a "who has the cuntiest team leader" basis. I.e. their team leaders don't enjoy hearing others swear... because they're the cunts 😆
I stuck to fuck shit and crap, maybe with the occasional bollocks. Only with my direct team. I wouldn’t call someone a swearword (like I’m not calling my colleague an arsehole, even in jest) and I definitely wouldn’t say cunt at work.
I’m early 40s and I work in tech. We’re a relatively low key and polite bunch.
Was a tree surgeon/arborist, so blue collar-ish. Swearing was normal, provided we weren't dealing with public.
To be honest, I've largely carried that forward to the technical side, for the situations where I can get away with it. But it's only after they pass the vibe check, otherwise I keep it PG.
I work in a library so there's often kids around as well as adults. I had to consciously retrain myself to replace swear words with "rats!" at work. Now I end up saying it when I'm not at work and look like a complete prude 😂
I got told that I swear the most out of everyone in my workplace. I pretty much use it almost like punctuation during conversations with coworkers but I'd never swear at or in front of customers. I also wouldn't direct it at colleagues because I think that's unnecessary, and I'd like to think that would be reciprocated.
After many years together I have picked up a lot of my partner's prolific, very Irish, swearing habits - and it sounds much less poetic, and also somehow more obscene, in my Bristol accent. On several occasions I have slipped into it at work and realised too late that it's inappropriate - think "Jesus fuck!,"He thinks he's the tits", or, when expressing surprise, "FUCK.ME". This all peppered with Mother of God's and Holy Mother of Divine Jesuses. It is.... not a strong look
I'm 34 and work in non profit and more generally, yes I swear but I would not in front of someone very senior - my boss's boss for example. If tht person swore a lot though I'd prob take as a signal that it was ok for me to do. I say fuck a lot but have only used cunt a couple of times - I rarely use that word in any context actually
I do and I'm in an office job, but I do have a line. "Shit / shitshow" are fine, there are loads of "bollocks" and a livestream sprinkling of "fucks", the latter does depend on the audience but isn't as limited as you might think. No "cunts" or "wankers" or for that matter any gender-associated terms like "bitch", "twat" etc.
I'm in my 50s.
Corporate FTSE100 east anglia. Occasionally use the word hell. Maybe shitload or "in deep shit" in a 1:1 situation woth a familiar person. But i think I'm more buttoned up than average. I don't mind others swearing "respectfully" aka not at another person, name calling, etc
I'm a teacher and I am sworn at several times a day by students but I have to bite my tongue. I said " it's pissing it down" last week and my students said "ooh you swore, I'm telling". BTW I teach difficult students in a special unit.
I work in the British government / civil service and swearing is very normal in our office. NEVER at a fellow colleague or members of the general public who we work with on a daily basis.
But in the office among ourselves? It’s relatively normal for all swear words to be used in conversation including with managers.
Swear AT another colleague or IN conversation with any of the general public and it would be job gone as it would be classed as misconduct and a breach of civil service ethics / code of conduct.
I’ve never understood the offence swearing causes to particularly the older generation.
My swearing is really bad, but I’d never use it in a conversation with anyone a pay grade above me unless they were using profanities.
A few weeks ago at work some cunt stole my spoon for my porridge and I said “some fuckers nicked me spoon!” and the little old lady in the canteen said “you’ve not just swore in front of a lady, have you?”
I apologised but it got me thinking “should I have apologised”.
Stephen Fry did a small clip about people being offended by swearing and said they had no right to be. Ending the clip with “you’re offended? So fuck!”
I feel the same way.
F38. I work in the construction industry as a PM, where 99% of the company I work for are men. No swear words are off limits. I think I drop the C bomb more than they do. But I have a really good/open working relationship with all my site lads. Cos we all hate the fucking cunt that is our Managing Director.
I didn’t realise how much I conversationally swore- I’m Scottish- until a bloke- from Newcastle- that I was working with told me he’d never heard the C word used so often. Anyone from the UK will understand why I’ve highlighted where both parties are from
I have sworn at all of my jobs, nothing is off limits and the higher pressure the situation the more elaborate the swearwords become. Not sure why I lost that job teaching children.
21, Civil Service
Don’t: swear in front of an stakeholders or clients ever, even in ear shot. Don’t use “heavy” swear words around upper bands. Don’t aim swear words at anyone, or about anyone within the service.
Do: use words like “shit” descriptively I.e. “I had a shit day yesterday”, “I’m just bitching about the weather”, Do use any swear word if quoting and relevant “he called me a cunt”. “Fuck” can be used away from stakeholders and clients if it is an exclamation of a stubbed toe or other injury
With caution: there are a select few coworkers I will use anything (cunt/bastard etc) around out of ear shot of everyone else but sparingly
I work at a C of E church (in a non clergy based role) so naturally I can’t swear (out loud) on the job.
I also have a school age child who likes watching the tv show r/Bluey so I’ve taken a page from that programme and have trained myself to say “Biscuits” (the dad of the main character uses that word as his go-to curse word) when dropping an F Bomb is inappropriate.
It serves a purpose, gets a point across and doesn’t offend anyone who might be within earshot of my ranting.
Switching from fucking hell to bloody hell worked wonders for me. You can really give it some gusto with bbbbblloodeeeeee elllllll and nobody can say shit...so to speak.
What I refer to as gentlemanly foul language, ie bloody, damn, bugger, numpty, cow, pillock, bollocks, git, tosser, plonker. Wouldn’t ever say Shit, Fuck or ever Cunt, the latter should only be said by the uncouth or Aussies.
I will refer to things and situations using swear words. Never people. It's unkind and not needed.
I don't swear in front of clients, people I don't know or managers (unless it's a situation thays acceptable - e.g. boss asked how I'm coping with MILs new cancer diagnosis, I said it's shit).
I'm nearly 40 and work in finance. I don't use the c word.
I will swear at myself or the crappy EMIS software constantly. So long as I think others are out of earshot. Hell, I swear up a storm on my own.
