History Main / CurseOfTheAncients

Related to GoshDangItToHeck and OhMyGods. Not to be confused with the CurseOfThePharaoh.

* In ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'', Ancient Grecian SociopathicHero Kratos often uses the term "By the Gods!" as an exclamation. Given that he ''is'' ancient, it's highly appropriate for his setting.

* ''Fanfic/InterNos'': The ''Anime/MyHime'' AU fanfic uses a good deal of AnitquatedLinguistics, as well as Gratuitous Latin. This includes swear words and insults. In one instance, [[VitriolicBestBuds Nao tricks Natsuki]], part of a foreign auxiliary unit assigned as Shizuru's bodyguard, into casual swearing (Something Natsuki is not known for) by telling her that a particular term meant "rodent" when in fact it was a vulgar term for part of the male anatomy. [[note]] The term was "verpa", the Latin equivalent of "prick".[[/note]]

Related to GoshDangItToHeck and OhMyGods.

* Many characters in ''Series/{{Rome}}'' swear up a storm in this way, frequently taking the form of blasphemous boasts or insults. While "fuck" and "bastard" are peppered throughout dialogue for emphasis, serious insults and anguished cries generally involve sexual or violent invocations of the gods.

[[folder:Film]]

--> '''Dipper:''' There's a carpet-bagger in the turnip cellar!
--> '''Mabel:''' Well, hornswoggle my haversack!

--> '''Grunkle Stan:''' Gah! Hot Belgian Waffles! Wait... I'm alone! I can swear for real! SON OF A-

** In "The Five Doctors", the Pertwee Doctor starts tossing out old-fashioned expostulations like "Jehoshaphat!" that one guide book said made him sound like Rhett Butler.

** In one episode, during a staff poker game, Klinger, before looking at his hand, prays, "May he who brings the water to the parched deserts grant me a small pair of aces!" When he looks at his hand he immediately folds, muttering, "May the mother of your camel spit in your yogurt."

* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'''s Grumpy Old Man wants everyone to know that back in HIS day, they didn't have these modern curse words. They said things like "Flibityfloo!" and they LIKED it.

* On ''Series/TheTonightShow'', Johnny Carson's "Carnac the Magnificent" would issue humorous curses of the form "May a (noun) (verb) your (noun)." One variant: "May a weird holy man present you with a rubber novelty in the shape of your mother." Which isn't so bad until you consider that, at the time, "novelty" meant, fairly exclusively, "sex toy". They were (and in some places still are) sold as "novelties" to get round regulations on selling sex toys.

* The appropriately named Fowlmouth from ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures,'' after Buster trains him out of his regular bleeped-out swearing.

* A "dotard" is an archaic term for a senile, old man which has largely fallen out of common parlance...at least until Kim Jong-un's response to U.S. President Donald Trump's fiery UN General Assembly speech in 2017 made use of a phrase most commonly translated as this word, leading to a large number of people searching on Google, Bing, [=DuckDuckGo=], or any other search engine to figure out what it meant. Considering how North Korean Korean is apparently [[AntiquatedLinguistics a lot more dated]] than Southern Korean Korean, the use of such a word is unexpectedly appropriate. And Americans tend to look at "dotard" as a portmanteau of "Donald" (Donald Trump) and "retard" (a slur against the intellectually disabled). Many who use the word to describe Trump are even unaware that it's a real word with an actual meaning and believe it originated after 2016 to specifically refer to Trump.

* ''Fanfic/InterNos'': The ''Anime/MyHime'' AU fanfic uses a good deal of AnitquatedLinguistics, as well as Gratuitous Latin. This includes swear words and insults. In one instance, [[VitriolicBestBuds Nao tricks Natsuki]], part of a foreign auxiliary unit assigned as Shizuru's bodyguard, into casual swearing (Something Natsuki is not known for) by telling her that a particular term meant "rodent" when in fact it was a vulgar term for part of the male anatomy. [[note]] The term was "verpa", the Latin equivalent of "prick".[[/note]]

In [[YeGoodeOldeDays the old days]], people [[NostalgiaFilter didn't swear like kids do today]]. Or [[HollywoodHistory so we are led to believe]], as elders caught in a rage will scream or mutter curses that can [[AntiquatedLinguistics best be described as antiquated]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/TangledTheSeries'', there was a mean old lady from [[WretchedHive Vardaros]] who [[HatesEveryoneEqually snapped at EVERYONE]] and scoffed at anything they suggested, ending every sentence in "[[YouBastard You clod]]!

