How It's Used

“To me, coming from you,

Friend is a four-letter word,

‘End’ is the only part of the word
That I heard.

Call me ‘morbid’ or ‘absurd.’

But to me, coming from you,

Friend is a four-letter word.”

—John McCrea. “Friend is a Four-Letter Word.” Fashion Nugget, Capricorn, 1996.

“‘Today words and phrases are encountered everywhere—on the screen, in the theatres, in the comic papers, in the newspapers, on the floor of Congress, and even at the domestic hearth—that were reserved for use in saloons and bagnios a generation ago.’  So wrote H.L. Mencken in 1937.  He was especially struck by the open use of ‘the ancient four-letter words that had maintained an underground life since the Restoration.”

—Eric Felten, “Curses Not Foiled, Again,” The Wall Street Journal, 10 Sep 04, p. W13.

Links

Related on eAlmanac
F Word
George Carlin's Seven Dirty Words
Editorial Policy

Beyond eAlmanac
Wikipedia article on Four-Letter Words