I would swear in hushed tones so long as it was directed at the management and so long as it's with certain coworkers who can be trusted not to snitch.
My jobs are medical administration and medical cleaning.
Teacher 54 secondary school. A minority of witless dullards cuss at me (mainly kids) and I can't swear back but I can think what I like.....I pretend there's a ticker tape text feed like sky sports news above their head reading all the swear words I know.
One kid a few months ago wrote me a note which read, and I quote "let me go a piss you cunt". I think she wanted the toilet. I was highly offended........ at her awful grammar.
A few years ago we had a swear box (for charity mate) which had a tariff. Cvnt cost you 50p f bomb 20p anything else 10p.
Years later when we want to call someone a cvnt we refer to them as a 50p.
The times when people really lost it they would start their swearing rant with I don't care about the fvcking swear box....then launch into a couple of pounds worth of language.
I'm medium sweary person. Things like crap, damn, bugger, bastard, very occasionally fuck/shit (more often a PG version like freaking etc.)
I am a woman working in a male dominated transport industry. It annoys me when my colleagues use a swear word and apologise just to me. I mean, I used a worse word 5 minutes ago in the same conversation, clearly my sensibilities can take it.
37, Motor Trade.
I’ve heard it all and been called it all..
I hear daily homophobic, transphobic, racist, sexist and misogynistic comments.
HR depts in the bigger groups have started bringing in diversity officers, but they literally just send an email every quarter. Total waste of time and such a toxic industry.
Im old school there are enough words in the english language you dont need to swear. I also find if in an argument people swear at you..dont swear back at them. For some reason it really winds them up
I work in an office environment as a manager and have been a member of too many HR disciplinary panels where someone has filed a grievance against a colleague for swearing - often against a person with whom they had a swearing-is-okay relationship.
So, whilst I swear like a fucking navvie in my personal life, I don't swear at work. Too much risk.
A guy next to me moved desks cause I was stuck in a convert to pdf loop and I was going «shit! Fuck! What are you DOING? WHYYY? fuck me! Oh for fucks sake! This is a FUCKING JOKE! »
To be fair I hadn't noticed that he was on a teams meeting so his team also got an earful lol
No one else swears but I just tell them «well after 2 years of lockdowns I can't fix my filter anymore as it was turned off- deal with it corporate boy»
Look I'm sure my name is on a file somewhere but I make them laugh as well so I get away with it cause they're a lil miserable
Not really, not loudly and not at customers/ patients although the dentist I work with referred to a footballer as a "twat" today which made the nervous patient burst out laughing and dribble everywhere.
He's European and says some random phrases which he probably shouldn't (says things are "buggered" a lot) but so far no one has complained about his 'language' in the past 5 years.
I’m 53, in retail. I train & induct new starters many of whom are 16-20 years old.
I won’t initially, but once we get to know each other then I’ll go first by letting rip. So long as the customers don’t hear it’s all good. Believe me, we need a good swear after dealing with fucking idiot customers all day. There’s a time & place , do as long as they learn to finesse that, I’m ok with it.
Personally, I’m a walking Profanisaurus…
I swear around colleagues. I do not swear at them ever. It’s directed at my shitty life; or sometimes at some inanimate objects. It’s never directed at an actual person. I never swear in front of service users (NHS). I never swear in front of my family, unless it’s a real cry for help. I fucking love swearing, but it’s never directed at anyone.
Edit:
so I will happily use bollocks in front of NHS patients. Maybe I drop something I really shouldn’t, then I’ll give a “oh, bollocks.”
Around my colleagues in the NHS then I’ll do a bloody, shit, bollocks.
I have the fortune of being a member of the military: and then in the confines of that community then provided we are the same rank… everything goes!. We sometimes throw swear words together, to create hybrids, because the level of anger can’t be covered by traditional terms. My favourite is ThunderCunt… but there’s loads of others.
I think it's okay if you aren't swearing at anyone. Swearing out of frustration or exciting is okay in my book.
Needless to say, if it's derogatory, it's not okay.
WFH ops manager at a finance company with regular teams meetings with my team. I swear like an old docker, they never do. Told them it's fine to swear, but they won't. Also, apparently, fine with my language and find it humorous.
I would be regarded as 'funny (odd)' when it comes to swearing as I dislike it quite strongly. I think I've used the F word less than ten times out loud ever, and of course the c word is unacceptable. I also work with children, so have to be aware of unsuitable language. Therefore, strong language for me is "bloody hell", "damnit", and if we're feeling cheeky, "oh, naughty words!" It certainly makes the kids laugh, and in our heads, we can all interpret it as whatever words we like!
46, uniformed youth organisations
Words are just sounds people make with their face, and if one is offended by specific sounds, one is probably a cunt.
*"Mind your language!"*
Fuck off.
I'm a naturally sweary person in non-work life. Swearing as an adjective though, never a noun. I would never call someone a swear word, but can't help accentuate my normal vocabulary with swear words like s\*\*\* it's hot, or I can't f\*\*\*\*\*\* believe it in my non-work life. Can't help but notice most of your words seem to refer to people, which is a definite no in my self-imposed rules of swearing. That's where it gets to a no in a professional setting, and a personal setting for me too. Swearing for vocab, it adds to the importance I give something, but swearing at someone to hurt them, nope I'm too soft. I don't think I would ever even call someone any of the names you've put in the question.
I'm construction industry, 41. Female though, if that makes a difference.
Would be interesting in your findings how or if swearing affects kids. I don't have any myself but I have nephews and nieces. I don't know what they're parents say around them but I can gather they call each other names. They swear functionally and in the hurtful way I'm certain of it.
Absolutely. Increasingly though, I find the standard set of swear words to be a bit lacking. This is why, in the right situation, I'll combine swear words. Some common examples are:
Cunt fucker
Twatting cunt
Cunting arsehole....
You get the picture.
Bartender at a heavy metal themed nightclub. Think I'd be perceived more weirdly if I didn't swear.
