About This Quiz
Do you think that you have what it takes to read someone the riot act old school style? Language constantly changes over time, from the most proper of phrases to the most vulgar slang. Curse words are no different. While some of these words have fallen so far out of style that they just sound funny to us now, many of them would have earned you a mouth full of soap or gotten a fight started in days past. Some of these were absolutely scathing insults back in the day. Â
The English language has gone through many incarnations and changes and traveled the whole world, making it a unique mishmash of words and phrases with all sorts of interesting stories behind them. Whether its insults, exclamations of displeasure, or just dirty words, there is a lot more to old-school swears than many people think. Some of them are just plain hilarious by modern standards, while others may not have been in common use for a century or more.
If you are a language lover with a sense of humor, then see if you can make sense of these historic swear words and escape scobberlotchery with this quiz!Â
Back in the day blaspheming, or using God's name disrespectfully, was a huge deal. This is why people would say "dad-sizzle" instead of "goddamn it."
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This is old Australian slang. They would have said it to people they wanted to shut up.
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This word was used mostly in Victorian times. It means idiot.
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This Northern English slang word was mostly used in the 18th century. It is used to refer to someone who does nothing but complain.
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"Bedswerver" is an old British slang term. Invented by Shakespeare, it refers to cheaters.
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This old curse would have been used a lot like "damn!" is today. It's a variant of the phrase "Gods hooks."
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This term dates back to Victorian times. Victorians used it to refer to drunkards.
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This term was originally used to insult pirates. By the 19th century, it was used to refer to anyone who was not doing a good job.
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This is an odd one. It comes from the phrase "God's body."
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This is a 17th century version of "zounds!" It was used to express surprise or indignation.
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This is a variation of the classic exclamation "What in tarnation!" Both of these were popular in the U.S. during the 1930s.
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A fopdoodle is an old school term for a total idiot. Old world insults are often extravagant.
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Shakespeare invented many English words, some of which have stood the test of time better than others. His word "fustilarian" means a time-waster.
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Scobberlotcher is a very outdated word. It describes the kind of person who never works hard at anything.
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This word was invented by Laurence Stern to refer to a man he met who traveled to wonderful places and complained about all of them. While it originally referred to whiny travelers, it came to be used to apply to all kinds of buzzkills.
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This old term refers to guests who overstay their welcome. It comes from a host staying up late to keep the fire going even if all they really want is to go to bed.
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This word comes from Ireland. It was a church-friendly stand in for the exclamation "By Jesus!"
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A muckspout was a person who swore too much. The spout is their mouth and the swears are the muck.
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"Consarn it!" sounds cute by today's standards. However, back in the day it was a replacement for "Damn it!"
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This word was used in medieval England. It was their equivalent of the F-word.
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This is an old insult. It means "person of great contempt."
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This swear was used in the 19th century. It is one of frustration.
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Despite now being associated with a Disney character, this phrase actually has offensive origins. It was a replacement for using "Jesus Christ" as a swear.
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This creative composite swear word implied that you were about to collapse. Essentially it means that the speaker is so overcome with emotion that they are about to fall over.
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This is used to lament over a bad situation. It comes from an Old Scottish saying which roughly means "for woe's sakes."
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In the early 19th century, this became an exclamation of surprise. During this era, having your cloak stollen off your back in the night was actually a concern.
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This is the old English version of rubbish. Apparently people have been calling things trash for centuries.
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To bespawl means to spit or dribble. This insult referred to someone who spit or dribbled when they spoke.
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This word was used interchangeably with cumberground. It referred to a useless person who just took up space.
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Cop is an old word for the head. Dalcop literally means "dull head" in old English.
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This is an old English insult. It was leveled at women considered untidy.
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This is an old Irish word. It refers to a nosy, prying person who does not mind their own business.
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This was a popular 17th century term. It referred to slackers and time-wasters.
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The Victorians valued hard work. Doing quisby meant to be lazing around instead of attending to your responsibilities.
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This is a 15th century English insult. It literally means "son of a prostitute."
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