Simply put, this article is about the word "motherfucker."
This is one of the
Seven Dirty Words, and about the worst insult for a man. (For women, see
Country Matters.) Yep, it's telling him he committed
Parental Incest, with the female one, and is about the worst thinkable insult, because
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas.
Interestingly, the
Mother of All Bombs can have a completely different meaning. "Bad motherfucker", in the right context, is not an insult, but means
Badass. And if the speaker has
N-Word Privileges, they might even use it as a generic expletive for anything, like in "
back dat pussy, she a muh-fuckuh" and "hotter than a muh-fuckuh out here".
The form "mofo" is sometimes used in text and speech. The pronunciation "muh-fuckuh" softens it slightly, but only really works for people with
N-Word Privileges, as stated above.
Examples:
Anime and Manga
Film
- In the Documentary Earthlings, One man needlessly says this to a pig.
- The line everyone remembers from Die Hard.
- History of the World Part I:
Oedipus: Hey Josephus!
Josephus: Hey motherfucker!
- The Predator is frequently called "one ugly motherfucker". And in Predator 2, it's part of his vocabulary (Roger Ebert even complained
: "It's no help that the predators can speak English, since the first word out of the creature's mouth is that vile 12-letter street expression.").
- Samuel L. Jackson, as his wallet could tell you, was a Bad Motherfucker in Pulp Fiction.
Jules Winfield: Say "what" again! Say "what" AGAIN! I dare, you, I double dare you, motherfucker! SAY "WHAT" ONE MORE GODDAMN TIME!
Jules Winfield: Oh, you're ready to blow? Well, I'm a mushroom-cloud-laying motherfucker, motherfucker!
- Samuel L. Jackson again in Snakes on a Plane: "Enough is enough, I've had it with these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane!" In fact, his association with the word is the only reason the line exists: it was an internet meme that developed after the title and cast were announced, and studio execs basically decided to Throw It In as everyone was expecting it anyway.
- The theme from Shaft
They say this cat Shaft is a bad Mother —
Shut your mouth! But I'm talking 'bout Shaft
Then we can dig it!
Live-Action Television
Music
Radio
- On Radio Caroline's 1977 New Year show, Dutch DJ Marc Jacobs responded to a ribbing by another DJ with the words "You motherfucker!" Jacobs later apologised on air, but since Caroline was a pirate station there were no official reprisals.
Stand-Up Comedy
Video Games
- Washington from House of the Dead: Overkill refers to every character in the game as a motherfucker. ...Except for the one guy who actually might have fucked his mother.
Webcomics
Web Original
Western Animation