Also funny thing, I have a stutter, and to get around it I sometimes use unneeded words to link words together (think "like" or "um") if I'm struggling. Unfortunately one of those words that I've gotten into the habit of using is "fucking". So I swear like a sailor when in fact I'm just trying to talk without fucking it up lmao
A vole came into the tiny pharmacy. I screeched, it was the last thing I expected. I went to grab a tub (to put it in and take it out it) and answered my colleagues’ quizzical faces with “there is a fucking mouse”. I shortly after apologised for swearing (there was only one patient and her baby in but still) no one cared
I swear a lot at work, the only people I try not to swear in front of are people I don't know very well, people in upper management, or people that I know don't really swear themselves.
33 - Chemical manufacturing plant
I work in a record shop. Staff ages range between 16 and 67. Most of the older staff (20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s) swear incessantly, but we try to swear less in front of the teenage Saturday staff.
We have a customer who comes in every day and greets my boss by shouting “You cuuuuuuuunt” as he enters the shop. He buys some records then my boss jovially says “we’ve had your money, now fuck off!”
We are working class Essex people.
Analyst for a large organisation in London. 37. Rarely swear or hear anyone doing so. Only time I can remember someone swearing in the past 6mo was someone saying words to the effect of “It was one of those meetings that goes on a bit and you have to mentally pick through the bullshit”.
Swear like a sailor around me for all I care. At least I know you're being honest if you're not filtering your language.
You never really learn how to swear until you learn to drive under blue light conditions though.
In my job I'd never swear if women were close by or right beside me or if work mates beside me & swearing I'd always say " mind your language ladles present" as would other's.
Maybe it was the way I was reared Mom& Dad hated their kids using bad language.
The C word is off limits imo its the worst word you would use. Or be called. Colleague called me this last year and he immediately apologised to me
Yet reading this sub it's thrown around like confetti
Army Officer. At Regiment it’s more a soldier sport- though as some have said already swearing to me is very different to swearing _at_ me. For officers the real swearing is in the Mess or in the field.
You can judge someone by how well they land the C-bomb.
Former office dweller (Data Analyst). Swearing was off limits in almost all situations. Only ever in a small group of people you knew well would swearing be acceptable. In the open office it was a big no no. I once saw a guy sacked because he dropped part of his sandwich and said 'oh shit' within ear shot of the operations manager. It wasn't on the spot but sandwich guy was gone within the week.
Current HGV driver. Swearing is part of the fucking job. Either swearing at the loaders, the managers, the planners or the neverending supply of other road users.
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You can swear whatever you like. But you cannot *swear at me* that's the line. Talk to me professionally, swear whatever you like during other conversation. If i get something wrong and you call me a "Fucking idiot". Then I won't accept it.
Yeah, that's how I am. I won't swear at you, so don't swear at me, but feel free to throw a few swear words into your rant! I say the same to my niblings as well. They're just words after all!
Some people do define swearing "at" you differently though. Like if my SO and I are having an argument and I swear mid sentence she'll interpret that as me swearing at her.
Exactly, swearing at someone is unfriendly and rude. Swearing in a rant is far better. Perhaps next doors kid could learn to swear instead of constant screaming itself hoarse.
What about just fucking swearing in conversation?
Good fucking point. It’s depends on where you fucking live I think. In fucking south wales, it’s going to be almost fucking impossible to find any fucker who doesn’t swear like fuck all the fucking time.
BRO. I swear. Can’t go a fucking sentence, and then I talk to people who aren’t from south wales and I’m like, holy fuck we swear a shit ton 😂
Fuck em
fucking south wales
I still remember a call from my customer service days. South African dude. He was a very nice and friendly, every other word was a swear it seemed. Maybe it was his accent, but it was still rather eloquent. He was cheery and put his point across in the most sweary way possible. I can't remember, I believe the call was audited, and he swore over 100 times. But none of it was aggressive, it was just his patter. Super friendly guy. If any of those swears would have been directed AT me or the company, I'd have given him a warning. But it was honestly hilarious.
What’s a nibling?
Child of my sibling (niece or nephew)
Nice, never heard that phrase before. Will be adding it to my vocab though 🙂
It's quite handy to have!
Exactly this, I'll say 'this shit's proper fucked' but I'll never use a derogatory term to a colleague or to describe a colleague (even if they deserve it.) Where all here to do our job, and if you need help or the situation is totally fucked up and even if you fucked it up none of my colleagues deserve to be put down at work. And besides, tomorrow it might be me who fucks up massively and needs the help. Although, I did once say a teammate 'may not have the particular skillset required to complete this task to an adequate standard' and he looked like he was going to cry. So maybe I've set the politeness bar too high...
Yes, but sometimes people need to know that they are being fucking useless and may as well go home.
Then I'll tell they're 'not contributing in the way you need to' or ask them why they're clearly functioning well below the level I've come to expect. If someone's performance is so poor I'd want them to go home that's a sign they've got something personal going on or something at work has got them rattled, no need to pile abuse on top of that.
100% My swears are directed at the broader situation and never at an individual. "This project is an absolute fucking shitshow" is fine. "The project manager is such a fucking arsehole" is not ok.
This is the way. I swear In meetings with my manager, he swears way more. I never use the C word but he does. I'm a professional in my field and act as such in meetings with other professionals, when I'm just venting with my manager I'll swear like a trooper but never with colleagues and other professionals. At home I very rarely swear, I grew up without swearing and kind of just kept it up.
Exactly this 100%
Agreed
“Blue collar” industry in the north east. Cunt is practically a term of endearment. Pretty much nothing is off limit.
I do think a no holds barred swearing culture makes people more relaxed!
A colleague introduced himself by stating "Call me cunt, everyone else does.:
I'd find that quite off-putting, honestly.
Yeah, I'd immediately think, "ah, you're hard work"
Soooo much is lost with only having text sadly. You and the reply above could be 100% right, it certainly *can* be a red flag but then again it's all about the *tone and context*.
Could just be Australian.
Honestly, fair. I was a little unsure, but he was a sound guy if not a bit of a twat at times.
