i told ils what twat means, so,

[nickytwotimes]

why did fil say it several times today in front of 4 yr old ds1?

fucking twat

Jeezy, Mr & Mrs Twatt now pronounce it "Tway".

'incomers over the last 30 or 40 years'

How many generations before you're a local?
Do you have a local shop for local people?

It is not ever inoffensive-how can it be?

From the BBC:
The t-word, which comes from an Old Norse word for cut or slit. Pronounced to rhyme with 'hat', or, in some regions, 'pot', it is widely used in the UK as a slightly more expressive form of 'twit' or 'idiot', and it seems likely that many of the people using it do not know what it means, or at least choose not to think about it. They are in good company. Robert Browning clearly didn't when he wrote the following lines in Pippa Passes:

"Then owls and bats
Cowls and twats
Monks and nuns in a cloister's moods,
Adjourn to the oak-stump pantry."

However it is probable that he was misled by a poem printed around 1660 when that well known and scurrilous poet Anon stated:

"They talked of his having a Cardinal's Hat,
They'd send him as soon an Old Nun's Twat."

Which appears to be why Browning thought it meant a piece of nun's clothing, specifically a wimple; and is a clear lesson to us all to check words we don't understand in a dictionary, and not to infer meaning from context.

The problem is that a large body of people use it as a verb ,as in you are a twat ,quite innocently ,i know we never thought of it as a naughty word ,growing up . Some people ,OP included ,think of it as a naughty word ,that is their perogative. Neither IMHO are wrong . Now if he had said cunt several times .......

Whether or not he's unsure of the definition of twat, why is he using the word "fucking" in front of your Son too?

"How many generations before you're a local?
Do you have a local shop for local people?"

I think you misread me. I said 'incomers over the last 30 or 40 years' - not 'incomers 40 years ago' - there is a difference!

Twatt is also an old Orcadian family name.

pranma Sun 19-Dec-10 20:30:06

It is not ever inoffensive-how can it be?

Well, I find it inoffensive, as do others on this thread. The fact that you find it offensive does not negate out experience of the word.

It was never an offensive term here (SE coast) in my childhood.
Only been away of it being considered a bad word in the last 10-15 years.

Phew, glad it's not just me :) I don't think it's offensive in London (really hope not) but I'll definitely try not to use it in company any more!

TmiEdward - do you think I could become Mrs Pray then- took my husbands surname this year and it is taking some getting used to being Mrs Pratt- especially as I am a teacher so called by my name all day. Better than Mrs Twatt though I guess!!

I don't think it's found to be ofensive (in the same way that cunt is) amongst adults though is it? I'll happily use twat if there are only adults around, but I'd never say cunt (hate the word)... I just think 'fucking twat' isn't something a 4 year old should be saying - but in line with shit not cunt.

For me 'twat' and 'cunt' are exactly the same and using an expression for genitalia as a term of abuse demeans the user of the expression because by using it as a 'swear word' you are reducing female sexuality to something to be sniggered at or flung at someone in anger or derision.To me it is offensive and I find it sad that so many dont agree but each to her own-if thats what you feel thats up to you.Fwiw I dont use 'fuck' either-that isnt appropriate except as a verb.Hey ho-I'm old.

'It was never an offensive term here (SE coast) in my childhood.
Only been away of it being considered a bad word in the last 10-15 years.'

Same here, it was used like hit as in you would 'twat' someone.

Oh Narkypuffin that Browning story is my absolute favourite! I am so pleased someone's posted it here I especially love the 'old nun's twat' bit.

Another here who used it quite happily for many years as a synonym of "twit" and it always appeared to be taken quite happily in that spirit !

It's really only in the last 10 years or so that I've noticed its meaning has (generally) changed, and I now only use it for the "twits" who cut me up, don't know where their indicators are, and who drive up my bum at 80mph !

what about the word knob? (obviously not for 4 year olds!) I use this alot

I agree with pranma, hate either 'twat' or 'cunt' for the same reason, because using a word for female genitals as an insult does not exactly speak of respect for women and our bodies and sexuality. DP stopped using it (at least in front of me!) because I don't want to hear it in my house.

I don't even like the way 'fuck' is used either, usually to imply that being on the receiving end of penetration is an unpleasant and demeaning thing, which seems either homophobic or misogynistic or a bit of both, and it's often used in quite a violent and aggressive way as well which is really not a good thing in a sexual context.

I'm not 'offended' by a combination of letters/sounds in itself and find the idea of 'bad words' a bit strange, just wish people would think a bit more about the meaning and connotations of what they're saying...

I'm old enough to remember "nob" being used to describe the "upper classes" (unless I'm imagining that ?) .... last time I used it in that context, got some very strange looks.

Mind you, I suppose nob/knob works both ways for many of our esteemed "betters" .....

Round here twat is highly offensive and means the same as cunt.

We also use it as a verb, as in to twat someone. But again is a very offensive and aggresive term not appropriate in front of children, elders and your mum.

Its meaning hasn't changed people are just more aware of it and because it sounds a bit like 'twit' and 'prat' it gets lumped into the same category. Like 'nonce' is a dreadful word but people really don't know what it means so it gets used quite innocently.

Lol my mum says minge all the time thinking it just means small or mean (from mingy) and I haven't had the heart to tell her the actual meaning...maybe I should get round to it before she starts saying it in front of DS - who is only 11 months so no harm done so far :o

Whe I took DS1 to London when he was 6, he was obsessed with trains, so I bought him a book from the London Transport Museum, that had a very helpful diagram of all the train and track parts, which he duly memorised, then stood on a fairly busy tube station platform and said loudly, 'Mum, can you see the flange?' I then quickly started babbling about the third rail and track joins so that people didn't think I was standing with a miniature pervert but just an over-enthusiastic train fan! I assume flange means the same wherever you live, right?