Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that 'fart' is NOT a swear word!

186 replies

FartingIsntSwearing · 19/10/2014 22:10

OFSTED came to our school and I had my year 7 books taken in. One homework had been to write about an embarrassing incident and a boy had written about farting in class.

I was told the work in the books was a high standard and so on but inspector was surprised I hadn't 'pulled a child up for swearing in his book.'

Since WHEN was 'fart' a swear word!?

OP posts:
Momagain1 · 19/10/2014 23:08

We were raised to act completely oblivious to farts, as if they hadnt happened, just move along. Absolutely do not ask who did it and make fun and embarrass anyone further.if it were you and seemed necessary, an 'Excuse me.' Should be given. If you had to discuss the subject, it was passing gas.

Then I married into a family (later divorced out) that were greatly entertained by them, discussing them, comparing them to past farts, competitive farting even. It was quite a trial to my dignity.

SirChenjin · 19/10/2014 23:09

And who decides what and when a word is appropriate?

BuildYourOwnSnowman · 19/10/2014 23:10

oh momagain - poor you

i had a flatmate that used to think noisy farts were the funniest thing. used to make me feel sick.

Pooka · 19/10/2014 23:10

We were probably too scared to comment on farts because of:

"He who smelt it, dealt it" and "the one who said the rhyme did the crime" and so on.

It could be very tense at times....

SconeRhymesWithGone · 19/10/2014 23:11

The most common euphemism I am familiar with (American here) is "to pass gas," but "poot" is popular with kids. My mother used to have a rule that at Thanksgiving Dinner, "we will not discuss pooting or politics."

But I think that to object to a secondary school student using it in a story is a bit precious.

squoosh · 19/10/2014 23:12

Me too Pooka, I have four brothers, farts abounded and there were huge intimidating inquests between us as to who had committed the crime.

The absolute outrage of being accused of farting when I bloody hadn't.

cluttercluttereverywhere · 19/10/2014 23:13

YABU. It's not the best way of describing it. I don't let my DC use the word fart and I wouldn't be impressed if they were taught to say this at school.

Mind you, we were brought up as children believing that the word was "stinkypoo" so don't take my opinion as gospel Grin

SirChenjin · 19/10/2014 23:13

Moma - sounds like divorcing out of that family was a wise move. Was their average age about 12?

Shockers · 19/10/2014 23:17

Doesn't anyone guff these days?

DustyCropHopper · 19/10/2014 23:20

It isn't a swear word, but it is in a list of words my children are not allowed to use, along with stupid, idiot and right now the term 'big fat' but that is because ds1 is going through a stage of teaming it with some other insult (normally idiot) and using it at his siblings when they do things he doesn't like!

DancingDinosaur · 19/10/2014 23:23

I say trump. Its my dh's fault. I always used to say fart. And then he started complaining that I shouldn't say that to the children. Which of course I ignored. Except that I didn't did I. Slowly his language has taken over mine. And I was just thinking about what I call a fart, and immediately trump sprang to mind. He's bloody well won. I haven't said fart for at least a year. Maybe more. The stupid fart head Wink

squoosh · 19/10/2014 23:26

I just can't see how fart is any worse than trump/guff/pump/other one syllable word.

SirChenjin · 19/10/2014 23:28

It just is.. It's like saying "why is crap worse than poo" - it's just not nice.

squoosh · 19/10/2014 23:32

Trump sounds more vulgar to me than fart.

SconeRhymesWithGone · 19/10/2014 23:34

There's a bit of farting (the word and the act) in Chaucer. Does Ofsted have a problem with that?

Szeli · 19/10/2014 23:35

my son (18mo) says "a poo?!" then tries to get me to change his daddy's nappy Grin

i wont encourage fart - dont think it's great and dont think it's appropriate for schoolbooks, although 12 is a world away from 2. My DS has a trumpy bum

Tanith · 19/10/2014 23:35

The word "fart" is centuries old: I think it was Ben Johnson (contemporary of Shakespeare) who even used it in a play.

If it's good enough for a genius Elizabethan playwright, then it should be good enough for Ofsted.

Selvedge · 19/10/2014 23:39

Farts happen, they are normal and they are funny. Proof!

pigsDOfly · 19/10/2014 23:40

Along similar lines, I once sent some of my children's poems - written by me for children, not written by my children - into school with one of my children for the teacher to read to the class. One of them, animal related, had the word poo in it; the teacher refused to read it and made it very clear that she thought my use of the word poo in a children's poem unacceptable and rather rude.

FannyBlott · 20/10/2014 00:00

Yanbu, my mother thinks it's a swear word though so it doesn't surprise me that others do. I was brought up saying "pump" but have taught my own kids "fart". Fart is preferable to DH's "laid a gas egg" in my opinion.

BackforGood · 20/10/2014 00:07

This, that Claphands said on P1

It's coarse. I don't allow my DC to use it and to be frank I would not be happy if it was written in their school book either. YABU

A word doesn't have to be a swear word for it to be impolite. I certainly wouldn't condone it being used in a school essay.

Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 20/10/2014 00:14

It's not a swear but at the same time it's not a nice word either is it. I mean you wouldn't say it in an interview would you,well I hope not anyway.

EatShitDerek · 20/10/2014 00:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

AcrossthePond55 · 20/10/2014 00:53

Per my mum when someone lets one fly:

unacceptable; fart, cut the cheese, cut one, toot, break wind, SBD, barking spider, anyotherpossibleword.

acceptable; stony silence. It was to be ignored and never mentioned. To do otherwise was unspeakably vulgar.

I wouldn't use 'fart' in company, but it's OK in the family.

bluesbaby · 20/10/2014 00:56

Buildyourownsnowman I can see why it's a swearword in that context Grin

Tricky one!