Who can say cunt to millions and get away with it?

December 6, 2010 12:06 PM

The naughtiest word in English? In an unbelievable coincidence, first a prime time Radio broadcaster [on the serious BBC Radio 4 station], then the well known political correspondent & broadcaster Andrew Marr on the same station, then Nick Herbert MP in the House of Commons, all managed to Spoonerise the name of a government minister with his position. His name? Jeremy Hunt. His department? Culture. All started by... James Naughtie. See what he did there?
posted by dash_slot- (58 comments total)

See also Language Log's post "Obscene spoonerism and stupid verbing discussion on Radio 4" (which sounds like a great show name) for a bit more discussion.
posted by knile at 12:13 PM on December 6, 2010

More Spoonerism humor.
posted by phunniemee at 12:16 PM on December 6, 2010

I'll be amazed if that thread header lasts the hour on Metafilter.
posted by ClanvidHorse at 12:19 PM on December 6, 2010

"Spell 'bolour' with a 'k'? ... 'Kolour'. I never thought of that. What a silly bunt."
posted by norm at 12:22 PM on December 6, 2010 [10 favorites]

Actually, in English, I've been led to believe it's not as vehement an insult.
In American, a female friend described it as "The N-word for women." The last word spoken before the speaker is attacked.

Like back in the day (before I learned to pity the limited life the "nigger" user probably leads.)
posted by djrock3k at 12:22 PM on December 6, 2010

Fans of Spoonerisms should also check out the Pheasant Plucker's Song.
posted by fight or flight at 12:26 PM on December 6, 2010

I'll be amazed if that thread header lasts the hour on Metafilter.

I'll be amazed if it doesn't last just fine. The moderators here are pretty damn reasonable. Nobody's calling anybody names here. The thread title uses the word "cunt" simply because that's the most factual description of the incident at hand. Nothing insulting, sexist, or anything else offensive is going on.
posted by dersins at 12:27 PM on December 6, 2010 [2 favorites]

>I'll be amazed if that thread header lasts the hour on Metafilter

Let's see if he can 'get away with it'.
posted by mooselini at 12:28 PM on December 6, 2010

The speaker of the house does an excellent job in that Nick Herbert link.
posted by 256 at 12:28 PM on December 6, 2010

Now, whether the story itself is interesting enough to actually merit a post is a whole different thing that I won't get into, but suffice it to say that if this gets killed it will almost certainly be for weaksauce / news-of-the-weird reasons, not because it's offensive in some way.
posted by dersins at 12:29 PM on December 6, 2010

I fall victim to spoonerisms pretty often.
I always feel like finishing the phrase and then clarifying/saying the correct one is better and easier than stopping all the gears in your head in the middle of it all and trying to correct it mid-sentence.

I think it's especially true in this case, as "cunt" is such a sharp word, you'd likely be better off lessening its impact with more words than just letting it reverberate in complete silence.

i.e.
"Jeremy Cunt, Hulture Secretary ah no, sorry, Jeremy Hunt, Culture Secretary [rest of sentece]"
vs
"Jeremy Cunt--[mental gears screeeeeeeech, enormous pause, everyone completely and utterly silent] uh... [mental connections being reworked on the fly, yes I think we've got it now:] ...Hunt. [slightly smaller pause, followed by rest of sentence

Or maybe it's just me.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 12:31 PM on December 6, 2010

I actually heard him live on the Radio this morning - it sounded like a simple miss giving accident - but as soon as he said Jeremy C-unt live on uk national radio, the radio went silent for about 5 seconds and then he burst out into a coughing fit. I am pretty sure the producer in his ear piece told him to start coughing as loudly as he could to disguise his mis givings - drove with wide eyes and my mouth open for the rest of the journey.
posted by Cogentesque at 12:31 PM on December 6, 2010

TBH, it still is the "worst" word in English English. Which is to say, it is a sound which many have designated offensive, most prefer not to use - in polite or other company - and has very limited use anyway. When I say it is designated offensive, it hasn't always been so - witness the number of places named Gropecunte Lane or similar - so it became offensive at a period of time.
There are people who will affectionately call their best mates 'cunt', but that really is an ironic use of the word, inverting it's sweariness. I would liken the use of the word in every day life to the use of Scotch Bonnets in cooking - it's always hot, but if you don't like chillies, it's impossible to get rid of the taste...
posted by dash_slot- at 12:32 PM on December 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

Well, it's not like he said "vagina".
posted by briank at 12:32 PM on December 6, 2010

See You Next Tuesday!
posted by fixedgear at 12:37 PM on December 6, 2010

The British film industry has done a lot to convince me that not only is "cunt" acceptable, in many cases it's apparently preferred.
posted by 2bucksplus at 12:37 PM on December 6, 2010