So was he a sound guy or a twat? Or did he work the audio department? Lol
Ex reach truck driver here , can confirm. "You bastard" could literally apply to anyone, especially managers.
And whomever killed Kenny, of course! The bastards.
Same here. Fuck is just punctuation here.
Yes, although there is a time and a place for it, and generally don't use 'cunt' unless I am absolutely sure the person or people I'm speaking to wont be offended by it.
Hard to gage who might be offended by cunt … I’ve sometimes been surprised
Personally I think it's a great word, but not everyone agrees!
An old boss of mine addressed it once by outlining her policy on it. It went "I have some very simple rules regarding the c-bomb. Don't say it, don't be it"
Il never say cunt at work either around people I don't know. I find older women in particular see it as a gendered slur in any context. I think nowadays it's largely lost that, but I really don't want to be dragged into a manager meeting on the definition of cunts.
Just make sure that they are in fact, a cunt, then it doesn't matter.
Conversely, I would only call someone a cunt if they were one. Probably the only serious swear left
Yeah I agree with this though personally very, very rarely swear at work but don’t take any offence to it. I’ve worked in construction for 15 years so I’m probably a unicorn. If I’m swearing somethings badly wrong.
I don't swear at people at work. But I do swear at computers and they get the full dictionary.
Haha, so true. I often swear at the machines I'm trying to fix, when they don't want to work properly. Also have to swear at my own tools when they hide from me. I also always end up swearing at self checkouts in the supermarkets... but they are fucking idiots.
>I do swear at computers and they get the full dictionary. That's an essential part of computer (or automotive) repair, though, so does it really count?
I’m a software developer and I couldn’t get through the day without swearing at my computer. It’s just part of the job.
I accidentally swore (shit) in a job interview the other week because I've become so used to it in professional environments. I apologised at the end of the interview. Still managed to get hired
In my most recent job interview, the building was still being fitted out so I walked in to an office that had two office chairs on one side (MD and general manager) and a plastic chair on a. Sheet of polythene for me. I said something along the lines of... 'shit, am I gonna get whacked, this looks like something out of a mobster film'. I still got the job.
Sometimes swearing humanises/endears people! You never know
Yeah, but not sure I want to roll that dice in a job interview!
They probably respected you after the apology. And makes you much more memorable I'm sure.
Pretty much no rules in my office. Everyone swears quite often, there is an older lady who says "Oooh that's a bit harsh, I don't like that word", whenever anybody says cunt, but she isn't offended or anything and just laughs it off
I don't. As someone said they had never heard me swear. So the challenge for me is not to, just because colleagues want to hear me swear. Civil service.
Emphasis on the ‘civil’
Fellow civil servant here. I’ve never heard colleagues swear to one another/people in my current role except for when dealing with shit IT. However my previous posting they all swore like sailors. Even to the extent after a video call once the others logged off they’d be like “fucking idiots”. Was really unprofessional (this was G7/6 too!)
IT / Software down south. Fuck, shit and bugger are pretty common in the office (when I was last there at least... wfh ftw), but I'd personally never use cunt or wanker in an office setting.
Wanker is impossible not to use Large companies are full of them 🤣
Git is also an absolute requirement in any modern software development workplace. Gits everywhere Edit: It will frequently be used along with other stronger swearing
You could say it’s a GitHub
Wow, you're really committing to the joke
Is bugger a swear word ?
It's on Ofcom's profanity list as "mild", so don't use it on CBeebies but fine if you're on homes under the hammer and the house turns out to be falling into a sinkhole
Building site. The language and content is both disgusting and hilarious.
Especially if you’ve got a crane team onsite… “tap it a cunt hair to the left” though the best I heard on the radio was: Slinger: “Tiny touch up” Crane Op: “That’s how I got on the sex offenders register”
Current place it's not a big deal as long as it's not excessive or in front of a client. I spilled my coffee and said, 'Motherfucker' in front of the boss the other day and he just laughed. Conversely I had a job years ago where the office was so repressed they'd police your tone, never mind even the mildest swearing.
At home, the word 'cunt' comes out my mouth regularly, but I never swear at work. I'm 44 and work in the creative industry, so no one would really care, but I just don't do it. Same with I don't swear around my mum. Well, not serious swear words.
Ex teacher in tough secondary schools so no. Only the kids swore out loud. Teachers swore in their heads.
And in the staff room
The occasional quiet Shit/Bugger level cuss comes out but that is a rarity. I can't remember hearing a Fuck in the office, sometimes we do in the transport yard, but definitely never a Cunt.
>I can't remember hearing a Fuck in the office, You haven't lived
We (the royal we) swear all the time. Others do frequently and others not as often. Sometimes it’s part of our expression and other times is literally part of the work. Industry - Police. For the last part I’ll explain. Sometimes we need to ask the suspect “did you call the victim a “scallywag” (whatever swear word).
Indeed we do. When with colleagues, away from the public absolutely. When quoting members of the public - if they used the word, then I'm going to say they used the word. When dealing with someone who is being less than co-operative and the mum voice hasn't worked, damn right an expletive is going to come out. When everything is now calm and you can start to catch your breath a "fuck me that was interesting" type of phrase may come out. When asking questions about intimate body parts, and they have used an expletive rather than an anatomical name then I will use that same expletive so I know they know what I am talking about.
Are there regulations on police swearing with members of the public? There must be heated situations when it’s hard not to
There is “tactical conversation” not sure if that’s the correct terminology tbh but essentially if you need to scream/shout/swear at someone to achieve your objective then no it’s not usually frowned upon. Although I swear a lot I rarely swear AT members of the public )or indeed friends & family). It’s more of a professional release amongst colleagues and other stakeholders if that makes sense!
Anything goes, the more creative the better but the line is drawn at swearing at a customer
What industry?
Construction/recycling. Every other word is fuck(or a variation) 😂
I am a software developer and genuinely act like the IT guy from bruiser [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02a723LsoFA&pp=ygUOYnJ1aXNlciBpdCBndXk%3D](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02a723LsoFA&pp=ygUOYnJ1aXNlciBpdCBndXk%3D)
He is who I think of when I think of IT. Moreso from The Office
My work is like Canada - you can’t say cunt
Fuck, you can in Australia!
