The pedigrees of coarse language …

… Fornicating Under Consent of King: Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter – Then, Now, and Forever. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

While I was aware of the erroneous etymology of the word said to be an acronym for ‘Fornicating Under Consent of King’, it was particularly wonderful to learn that this word’s first written usage came from the hand of a cleric – a monk who in 1528 used it in some marginalia to refer to his clearly disliked abbot. I can’t help but think the letters page of the Church Times would be improved by such plain speaking, as opposed to the usual roundabout passive aggression.