I just wondered what were the chances of the word being broadcast 3 times in one day by Auntie Beeb? I mean, perhaps after one broadcaster made the error the second inevitably was tripped up referring to it, but then...an MP also utters the dread sound in public...in the chamber of the House of Commons? Wow, that's some synchronicity!
posted by dash_slot- at 12:52 PM on December 6, 2010

We "Spoonerize" where I'm from, but that's just how we roll.
posted by readyfreddy at 1:05 PM on December 6, 2010

It's good to know that if acting isn't his thing, Shiloh Pitt will have a nice job in British Parliament.
posted by condour75 at 1:13 PM on December 6, 2010 [3 favorites]

"Fortunately Mr Hunt, who heard the performance on headphones in the BBC's studio at Westminster, saw the funny side. “I nearly fell off my chair — I was laughing as much as Jim Naughtie,” he told the Standard.

“It certainly woke me up in time for the interview. I haven't heard that since I was at school — and never before in front of two million people.”

I don't for a second believe that Tory MP Jeremy Hunt has not heard That Word since school. If he does, I might suggest it may be time for a hearing test.
posted by mippy at 1:19 PM on December 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

dash slot - the point is that in the UK it isn't considered particularly gendered in the same way that 'nigger' is particularly racist - even 'bitch' and 'bastard' are more gendered than 'cunt'. Still not something you'd want to say in front of grandma, but the N-bomb is far more likely to get you punched in the face by any sex.
posted by mippy at 1:21 PM on December 6, 2010 [2 favorites]

[in the uk? where do you think I live? :)
If by 'not particularly gendered', you mean 'it is used equally on men and women', I think I disagree. It is quite gendered: it is a female anatomical part used as an insult by men at men. I think in that respect it is quite gendered. And I think that is one of the most interesting things about it: women don't often use it, and men don't often use it as an insult against women.
And I think if, in an alternate universe Jim Naughtie had spoonerised 'Jill Hunt, Minister for Culture' [there's a whole argument there about the need for such an organisation] - thereby "insulting" a woman with the dread sound - the fallout may have been more severe.
posted by dash_slot- at 1:32 PM on December 6, 2010 [2 favorites]

Spoonerism Freudian slip.
posted by Segundus at 1:42 PM on December 6, 2010

And we haven't had this discussion in, what, a year or so? Another MetaFilter perennial.
posted by fixedgear at 1:50 PM on December 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

Freudian slip? Or cunning stunt?
posted by Ratio at 1:59 PM on December 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

Uhhh ... FPP eponysterical?!
posted by kneecapped at 2:29 PM on December 6, 2010

"It is quite gendered: it is a female anatomical part used as an insult by men at men."

Yes it is, yet at the same time, we have words like 'bastard', which are used mainly toward men even though either sex can be a bastard. The origin of cunt may be firmly gendered - the use of it, or the way in which it is employed, is not. I've heard many a woman refer to men, women and inanimate objects as 'fucking cunts'. I'm female and I call things 'dick' a lot, despite being heterosexual and thinking dicks are rather a fun thing to have around.

The use of 'cunt' in the UK is nowhere near as restricted or gender-based as it is in the US. Honestly, there are gender-specific words that will horrify women far more than the c-word. If you called me a 'silly slag/slut' in an argument, I would go fucking postal - I have dumped boyfriends over that, because to me it shows some kind of ingrained anti-feminist feeling. If you called me a silly cunt, well, it's the crosser version of 'silly fucker', innit?
posted by mippy at 2:38 PM on December 6, 2010 [3 favorites]

If you called me a silly cunt, well, it's the crosser version of 'silly fucker', innit?

I guess this goes to show it must be very demography-specific. In the Britain I know (born and raised, worked there until recently) "cunt" is absolutely the worst word you can call anyone, with the sole exception of "nigger", the difference being only in the range of possible people upon whom the insult would be bestowed. If you truly don't think you can get punched by calling someone it I invite you to saunter the high streets of almost any British town after 11.30pm on a Friday night and give it a go.
posted by game warden to the events rhino at 2:49 PM on December 6, 2010

the difference being only in the range of possible people upon whom the insult would be bestowed.

That came out wrong. The n-word is indisputably worse. But to compare "cunt" to "fucker" makes sense in no British milieu I've ever spent time in.
posted by game warden to the events rhino at 2:50 PM on December 6, 2010

I didn't say it was the same in severity as 'fucker'. I said that in my experience, as a woman in the UK, it's no more offensive if said to a female than it is to a male. Does that make sense? Whereas in the US there seems to be much more of a female-specific intent, as there are with race and certain slurs.