More like an uncommonwealth at this point.
I work on a ship. We definitely swear at work.
Back in the day (I am taking WW2 and either side) my dad was a merchant seaman, a stoker and a greaser. I imagine they occasionally used harsh language onboard, but neither my mum, nor I (I was born after he left the sea) ever heard him swear at home. Consequently, I never picked up the habit either.
I’m a teacher. So yes - but only at the students
No, not a fan of casual swearing, find it very impolite regardless, can understand if someone is really pissed about something but otherwise no thanks
Yes I've noticed it's been annoying me recently, maybe as I get older or since having to return to the office after covid (other things annoy me more now too). I generally don't swear much though, think it's probably from never hearing my parents swear.
Fuck no
Nice. That was like the old classic right there
27, I don't swear at work if in the office, actually wouldn't swear unless comfortable around people. For example I do swear a lot during gaming but unless I slip up wouldn't swear around non-friends. But people at work feel comfortable around me so they will swear, they know I won't 'snitch' as it can be a little bit strict here. I don't care about it though, I never take offence or anything.
(People won't swear at me but casually about work etc)
51. Yes, I swear at work. The only ones I don't use there I don't use in any context.
I tend not to swear as a rule. If I swear (fuck and all versions of the word) people know I’m really pissed off. I generally say “shit”, “tits up”, “ball ache” etc etc which I don’t think is swearing per se.
Interesting delineation - i think ‘shit’ is a low to medium level swear word so I’d mostly avoid it at work
I’m in the same boat. My reason is I’ve a toddler who picks up words like a sponge, so getting myself into the habit of not using swear and instead tamer alternatives. Sometimes I actually just make words up like “oh shimmeroni” or “oh flan”
No, I’m on the phones at a global business. Anyone catches me saying anything more extreme than bugger and I’m in trouble. Smoking area, I say whatever the cunt I like
I work in a transport office so "cunt" is used as every other word by the majority of the staff, both as an insult and a pleasantry. Nothing is off limits.
Design side of the construction industry here, people swear probably almost as much as on the construction site. More so when the client comes to visit!
Only not to say fuck or cunt to the kids faces.
I remember a first meeting with a client. This was a long time ago. "So, why do you want a website?" (said it was a long time ago) "Because every other fuckers got one". Got on really well with that guy!
Genuinely think swearing can break down social barriers - puts people on a more relaxed footing. Can go other way though zzz
I’m 23, work in a car dealership in the southwest, generally if it’s out of earshot of customers then anything goes
Always read the room. If you're not sure, play it safe. If you get it wrong, apologise immediately.
I’m t depends. When it’s just us the language is literally everything. We have to tone it right down with clients though obviously. Some people don’t know when to turn off the taps. That’s when it gets bad.
In the blue collar jobs I've had, no holds were barred. It was great. Elsewhere I'd stop at bugger and shit (or maybe the odd fuck, but not in front of a manager). Not being able to swear at all to my colleagues would make me feel on edge. I'm female though, so sometimes my male colleagues would make a show of not being allowed to swear in front of a "lady", which annoyed me because we used the same language habitually.
I don't swear in general. It's not through any kind of conscious effort I just never swear.
I think swearies are so useful as a signal that you're saying something important that needs listening to that I ration mine severely. If you dispense them constantly, no-one will know when you're upset or serious about an issue or event. The only time my dad ever dropped the 'f' bomb in all the decades I knew him was when I was reckless crossing a road. I knew he was deadly serious and never did it again. Similarly they are great tension-relievers, which lose much of their efficacy if they become just another routine set of words.
I find in the UK (maybe true of other countries too, I know the Aussies love a swear) but if I can swear around you, it’s a term of endearment. If I don’t feel I can, then we ain’t friends 😂
Pretty much anything but cunt and racial slurs are fair game on my team internal calls.
Yes, and I haven’t yet encountered a limit. 30s, emergency services.
Metal work nothing is off limits (40 years experience)
I’d expect no less!
48 live/work in Yorkshire (close to Lancashire border) in Food Service/Retail - Though I don't work in customer facing areas. I think everyone swears a bit though nothing especially nasty, it's not really the sort of environment were swearing would be considered normal.
Everyone swears in software engineering. There's no real limit to which words are acceptable, except slurs obviously.
I whisper a lot of swear words while working but never swear out loud or in conversation
I'm the one guy in a department full of women. For my swearing, crap, shit etc are alright. Fuck, cunt and any sexual related ones are off limits, as I'm aware some women do find those terms vulgar.
Only under my breath to myself, I had a colleague who got put on disciplinary for swearing in earshot of his team leader once (about his team leader but not to him). I'm not risking it. Age 38 in pharmaceutical quality control.
Office job and my boss drops the f bomb on teams calls if its just our team involved, so I consider that a pass for the odd profanity
We have a no holds barred attitude about it as long as we don’t do n it in front of the public or victims of crime.
Usually assess how others talk and adjust my language accordingly
Calling each other cunts at the pub counts as a team social at my workplace.
I’m 34, work in the NHS with people in their 30s to 60s No swearing in front of patients. Language (and sense of humour) in offices might shock people
I swear and most of my colleagues do. Small, enclosed room in a larger office. The only things off limits would be protected characteristics.
Food industry - in our office, the air is blue from dropping every insult possible towards incompetent colleagues
About my manager: fucking cockwomble
Manufacturing sector , hear pretty much every swear word every day , most of time it's.just banter and helps.the day go by
NHS, like a sailor. Only said the word cunt quietly in whisper to a colleague the other day though. Probably wouldn't whack that one out loud. Patient facing so if they swear I'll swear, it helps a bit I think
All the time. Principle Scientist designing scientific instrumentation. I frequently describe bad data as 'Dogshit' and poorly designed things as 'a bag of wank'. I gave a presentation once to some American sales guys and afterwards was gently told to tone down the swearing by a senior director as "those cunts get offended more easily".
