C*nt - American vs UK?

[Justjoinedforthis]

So I just recently found out that cunt as an insult has very different connotations in the US and the UK. In the US apparently it is more used as a horrible insult against women, or men deemed effeminate. Maybe an American can confirm this is correct?

I have personally never found it offensive, but thinking about it in the American context I think it would be a pretty horrible word. Now am trying to think back to any times I have used it jokingly in front of Americans...they must think I am awful.

@KnitFastDieWarm yup, Scottish here, particularly glasgow area. Daft cunt is definitely a thing that is not offensive here.

I reclaimed it years ago. Here’s my favourite mug:

In America using it is understood to be the worst type of insult about someone. It’s almost treated like Voldemort (he who should
not be named) in Harry Potter. The reaction typically is hand on mouth shock.

In Ireland it’s used in the countryside as banter, and more conversational.

In the UK it’s used as the worst type of insult, but not as bad as the US.
I use the C word for one person. Oh boy have they earned it. You have to stoop very very low to qualify to be called one.

That’s my personal experience.

usererror the word 'bloody' is blasphemous in origin. It's a contraction of 'by our lady' for the mother of Jesus.

I've only used it after the words stupid or fucking. Or just the word muttered under my breath. Never a term of endearment.

It has its uses.

Cunting Sainsbury’s.

Off you fuck, cuntychops.

Yup in Scotland it can be used in place of “person” or “people”

Eg “where is every cunt”

I have personally never found it offensive,

Really? It's probably one of the most offensive words I can think of.

I'm not American.

Off you fuck, cuntychops I use this too. Think I discovered it on here.

@safariboot

It was considered grossly offensive, just about the worst word you can say, when I was growing up in England two decades ago. Saying it habitually is a very recent thing here.

In any case, I'm trying to stop using terms for a woman or a woman's body parts as insults. I think there's deep mysogyny in such usage.

Are you also going to stop calling people dicks and cocks?

Near Edinburgh here...

It’s not even always aimed at anybody, nevermind an insult... here, any cunt got a lighter? Isn’t particularly offensive, I mean you’d be surprised to hear it somewhere formal but wouldn’t take offence. It just replaces body or person a lot of the time.

Yeah I wouldn't generally use the words cunt or bitch. If I spoke of someone in those terms I would be really angry and upset about something they had done and I wouldn't use them joking.

Worse I would never use motherfucker. I think that's awful.

I use twat and prick quite often .

@Justjoinedforthis

In the UK it is not a word that would be specifically direct at women or gay men, and it can be used in a friendly way!

I didn't want to put it in the subject line as I know lots of people don't like it. But you are right it doesn't make a difference with an asterisk does it.

I've never heard it used in a friendly way. It's a vulgar word that I despise regardless of how each country uses it.

Thanks for all the interesting replies. Interesting about Scotland...rinds me of the scene in Trainspotting where someone gets glassed.

I also did not know twat was so severe in America! Fun fact: as first British settlers over there were puritans, they had a bit of a language blitz, hence cockroaches are just roaches, and cockerels are Roosters.

@newtb

usererror the word 'bloody' is blasphemous in origin. It's a contraction of 'by our lady' for the mother of Jesus.

I didn't know that. I use the word bloody a lot. But I really really don't like blasphemy. What to say now?

I’m from NI and cunt was used pretty frequently as an affectionate type of ribbing amongst my dad’s side of the family when I was growing up.

Eg: “where’s John? There ye are, ye cunt ye!”

“Do you remember the fella from the chip van, he died last week.”

“Ahh, he was lovely big cunt”

“He was aye.”

It never had the shock factor for me that it has for others- even others in NI. I would certainly have been told off for saying if just as I would for fuck or shit but it was in pretty common usage by the adults around me and very very rarely used to actually insult/offend someone.

Oh my I miss my ILs. MIL discovered the word motherfucker at age 81. She heard it on the telly. She then told her 76yo brother in law whilst laughing her head off.
Another of her BILs said cunt every other word. Rum old lot they were 😂.

Love the mug up thread.

That being said- I don’t use the word at all. I think it’s horrible.

I remember watching afterlife and wincing every time Kerry godliman called Ricky gervais a cunt. It just seemed so forced and try hard for some reason.

Here in Glasgow it's definitely not that bad a word. I mean, I'd pick my audience and I'd probably be unlikely to say it to another person in genuine anger but I use it a fair bit. DH and I often say "oy, cuntychops" to get each other's attention, for instance, "cunting bollox" is an expression of exasperation, "nae cunt" for nobody and "cheeky cunt" if somenone's been a bit brass-necked. There are plenty of others available as required, it's very versatile.

Must be an age thing. I'm English, in my 50s and swear but would never, ever use that word. And neither would anyone I know. It's really offensive. I cannot conceive of using it jokingly.

It would be like calling my friend a daft N-word. There just isn't a way to use it in a 'friendly' way.

Glasgow useage

It's the only swear word my mother would absolutely hit the roof over if she heard me (or my brothers) say it. She sometimes swears like a trooper, but that is one word that is not part of her spoken vocabulary. Twat also out, in her book.

I think twat's similarity to twit is what has softened it.

@MaxNormal I don't think it used to be - I grew up in Glasgow in the 70s/80s and it absolutely was the worst swear word back then. How things change! 🤣

@Megatron I wonder if its Irvine Welsh's fault. Not that he's Glaswegian before I get slaughtered