* A "dotard" is an archaic term for a senile, old man which has largely fallen out of common parlance...at least until Kim Jong-un's response to U.S. President Donald Trump's fiery UN General Assembly speech in 2017 made use of a phrase most commonly translated as this word, leading to a large number of people searching on Google, Bing, DucuDuckGo, or any other search engine to figure out what it meant. Considering how North Korean Korean is apparently [[AntiquatedLinguistics a lot more dated]] than Southern Korean Korean, the use of such a word is unexpectedly appropriate. And Americans tend to look at "dotard" as a portmanteau of "Donald" (Donald Trump) and "retard" (a slur against the intellectually disabled). Many who use the word to describe Trump are even unaware that it's a real word with an actual meaning and believe it originated after 2016 to specifically refer to Trump.

* A "dotard" is an archaic term for a senile, old man which has largely fallen out of common parlance...at least until Kim Jong-un's response to U.S. President Donald Trump's fiery UN General Assembly speech in 2017 made use of a phrase most commonly translated as this word, leading to a large number of people searching on Google to figure out what it meant. Considering how North Korean Korean is apparently [[AntiquatedLinguistics a lot more dated]] than Southern Korean Korean, the use of such a word is unexpectedly appropriate. And Americans tend to look at "dotard" as a portmanteau of "Donald" (Donald Trump) and "retard" (a slur against the intellectually disabled). Many who use the word to describe Trump are even unaware that it's a real word with an actual meaning and believe it originated after 2016 to specifically refer to Trump.

* Not a curse, but an insult is used by Sheldon Cooper in ''Series/TheBigBangTheory''. Specifically, Sheldon once referred to another character as an "Indian giver." The insult being in reference to the original miss-understanding of of the lack by many Native American societies of the concept of "mine" and "yours." This insult [[ValuesDissonance was used more frequently in the past]] when referring to someone who would refuse to do or give anything as a favor unless they were given or had something done for them in return, and were also [[UngratefulBastard ungrateful when they were given, or had something done for them.]]

** Subverted in the episode ''Not What He Seems'' when Dipper and Mabel watch security footage of Grunkle Stan. It turns out any old-timey swearing he does is only because he knows the kids are too young to hear it.

* A "dotard" is an archaic term for a senile, old man which has largely fallen out of common parlance...at least until Kim Jong-un's response to U.S. President Donald Trump's fiery UN General Assembly speech in 2017 made use of a phrase most commonly translated as this word, leading to a large number of people searching on Google to figure out what it meant. Considering how North Korean Korean is apparently [[AntiquatedLinguistics a lot more dated]] than Southern Korean Korean, the use of such a word is unexpectedly appropriate. And Americans tend to look at "dotard" as a portmanteau of "Donald" (Donald Trump) and "retard" (someone with diminished mental capacity). Many who use the word to describe Trump are even unaware that it's a real word with an actual meaning and believe it originated after 2016 to specifically refer to Trump.

* A "dotard" is an archaic term for a senile, old man which has largely fallen out of common parlance...at least until Kim Jong-un's response to U.S. President Donald Trump's fiery UN General Assembly speech in 2017 made use of a phrase most commonly translated as this word, leading to a large number of people searching on Google to figure out what it meant.
** Considering how North Korean Korean is apparently [[AntiquatedLinguistics a lot more dated]] than Southern Korean Korean, the use of such a word is unexpectedly appropriate.
** And Americans tend to look at "dotard" as a portmanteau of "Donald" (Donald Trump) and "retard" (someone with diminished mental capacity). Many who use the word to describe Trump are even unaware that it's a real word with an actual meaning and believe it originated after 2016 to specifically refer to Trump.