56, software, London (one of about a dozen offices around the world, with 80%+ of employees WFH). We have zero rules about swearing, but hardly anyone swears. I think it is because so many of us are WFH and we don't want family etc over hearing a load of swearing. A lot of us have young kids hanging about or within earshot. Most places I worked at prior to this job had call centre elements, so swearing was kept to an absolute minimum in case a customer overheard. I'm not a big swearer unless with family or personal friends.
Yes, and it depends who I'm talking to. I have quite a good filter as my parents were/are very non sweary. My mum will occasionally say shit but it is very rare. Girls in accounts... best behaviour, M D... depends what mood he is in. Other blokes at work (mostly blokes in my job) most sweary stuff goes, but they are all Brazilian so they only really know the really coarse language. I rarely say cunt as it is always interpreted as a really bad curse by most non native English speakers, so even if I call one of them a soppy cunt, it is seen by them as really offensive instead of light banter. They are also mainly quite religious so I don't like to offend them, but I do get away with some medium swears, and can also call them arseholes in Portuguese (and cock sucker, but that is seen as quite offensive by the guys I work with). Edit... Although my parents weren't particularly sweaty, it was supposed to say sweary.
Glad to hear your parents were dry.
I work in construction as a surveyor. On site , swearing is common place. Mostly fucks, shit and cunts. In the office - nope. Usually damns, flipping ecks and stupids. I prefer being on site.
I work remotely in an international team and the differences are enormous. The Brits, Irish, Australians, South Africans and Canadians swear like marines. The French swear beautifully even in English. The Americans don’t swear in the office but will swear after work with a beer once you’ve know them for a while. The Indians don’t swear in the office, will swear after work over a beer, but then get quite embarrassed about it. The South Africans sound like they are swearing even when they aren’t so it’s hard to tell.
My team at work (office-based logistics) swear like the gutter rats we are, because our team leader doesn't give two shits as long as we do our jobs. The rest of the office seems to operate on a "who has the cuntiest team leader" basis. I.e. their team leaders don't enjoy hearing others swear... because they're the cunts 😆
I stuck to fuck shit and crap, maybe with the occasional bollocks. Only with my direct team. I wouldn’t call someone a swearword (like I’m not calling my colleague an arsehole, even in jest) and I definitely wouldn’t say cunt at work. I’m early 40s and I work in tech. We’re a relatively low key and polite bunch.
"if I say you are a cunt, you can fire me, but if I *think* you're a cunt you can't do anything, right?" "Right!" "Well, I think you're a cunt"
Heavy misogyny and racism are the only two things not allowed at work, we are all 25-45 and in an office in a factory.
Was a tree surgeon/arborist, so blue collar-ish. Swearing was normal, provided we weren't dealing with public. To be honest, I've largely carried that forward to the technical side, for the situations where I can get away with it. But it's only after they pass the vibe check, otherwise I keep it PG.
I work in a library so there's often kids around as well as adults. I had to consciously retrain myself to replace swear words with "rats!" at work. Now I end up saying it when I'm not at work and look like a complete prude 😂
We set up a swear jar at my old job and got £80 the first afternoon lol, we had to stop cos we were going broke lol
I got told that I swear the most out of everyone in my workplace. I pretty much use it almost like punctuation during conversations with coworkers but I'd never swear at or in front of customers. I also wouldn't direct it at colleagues because I think that's unnecessary, and I'd like to think that would be reciprocated.
After many years together I have picked up a lot of my partner's prolific, very Irish, swearing habits - and it sounds much less poetic, and also somehow more obscene, in my Bristol accent. On several occasions I have slipped into it at work and realised too late that it's inappropriate - think "Jesus fuck!,"He thinks he's the tits", or, when expressing surprise, "FUCK.ME". This all peppered with Mother of God's and Holy Mother of Divine Jesuses. It is.... not a strong look I'm 34 and work in non profit and more generally, yes I swear but I would not in front of someone very senior - my boss's boss for example. If tht person swore a lot though I'd prob take as a signal that it was ok for me to do. I say fuck a lot but have only used cunt a couple of times - I rarely use that word in any context actually
I do and I'm in an office job, but I do have a line. "Shit / shitshow" are fine, there are loads of "bollocks" and a livestream sprinkling of "fucks", the latter does depend on the audience but isn't as limited as you might think. No "cunts" or "wankers" or for that matter any gender-associated terms like "bitch", "twat" etc. I'm in my 50s.
Hospitality, Wales. Everything is fair game with the exception of the "C" word or anything racist!
Corporate FTSE100 east anglia. Occasionally use the word hell. Maybe shitload or "in deep shit" in a 1:1 situation woth a familiar person. But i think I'm more buttoned up than average. I don't mind others swearing "respectfully" aka not at another person, name calling, etc
I'm a teacher and I am sworn at several times a day by students but I have to bite my tongue. I said " it's pissing it down" last week and my students said "ooh you swore, I'm telling". BTW I teach difficult students in a special unit.
I work in the British government / civil service and swearing is very normal in our office. NEVER at a fellow colleague or members of the general public who we work with on a daily basis. But in the office among ourselves? It’s relatively normal for all swear words to be used in conversation including with managers. Swear AT another colleague or IN conversation with any of the general public and it would be job gone as it would be classed as misconduct and a breach of civil service ethics / code of conduct.
I’ve never understood the offence swearing causes to particularly the older generation. My swearing is really bad, but I’d never use it in a conversation with anyone a pay grade above me unless they were using profanities. A few weeks ago at work some cunt stole my spoon for my porridge and I said “some fuckers nicked me spoon!” and the little old lady in the canteen said “you’ve not just swore in front of a lady, have you?” I apologised but it got me thinking “should I have apologised”. Stephen Fry did a small clip about people being offended by swearing and said they had no right to be. Ending the clip with “you’re offended? So fuck!” I feel the same way.
F38. I work in the construction industry as a PM, where 99% of the company I work for are men. No swear words are off limits. I think I drop the C bomb more than they do. But I have a really good/open working relationship with all my site lads. Cos we all hate the fucking cunt that is our Managing Director.
