Featured Use of Acronyms, Slang and Metphor's

What the heck means wait for it...............what the heck and nothing else.

gosh means wait for it.................gosh and nothing else.

Let's not make things what they aren't.

 

The use of expletives and acronyms such as those mentioned in the OP, and minced oaths (words to tone down the above mentioned expletives) is a sign of a poor grasp of the English language. Our society is becoming more and more immune to such language, unfortunately. I have found heathen Japanese to be much more civilized and polite than Americans in this regard, even on the Internet.

Such expletives are classified by linguists as "taboo" language. Here's a definition: "taboo word A word known to speakers but avoided in some, most, or all forms or contexts of speech, for reasons of religion, decorum, politeness, etc. Thus in some societies the word for 'death' is taboo, and is accordingly replaced in most forms of speech by a metaphor, euphemism, or some other figurative or roundabout expression" (P. H. Matthews, Oxford Concise Dictionary of Linguistics, p. 400).

Let's cut to the chase. Did Jesus or any Bible writer use taboo words? Of course not! Do you want to be like Jesus? Of course you do. Then don't use taboo words. It's as simple as that. Taboo words offend people. (The only possible "taboo word" in the whole NT is "dung" in Phil. 3:8, skubalon in Greek, but both the Greek and English words are perfectly acceptable.)

By the way, the OP title is mistaken in its terminology. Simply because it is a slang word does not mean that a word is taboo. For example, who here on the BB would object to slang words such as "cool" or "awesome"?

The title also mentions metaphors, which the Bible is full of, and which are almost never taboo. Consider "light of the world," "good shepherd," etc.

 

Actually, both of these words are technically "minced oaths," and they mean what it has been said they mean. In fact, they are meaningless without their etymology. Look up these two words in any dictionary.

 

they are meaningless. In practice and use they means absolutely nothing nor do these so called definitions have any influence on how they are used.

 

Neither of these are considered to be taboo words, so your not using them is simply a matter of personal preference, not an ethical issue as is using taboo words.

The word "gender" has gradually come to mean the same as "sex." Words change in meaning over time, as was easily discernible to me when we moved back to the US three years ago. We old folks may not want to use such words, sticking to the older meaning, but it is not per se wrong to do so.

 

Repeat your mantra all you want, but no, they are not meaningless, except perhaps to clueless millennials. Anyone from my generation immediately recognizes them as minced oaths. Whenever I hear one of those two words I remember the words from which they are derived, without fail. So they are offensive to many in my generation who grew up knowing the etymology. And in my opinion, to use them reveals an inadequate vocabulary. If you wish to use these words and offend baby boomers, that is up to you, of course.

 

Almost no one remembers any etymology of those words nor do they think of hey this is a good replacement for a cuss word. Its not even a thought in their minds. I would add I do not use them myself. I think all this discussion is a complaint looking for a problem that doesn't exist.

 

How in the world do you know this stuff? Did you do a survey or something? You are generalizing from your own thought processes, not making statements of fact.