It's the same as...hmm...I sawa US performer who told an anecdote using the word 'spaz'. In rhe US, that's a slightly crude way of saying clumsy. In the UK, it's a very offensive word for disabled people. The hush that rippled over the crowd was something to behold, because it's just not something we say over here. I imagine using cunt in the US, particularly to a female, is much the same. It's still RUDE over here, sure, but it's not verboten in the same way racial terms are there and here. Does this make sense?
posted by mippy at 2:59 PM on December 6, 2010

For a time in the early to mid aughts, I used to indulge the Irish half of my heritage in the local Hibernian club and I was initially surprised when the little old Irish lady in the corner after having imbibed a pint or two would end every conversation with any of the regulars with the phrase "ah ya cuntchya". It was jarring to hear the word coming from a yoda looking old lady but really after the first or second time it didn't mean anything anymore.

I like the word myself, I like the sound of it and that of all the profanities it's really the only one left that can cause people to actually gasp when you say it.

Of course, I use that power very sparingly...

Btw, they're just words- you give them meaning, they mean nothing intrinsically.
posted by dave78981 at 3:03 PM on December 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

Argh. Shouldn't get into sociolinguistics when sedated up (dental appointment tomorrow).

Anyway:
- Cunt - rude word
- in the US - very very rude word, particularly gendered
- in the UK - very very rude word, used by all genders and not considered specifically offensive in the same way it is in the US, or, say, as racial slurs are
- why is it only men are bastards and wankers anyway?
posted by mippy at 3:05 PM on December 6, 2010

I think Jim Naughtie needs to find himself a jew nob.
posted by UbuRoivas at 3:07 PM on December 6, 2010 [3 favorites]

I've always wonder about the collective noun, I've heard a pack of cunts and indeed a shower of cunts. Is it regional? In Ireland and the north of England I hear showers. In London its usually a pack of cunts (most satisfying when cunts is pronounced kants by a football fan/market trader/bar patron "QPR? Pack a kants" etc).
posted by Damienmce at 3:12 PM on December 6, 2010

I think the popularity of cunt as a term of abuse in the UK is partly because as a syllable it's quite spittable - the gutteral c is satisfying in London, Glasgow or Manchester (and every point in between). Physically it's quite a cathartic word to use.

It does get said quite a lot in the UK, is still not-often-used on the TV, though not unused. Its significance as referring to a part of the anatomy is totally separated from its used as a term of abuse. Most slang for genitals double as terms of abuse. Cunt may be considered to be the rudest, but that also (and not coincidentally) makes it the most popular. Most other terms of abuse that also refer to female genitalia aren't anywhere near as rude, and are used quite freely on mainstream television: the word doesn't derive its rudeness from its genital reference, but is simply rude because it is rude. It's a sort of national linguistic game. We need a word like it, and so it takes on that role.

It's also worth mentioning that as a term of abuse it has quite a specific meaning - it refers to someone who is unpleasant, callous, possibly vicious, and has a more pointed significance than, say, bastard. The word twat (which refers to the same part of the anatomy), refers to someone who is an idiot.

That is to say Dubya is a twat, but Cheney is a cunt.
posted by Grangousier at 3:20 PM on December 6, 2010 [4 favorites]

I've always wonder about the collective noun

Although I'm the only person to use it, I favour "batch". A batch of cunts. I don't know why, I just think it sounds good.
posted by Grangousier at 3:21 PM on December 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

According to Wikipedia... Mr Hunt's surname was 'lent' [via the phrase 'Berkeley Hunt'] to the euphemism for 'cunt' quite a long time ago, and became - a step or two later - an insult in it's own right - "you berk!" being a toned down version with overtones of 'what a twat!', or 'what an idiot!' rather than anything more malicious.
posted by dash_slot- at 4:07 PM on December 6, 2010

"If you truly don't think you can get punched by calling someone it I invite you to saunter the high streets of almost any British town after 11.30pm on a Friday night and give it a go."

I think one of the differences is I can call someone the C word jokingly on the High St and I'll be fine, but could never use the N word in either a joking or abusive way without getting my cunting head kicked in.
posted by ciderwoman at 4:36 PM on December 6, 2010

Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard came to be known by some as "Johnny Hunt" through a similar process - from the meta-spoonerism "John Hunt is a coward"
posted by UbuRoivas at 4:38 PM on December 6, 2010

I invite you to saunter the high streets of almost any British town after 11.30pm on a Friday night and give it a go

If you were out in any British street at that time on a Friday night, you'd get punched no matter what, even if you were handing out free booze & cigarettes, chicken tikka masala, chips & gravy to all & sundry on behalf of a charity for dying children, singing Rule Britannia, and wearing an England football shirt personally embroidered by David Beckham with the slogan "We waz robbed, amirite?"
posted by UbuRoivas at 4:45 PM on December 6, 2010 [7 favorites]

Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard came to be known by some as "Johnny Hunt" through a similar process - from the meta-spoonerism "John Hunt is a coward"

I like it. I wish I'd heard that when he was still PM. Now I'll just go back to being glad little Johnny Hunt is gone.
posted by crossoverman at 6:00 PM on December 6, 2010

Talking of Australian politicians, I always liked the line attributed to Gough Whitlam, when some rural representative was droning on, saying "I am country member!"