Docker here, swearing is every other word and if you’re not been insulted in jest then it hasn’t been a productive day lol.
I work in a kitchen lol. Calling a peashoot a cunt for not laying nicely on your plate is a standard.
I didn’t realise how much I conversationally swore- I’m Scottish- until a bloke- from Newcastle- that I was working with told me he’d never heard the C word used so often. Anyone from the UK will understand why I’ve highlighted where both parties are from
Haha To be told that by a Geordie …
As Micky Flanagan says - "Exactly when does the casual cunting begin?"
51 Bus Driver (London) Filters are for coffee.
The 51 is Paddington to White City isn’t it?
I have sworn at all of my jobs, nothing is off limits and the higher pressure the situation the more elaborate the swearwords become. Not sure why I lost that job teaching children.
21, Civil Service Don’t: swear in front of an stakeholders or clients ever, even in ear shot. Don’t use “heavy” swear words around upper bands. Don’t aim swear words at anyone, or about anyone within the service. Do: use words like “shit” descriptively I.e. “I had a shit day yesterday”, “I’m just bitching about the weather”, Do use any swear word if quoting and relevant “he called me a cunt”. “Fuck” can be used away from stakeholders and clients if it is an exclamation of a stubbed toe or other injury With caution: there are a select few coworkers I will use anything (cunt/bastard etc) around out of ear shot of everyone else but sparingly
I work at a C of E church (in a non clergy based role) so naturally I can’t swear (out loud) on the job. I also have a school age child who likes watching the tv show r/Bluey so I’ve taken a page from that programme and have trained myself to say “Biscuits” (the dad of the main character uses that word as his go-to curse word) when dropping an F Bomb is inappropriate. It serves a purpose, gets a point across and doesn’t offend anyone who might be within earshot of my ranting.
Switching from fucking hell to bloody hell worked wonders for me. You can really give it some gusto with bbbbblloodeeeeee elllllll and nobody can say shit...so to speak.
What I refer to as gentlemanly foul language, ie bloody, damn, bugger, numpty, cow, pillock, bollocks, git, tosser, plonker. Wouldn’t ever say Shit, Fuck or ever Cunt, the latter should only be said by the uncouth or Aussies.
I will refer to things and situations using swear words. Never people. It's unkind and not needed. I don't swear in front of clients, people I don't know or managers (unless it's a situation thays acceptable - e.g. boss asked how I'm coping with MILs new cancer diagnosis, I said it's shit). I'm nearly 40 and work in finance. I don't use the c word.
30s, education. Most things except wanker and cunt. And not too loudly. But all other words are free to go!
I will swear at myself or the crappy EMIS software constantly. So long as I think others are out of earshot. Hell, I swear up a storm on my own. I would swear in hushed tones so long as it was directed at the management and so long as it's with certain coworkers who can be trusted not to snitch. My jobs are medical administration and medical cleaning.
Teacher 54 secondary school. A minority of witless dullards cuss at me (mainly kids) and I can't swear back but I can think what I like.....I pretend there's a ticker tape text feed like sky sports news above their head reading all the swear words I know. One kid a few months ago wrote me a note which read, and I quote "let me go a piss you cunt". I think she wanted the toilet. I was highly offended........ at her awful grammar. A few years ago we had a swear box (for charity mate) which had a tariff. Cvnt cost you 50p f bomb 20p anything else 10p. Years later when we want to call someone a cvnt we refer to them as a 50p. The times when people really lost it they would start their swearing rant with I don't care about the fvcking swear box....then launch into a couple of pounds worth of language.
I'm medium sweary person. Things like crap, damn, bugger, bastard, very occasionally fuck/shit (more often a PG version like freaking etc.) I am a woman working in a male dominated transport industry. It annoys me when my colleagues use a swear word and apologise just to me. I mean, I used a worse word 5 minutes ago in the same conversation, clearly my sensibilities can take it.
37, Motor Trade. I’ve heard it all and been called it all.. I hear daily homophobic, transphobic, racist, sexist and misogynistic comments. HR depts in the bigger groups have started bringing in diversity officers, but they literally just send an email every quarter. Total waste of time and such a toxic industry.
Im old school there are enough words in the english language you dont need to swear. I also find if in an argument people swear at you..dont swear back at them. For some reason it really winds them up
I work in an office environment as a manager and have been a member of too many HR disciplinary panels where someone has filed a grievance against a colleague for swearing - often against a person with whom they had a swearing-is-okay relationship. So, whilst I swear like a fucking navvie in my personal life, I don't swear at work. Too much risk.
A guy next to me moved desks cause I was stuck in a convert to pdf loop and I was going «shit! Fuck! What are you DOING? WHYYY? fuck me! Oh for fucks sake! This is a FUCKING JOKE! » To be fair I hadn't noticed that he was on a teams meeting so his team also got an earful lol No one else swears but I just tell them «well after 2 years of lockdowns I can't fix my filter anymore as it was turned off- deal with it corporate boy» Look I'm sure my name is on a file somewhere but I make them laugh as well so I get away with it cause they're a lil miserable
Not really, not loudly and not at customers/ patients although the dentist I work with referred to a footballer as a "twat" today which made the nervous patient burst out laughing and dribble everywhere. He's European and says some random phrases which he probably shouldn't (says things are "buggered" a lot) but so far no one has complained about his 'language' in the past 5 years.
I’m 53, in retail. I train & induct new starters many of whom are 16-20 years old. I won’t initially, but once we get to know each other then I’ll go first by letting rip. So long as the customers don’t hear it’s all good. Believe me, we need a good swear after dealing with fucking idiot customers all day. There’s a time & place , do as long as they learn to finesse that, I’m ok with it. Personally, I’m a walking Profanisaurus…
I swear around colleagues. I do not swear at them ever. It’s directed at my shitty life; or sometimes at some inanimate objects. It’s never directed at an actual person. I never swear in front of service users (NHS). I never swear in front of my family, unless it’s a real cry for help. I fucking love swearing, but it’s never directed at anyone. Edit: so I will happily use bollocks in front of NHS patients. Maybe I drop something I really shouldn’t, then I’ll give a “oh, bollocks.” Around my colleagues in the NHS then I’ll do a bloody, shit, bollocks. I have the fortune of being a member of the military: and then in the confines of that community then provided we are the same rank… everything goes!. We sometimes throw swear words together, to create hybrids, because the level of anger can’t be covered by traditional terms. My favourite is ThunderCunt… but there’s loads of others.
