A History of the C-Word

WARNING: This episode includes adult content and explicit language. As offensive terms go, you are entering a hard hat area.


It’s one of the most taboo words in the English dictionary. In Scotland, it can be a term of endearment, but in the US it's one of the worst offences out there, and it would more than likely get you fired if you said it to your boss at work. It starts with c, and ends in t and we're not talking about a coconut.


Kate is joined Betwixt the Sheets for our 100th episode by our favourite Kathy Burke and linguist legend Professor Deborah Cameron to talk about the etymology and cultural meaning of the c-word.


Why is a word that simply means the vulva regarded as the most offensive word in the English language? Where does the word come from? And were medieval people really calling their children the c-bomb?


Senior Producer: Charlotte Long. Producer: Sophie Gee. Mixed by Stuart Beckwith.


For more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here.


If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts, and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Avsnitt(406)

Victorian Baby Farming Killer: Amelia Dyer

Victorian Baby Farming Killer: Amelia Dyer

In Victorian Britain, there was no formalised state adoption. Instead, desperate mothers paid other families to take their newborns. This tragic system was known as baby farming.As we’ll find out in t...

11 Juli 202340min

History of Breastfeeding

History of Breastfeeding

How has our relationship with breast milk changed through history? Why are there associations of shame with this most natural act, of us consuming humanities first food? And what does the formation of...

7 Juli 202349min

April Ashley: Paris Showgirl, Vogue Model & Trans Trailblazer

April Ashley: Paris Showgirl, Vogue Model & Trans Trailblazer

As the UK’s second person to go through gender reassignment surgery, April Ashley was a trans trailblazer, breaking new ground fearlessly and with humour and grace.She wowed the crowds of Le Carrousel...

4 Juli 202342min

Women Warriors: From Boudicca to Ukrainian Snipers

Women Warriors: From Boudicca to Ukrainian Snipers

From Boudicca to Ukrainian snipers, battlefields have always contained a surprising number of women.Today Kate is joined Betwixt the Sheets by Sarah Percy to get to the bottom of why women were allowe...

30 Juni 202344min

Stonewall Uprising: Liberation & Mafia Exploitation

Stonewall Uprising: Liberation & Mafia Exploitation

In 1969 America, it was illegal to be gay in 49 out of 50 states. You could be fired from your job and evicted by your landlord if you were found out to be gay. Whilst protests from the gay community ...

27 Juni 202350min

History of Camp: From Oscar Wilde to James Bond

History of Camp: From Oscar Wilde to James Bond

As the old adage goes, attitude is everything. And if there’s one attitude that stands proud above the rest it’s the utterly fabulous, camp. Whether it’s embodied in Disney villains or Oscar Wilde, th...

23 Juni 202344min

Dick Pics: The History

Dick Pics: The History

Depictions of dicks have been an obsession in art for as long as art has been around, but the act of sending a real life image of ones penis is a cultural phenomenon all of its own. Additionally, the ...

20 Juni 202347min

Shakespeare's Sex Life

Shakespeare's Sex Life

The Bard’s work featured many references to sex and sexuality - some more obvious than others. But what does the work reveal about the sexuality of Shakespeare himself? Despite being married with thre...

16 Juni 202348min

Populärt inom Historia

massmordarpodden
kod-katastrof
historiska-brott
motiv
p3-historia
rss-historien-om
historiepodden-se
olosta-mord
rss-seriemordarpodden
historianu-med-urban-lindstedt
rss-brottsligt
rss-massmordarpodden
rss-historiska-brottslingar
krigshistoriepodden
nu-blir-det-historia
militarhistoriepodden
palmemordet
vetenskapsradion-historia
rss-folkets-historia
harrisons-dramatiska-historia