In television, and especially cartoons MiniatureSeniorCitizens will spew invective that's essentially an archaic form of UnusualEuphemism. "Damn it" becomes "con-sarn-it," "dang-blast-it" or something else LetsPlay/DeceasedCrab uses to filter his language while recording. Even relatively inoffensive phrases such as "Good lord" becomes "great-googly-moogly," "land sakes," and the like.

* [[Franchise/{{Superman}} "Great Caesar's ghost!"]]
* [[ComicBook/{{Tintin}} "Cripes!"]] ("sapristi!" in the original).

* Loki's notorious "mewling quim" insult to Black Widow in ''Film/TheAvengers2012''.
* Pretty much every sentence spoken by Roman Moroni in ''Film/JohnnyDangerously'':
--> You lousy cork-soakers. You have violated my farging rights. Dis somanumbatching country was founded so that the liberties of common patriotic citizens like me could not be taken away by a bunch of fargin iceholes... like yourselves.
** Lampshaded constantly. "The years hadn't softened Moronie. He continued to murder the English Language, and anyone who got in his way."
* The Old Man from ''Film/AChristmasStory'' mutters a stream of old-fashioned expletives whenever he's frustrated (although it's somewhat implied that the narrator is toning it down for the audience). Ralphie also accidentally blurts out a very modern profanity but the narrator retroactively changes it to "Fudge". His parents were horrified.

* ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'': "Blasted furnaces of Hell!"
* ''Literature/PeterPan'' had [[{{Pirate}} Captain Hook and his crew]] curse in this manner. "Odds bods, hammer and tongs!"
** "Odds bods" and similar curses are all over the place in Creator/WilliamShakespeare, Fielding, and others. "Odds bods" is a corruption from "God's Body", "S'blood" from "God's Blood" or "His Blood" ([[DidNotDoTheBloodyResearch "bloody"]] [[BrokenBase may or may not]] have a similar etymology), "Zounds" is "God's wounds" ([[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=zounds see the Online Etymology Dictionary]]), "Gadzooks" is from "God's hooks" ([[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=gadzooks again see the OET]])--conceivably referring to the nails used to nail Jesus Christ to the cross, but more usually considered to be his hands, as in "meathooks"--and "odds bodkins" may be "God's Bodkins" (the crucifixion nails again) but is more likely "God's Bodykins", the latter actually used (Act II, scene ii) by Hamlet: body + diminutive / familiar suffix. Even "golly" is technically a curse, a variation of "God" ([[http://dictionary.reference.com/etymology/golly see Dictionary.com]])--NOT likely to be "God's Folly", even though St. Paul says that the latter is wiser than the wisdom of men. So is "gosh", a simple alteration of "God" (see any dictionary at all).
* Gil of ARM from Creator/LarryNiven's ''[[Literature/KnownSpace Flatlanders]]'' stories occasionally used words like "Censored" and "Bleeping" for swear words. To him they were appropriately offensive, until another character explained that those words only began to be considered crude after they were used as stand-ins for the original seven words.
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
** Mrs. Whitlow from Unseen University also says "Sugar!" instead of... you know.
--->'''Ridcully:''' She may ''say'' sugar, but what she means is [[CurseCutShort shi]]--
** Becomes a minor plot in ''Discworld/MonstrousRegiment'', when [[spoiler:Shufti]]'s use of this trope reveals her to be, well, [[SweetPollyOliver a her]].
** In ''Discworld/{{Maskerade}}'', Nanny Ogg is so shocked by the sight of Granny Weatherax all Duchessed up that none of her ample vocabulary of swearwords are sufficient, and she resorts to an ancient curse used by her grandmother: "I'll be ''mogadored.''"
* Cranley and a few other university classmates of Stephen's in Joyce's ''Literature/APortraitOfTheArtistAsAYoungMan'' use "sugar."

* The title character of ''Literature/DoloresClaiborne'' would use "Cheese and crackers" as a minced oath. This carried over to the film.
* In ''Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'', one paragraph has Captain Phoebus de Chateaupers swearing quite enthusiastically, "By the blood of God! By the belly of God! Blood and thunder! By the body of God! By the navel of the devil! By the beard of the Pope! Hell and damnation!"