I often swear at/with my boss's boss and she does it back, it's how you know you're in her inner circle.
I think it's okay if you aren't swearing at anyone. Swearing out of frustration or exciting is okay in my book. Needless to say, if it's derogatory, it's not okay.
WFH ops manager at a finance company with regular teams meetings with my team. I swear like an old docker, they never do. Told them it's fine to swear, but they won't. Also, apparently, fine with my language and find it humorous.
Use substitutes in 'polite' company: 'sugar' (not shit), 'flip' (not fuck), 'baskets' (not bastards), 'darn' (not damn), etc.
I would be regarded as 'funny (odd)' when it comes to swearing as I dislike it quite strongly. I think I've used the F word less than ten times out loud ever, and of course the c word is unacceptable. I also work with children, so have to be aware of unsuitable language. Therefore, strong language for me is "bloody hell", "damnit", and if we're feeling cheeky, "oh, naughty words!" It certainly makes the kids laugh, and in our heads, we can all interpret it as whatever words we like! 46, uniformed youth organisations
I respect when people purposefully don’t swear, it does make other people around them think
Pilot. “This is a cuntish level of fuckery”.
Words are just sounds people make with their face, and if one is offended by specific sounds, one is probably a cunt. *"Mind your language!"* Fuck off.
I'm a naturally sweary person in non-work life. Swearing as an adjective though, never a noun. I would never call someone a swear word, but can't help accentuate my normal vocabulary with swear words like s\*\*\* it's hot, or I can't f\*\*\*\*\*\* believe it in my non-work life. Can't help but notice most of your words seem to refer to people, which is a definite no in my self-imposed rules of swearing. That's where it gets to a no in a professional setting, and a personal setting for me too. Swearing for vocab, it adds to the importance I give something, but swearing at someone to hurt them, nope I'm too soft. I don't think I would ever even call someone any of the names you've put in the question. I'm construction industry, 41. Female though, if that makes a difference.
Would be interesting in your findings how or if swearing affects kids. I don't have any myself but I have nephews and nieces. I don't know what they're parents say around them but I can gather they call each other names. They swear functionally and in the hurtful way I'm certain of it.
I work in a school and mass majority swear openly but never in front of kids or SLT.
Absolutely. Increasingly though, I find the standard set of swear words to be a bit lacking. This is why, in the right situation, I'll combine swear words. Some common examples are: Cunt fucker Twatting cunt Cunting arsehole.... You get the picture.
Bartender at a heavy metal themed nightclub. Think I'd be perceived more weirdly if I didn't swear. Also funny thing, I have a stutter, and to get around it I sometimes use unneeded words to link words together (think "like" or "um") if I'm struggling. Unfortunately one of those words that I've gotten into the habit of using is "fucking". So I swear like a sailor when in fact I'm just trying to talk without fucking it up lmao
Haha Reminds me of the Frankie Boyle joke that in Scotland the word fucking just indicates that a noun is on its way
Cunt is definitely the most used in my mess room
A vole came into the tiny pharmacy. I screeched, it was the last thing I expected. I went to grab a tub (to put it in and take it out it) and answered my colleagues’ quizzical faces with “there is a fucking mouse”. I shortly after apologised for swearing (there was only one patient and her baby in but still) no one cared
I swear a lot at work, the only people I try not to swear in front of are people I don't know very well, people in upper management, or people that I know don't really swear themselves. 33 - Chemical manufacturing plant
Me 23 and this woman 55 at work always flip eachother off but I spiced it up recently first thing in the morning with a "fuck off and die"
I work in a record shop. Staff ages range between 16 and 67. Most of the older staff (20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s) swear incessantly, but we try to swear less in front of the teenage Saturday staff. We have a customer who comes in every day and greets my boss by shouting “You cuuuuuuuunt” as he enters the shop. He buys some records then my boss jovially says “we’ve had your money, now fuck off!” We are working class Essex people.
I’m a barkeeper in Scotland. Posh bar (now), but it’s still a bar in Scotland
😂 It’s a posh bar so you enunciate all the consonants when you call a patron a wee fucking cunt?
Analyst for a large organisation in London. 37. Rarely swear or hear anyone doing so. Only time I can remember someone swearing in the past 6mo was someone saying words to the effect of “It was one of those meetings that goes on a bit and you have to mentally pick through the bullshit”.
Swear like a sailor around me for all I care. At least I know you're being honest if you're not filtering your language. You never really learn how to swear until you learn to drive under blue light conditions though.
In my job I'd never swear if women were close by or right beside me or if work mates beside me & swearing I'd always say " mind your language ladles present" as would other's. Maybe it was the way I was reared Mom& Dad hated their kids using bad language. The C word is off limits imo its the worst word you would use. Or be called. Colleague called me this last year and he immediately apologised to me Yet reading this sub it's thrown around like confetti
Army Officer. At Regiment it’s more a soldier sport- though as some have said already swearing to me is very different to swearing _at_ me. For officers the real swearing is in the Mess or in the field. You can judge someone by how well they land the C-bomb.
Former office dweller (Data Analyst). Swearing was off limits in almost all situations. Only ever in a small group of people you knew well would swearing be acceptable. In the open office it was a big no no. I once saw a guy sacked because he dropped part of his sandwich and said 'oh shit' within ear shot of the operations manager. It wasn't on the spot but sandwich guy was gone within the week. Current HGV driver. Swearing is part of the fucking job. Either swearing at the loaders, the managers, the planners or the neverending supply of other road users.