To which Whitlam replied: "I remember!"
posted by Len at 6:36 PM on December 6, 2010 [4 favorites]

My favorite spoonerism.


Honestly, I don't blame the guy. Juxtaposing those two words is just asking for it.
posted by Grimp0teuthis at 7:26 PM on December 6, 2010

women don't often use it

Really? Whoops.
posted by Put the kettle on at 7:55 PM on December 6, 2010

Apart from the Hunt / Culture spoonerism, I think there's something about the ease in which the last syllable of his surname couples with the "K" sound at the beginning of "culture."

Gnomesaying?

jerah MEE CUNT

jerah McHUNT

Sort of rolls off the tongue.
posted by uncanny hengeman at 8:07 PM on December 6, 2010

Chortle:

Regular Today programme listener Deirdre Williams told us, “I was quite surprised, but obviously pleased to hear that the programme’s editors had finally become attuned with the way the public feels about the current government.”

“Plus it had a certain ring to it. I don’t know Jeremy Hunt personally, but he’s a Tory MP so I think it’s pretty safe to assume Naughtie’s description was entirely accurate.”

Licence fee payer Terrence Byrne said, “I think one cunt a day is about the level I’d accept, but maybe every now and again they could save them up and use them all at once. Perhaps when Jeremy Clarkson is in the news?”

posted by Abiezer at 8:38 PM on December 6, 2010

I love the word "cunt." It's the only word for female genitalia that I can put up with. Everything else makes me die. "Cunt" is so neat and succinct and almost crisp. Clinical even. "Vagina" sounds like a gaping maw of leaking womanliness. "Pussy" sounds unkempt.
posted by millipede at 9:35 PM on December 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

Despite this impressive resume, Roberts is often remembered for his gaffe in introducing the 1981 Miss Australia, Leanne Dick as "Leanne Cock" during a Mount Gambier Cup meeting. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Roberts
posted by uncanny hengeman at 9:42 PM on December 6, 2010

I like the word "smoo" because it never fails to bring a smile to my face.
posted by uncanny hengeman at 9:44 PM on December 6, 2010

I don't for a second believe that Tory MP Jeremy Hunt has not heard That Word since school.

He's heard That Word since school. What he hasn't heard since school is someone referring to him as "Jeremy That Word."
posted by Lazlo at 10:44 PM on December 6, 2010

The other week on the BBC News Quiz, the presenter made a quip about the Tory budget restraint policy by saying that "they put the 'n' in 'cuts'."

I though that was fucking hilarious.
posted by salishsea at 11:25 PM on December 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

"Bunch".
posted by Segundus at 1:26 AM on December 7, 2010

What he hasn't heard since school is someone referring to him as "Jeremy That Word."

I know a few Scousers who would bef o disagree.,
posted by mippy at 1:37 AM on December 7, 2010

UbuRoivas: "I think Jim Naughtie needs to find himself a jew nob."

Distinctly unlikely. The man's been on the radio for decades and the near-universal British reaction to this has been a wry smile and a titter.

Also, it's pronounced 'Noch-tea', so it's not that ironic. Hasn't stopped subeditors punning like good 'uns though.
posted by Happy Dave at 2:26 AM on December 7, 2010

Old farts will of course be reminded of Jack de Manio and his occasional errors on the same programme long ago. He never said 'cunt' so far as I know, but he did refer to 'the land of the Nigger' instead of 'Niger'.

But then he didn't take himself so seriously: he presented the show with an amiable growl that gave the comforting impression he was every bit as tired and hung-over as you were and frankly couldn't be arsed with reading stuff like the script or the clock correctly.
posted by Segundus at 2:50 AM on December 7, 2010

It's the pause and the schoolboy snigger that made it, for me. Oh yeah, this was just a slip of the tongue. Suuure, Jim.
posted by Decani at 1:04 PM on December 7, 2010

- why is it only men are bastards and wankers anyway?
posted by mippy at 11:05 PM on December 6


I actually make a point of calling women bastards, wankers and pricks, and I make a point of calling men bitches, slags and hos.

I wish I had some friends.
posted by Decani at 1:08 PM on December 7, 2010 [1 favorite]

Hunt looks back on the Naughtie and Marr gaffes with a humour that his father, Admiral Sir Nicholas Hunt, and his mother, did not share when they tuned in, proudly, to hear their son on last Monday's Today. "I think my parents took a bit of time to see the funny side," he said.
posted by dash_slot- at 3:55 AM on December 12, 2010