* One of the '90s ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' novels has Tails coming out with the line "what the fugding [sic] heck is that?" He also used "sugaring flip". Tails using out-of-date slang (not just invective) was a constantly [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] RunningGag in the books.
* This is combined with DeliberateValuesDissonance as a RunningGag in ''Fever 1793''. The main character often says "Dash it all!" when irritated, and given the time period, everyone else treats her as horribly foulmouthed.

** In ''By the Shores of Silver Lake'', Laura's cousin uses "Gosh!" and the shocked narrative voice observes how 'she used that wicked word boldly'.
* In Carol Ryrie Brink's 1936 ''Baby Island'', one of the two heroines describes the situation as "just one darn thing after another". Her older sister is so distracted she forgets to remind Jean that she must ''never'' say "darn".
* Lampshaded in ''Literature/AshASecretHistory'', where the [[DirectLineToTheAuthor editor]] explains that he translated the cursing of the eponymous character (a female mercenary who grew up in the camp) as "fuck" and equivalent modern oaths, since "God's death" and the like would seem quaint rather than shocking to modern readers.
* The Literature/{{Sharpe}} series uses antiquated obscene language, but in ways that make it quite clear what the terms mean, and they're clearly ''not'' euphemisms. When Sharpe says something "hurt like buggery," for example, he's comparing it to anal rape.

* In Stanislaw Lem's ''[[Literature/TheCyberiad Cyberiad]]'', Klapaucius says "Great Gauss!"
* Averted in ''Jo's Boys'', the last book in the ''Literature/LittleWomen'' series. Speaking of the plight of his friends the Montana Indians, Dan exclaims "I call that a damned shame!" The word is written out in full. After a moment's shocked silence, the speaker says that it ''is'' a damned shame -- using the word again -- and he won't apologize.
* In ''Blind Descent'', Literature/AnnaPigeon complains about wanting to swear but being too uncomfortable to do so in a group of people she does not know well. One of the other rangers introduces her to the joys of what he calls 'cowboy swearing'; letting loose yells of things like "Goddang it!" or "Consarn it!". Anna tries it and finds it a great way of letting out frustration.
* In the ''[[Literature/AncillaryJustice Imperial Radch]]'' series, Seivarden -- who spent a millennium as a HumanPopsicle and has some very antiquated mannerisms -- uses "[[OhMyGods Varden]]'s suppurating cuticles!" in a stressful moment, gets a laugh for using language [[LampshadeHanging straight out of a historical drama]], and is quite scandalized to hear that such appalling language isn't taken seriously in the present day.

* On ''Series/TheTonightShow'', Johnny Carson's "Carnac the Magnificent" would issue humorous curses of the form "May a (noun) (verb) your (noun)."
** One variant: "May a weird holy man present you with a rubber novelty in the shape of your mother." Which isn't so bad until you consider that, at the time, "novelty" meant, fairly exclusively, "sex toy". They were (and in some places still are) sold as "novelties" to get round regulations on selling sex toys.

* James May and to a lesser extent Jeremy Clarkson on ''Series/TopGear'' use antiquated profanity like "S'truth!" and "Bloody Nora."
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': A good example would be [[AffablyEvil The Mayor]], a centuries-old evil politician aspiring to "ascend" into demon form and slaughter hundreds of people, who talks like this regularly, in addition to being genuinely concerned about manners, punctuality, good personal hygiene, and so forth. In fact, after having taken his demon form - an enormous snake - he is led into a room full of explosives which the Scoobies have planted in the hopes of annihilating him once and for all; his response (delivered in a deep, electronic version of the Mayor's usual voice): "Well, ''gosh''!" Yes, it is as funny as it sounds.

** Similar methods were used in ''Series/SpartacusBloodAndSand''.
* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'''s Grumpy Old Man wants everyone to know that back in HIS day, they didn't have these modern curse words. They said things like "Flibityfloo!" and they LIKED it.
* ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'': in ''Film/TheFinalSacrifice'', Mike comes down with Grizzled Old Prospector Syndrome (because he's immune to Hockey Hair (long story)), which causes him to use words like "con-sarn it," "dagnabbit," and to call the bots "varmints."
** This is inspired by a character in the movie who looks and sounds like Alberta's answer to Yosemite Sam - but he ''doesn't'' use Curse of the Ancients. In many of their jokes about him Mike and the bots lay it on thick, though.
* In one episode of ''Series/{{MASH}}'', during a staff poker game, Klinger, before looking at his hand, prays, "May he who brings the water to the parched deserts grant me a small pair of aces!" When he looks at his hand he immediately folds, muttering, "May the mother of your camel spit in your yogurt."
** Colonel Potter had [[RunningGag lots of these]] when he was angry, like "Horse hockey!" and "Buffalo bagels!"
* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', Ace was a [[{{Badbutt}} tough teenage delinquent]] who wasn't allowed to swear (her most virulent insult was "toerag"). On more than one occasion she used "Gordon Bennett" as an oath, probably the '''only''' person born in the 1970s to do so unironically in fiction or real life. Of course, if Donna's use of 'frickin' is anything to go by, the TARDIS translation matrix may include a swear filter...

* Not a curse, but an insult is used by Sheldon Cooper in ''Series/TheBigBangTheory''. Specifically, Sheldon once referred to another character as an "Indian giver." The insult being in reference to the original miss-understanding of of the lack by many Native American societies of the concept of "mine" and "yours." This insult [[ValuesDissonance was used more frequently in the past]] when referring to someone who would refuse to do or give anything as a favor unless they were given or had something done for them in return, and were also [[UngratefulBastard ungrateful when they were given, or had something done for them.]]

* The English language ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'' games are fond of using "dastard" as a stand-in for "bastard", as well as many, many other such expressions ranging from simply dated to really archaic; while not all of them are necessarily swears, they're not uncommonly used as insults. Like the ''God of War'' example, it's meant to reflect the less-than-modern setting - all Fire Emblem games take place in [[MedievalEuropeanFantasy medieval fantasy worlds]], wherein [[MedievalStasis neither the language nor the technology seems to be capable of becoming any more modern no matter how much time passes]]. This often leads to the somewhat strange sight of teenagers and people in their 20s calling someone a "Craven cur!" or "Mooncalf".

* ''{{VideoGame/Solatorobo}}'': The (non-TranslationConvention-ed) language appears to be French of all things, as Red will sometimes exclaim "Nom d'un chien!" or "Sapristi" when the situation calls for it. Unfortunately, these are so inoffensive they could be used in ''{{ComicBook/Tintin}}'', being very old bowlderisations for Nom de Dieu!" (In God's name!/For God's sake!) and Sang-Christi (Christ's blood!).

* In ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge'', [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/000615c Dr. Light started out this way.]]

* Grandpa Lou Pickles from ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'', as lampshaded in the above quote.
* DonaldDuck is rather well versed in the Curse of the Ancients. He often lets off a few of them before he goes into his characteristic unintelligible ranting. He ''did'' debut in the 1930s, though, back when some words and phases couldn't be used in respectable films.
* Likewise so is Yosemite Sam of WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes. "That rassen-frassen[[note]]An actual Yiddish curse meaning "rat-chewing"[[/note]] consarn idjit rabbit bit my nose!"
** Granny, in the Sylvester/Tweety shorts, would express her frustration with the likes of "Ohh, flibberty-gibbet!"
** Other characters tend to use {{Angrish}} instead.

* Ron Stoppable from ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' is chastised when at a field trip to an Amish-like town for using modern-day words of frustration, and must resort to "Consarn it!"
* Granny Smith, matriarch of the Apple family in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', talks like this sometimes. Applejack does, too, when excited, often as obvious censors of common curses.
* Old Man [=McGucket=] from ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' is prone to talking like this. "Aw, banjo polish!"
** While attending an Pioneer Day festival, Grunkle Stan tells Dipper and Mabel not to use the old-timey speech the townfolk are using, leading immediately to:
--> '''Dipper:''' There's a carpet-bagger in the turnip cellar!
--> '''Mabel:''' Well, hornswoggle my haversack!

* Gil of ARM from Creator/LarryNiven 's ''[[Literature/KnownSpace Flatlanders]]'' stories occasionally used words like "Censored" and "Bleeping" for swear words. To him they were appropriately offensive, until another character explained that those words only began to be considered crude after they were used as stand-ins for the original seven words.