History Main / SevenDirtyWords

* '''Tits''' - Like "piss", it probably crept in at some point, but there are still places that will censor it. It was deleted, for example, from ''{{Film/Grease}}'' in the scene where the T-Birds are mocking the cheerleaders, and when it was used in an episode of the 1980s sitcom ''Series/TheTrialsOfRosieONeill'', it caused an uproar and has rarely if ever been heard on network TV since, despite Carlin describing it as the least offensive of the words on his list (although by 2018 standards it is now considered a sexist term).

* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Discworld/TheTruth'', one of the characters actually says "--ing" rather than the full word (presumably "fucking").

** This particular VerbalTic first appeared in ''Discworld/{{Mort}}'', spoken by a different pair of thugs:

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'', "Sailor Mouth":
-->'''Mr. Krabs:''' Yessir, that is bad word number 11. In fact, there are 13 bad words you should never use.\\

'''Mr. Krabs:''' Not if you're a sailor.

* '''Piss''' - George Carlin, in later life, pointed out in at least one interview that the acceptability of "piss" is generally a question of whether or not it is an actual reference to urine -- "I got pissed off" is far less likely to get bleeped than "I got pissed ''on''". The first network broadcast that allowed " piss" to mean "urinate" was ''{{Literature/Shogun}}''.

It should be noted that when the term "American television" is used in this context, it refers to the FCC-controlled mainstream commercial networks. Although there are some residual regulations regarding broadcast hours, there are no bars to the use of language in cable broadcast channels (which greatly outnumber the network channels). Despite this "basic" cable channels (those which come standard with a cable purchase, unlike premium channels like HBO that mut be purchased separately) tend to adhere to FCC guidelines voluntarily.

* '''[[CountryMatters Cunt]]''' - The only one of the seven which may be considered more offensive now than when Carlin did the original routine. Not only forbidden in American network television, but in almost all conversation. Considered extremely vulgar and sexist in America, even though it is used more as a unisex term of offense outside of the USA and Canada.[[note]]It does not matter how many times you say 'but I didn't mean it that way' if you are not from the USA or Canada. If you use that word and a woman is around, she will probably flinch — and potentially slap you. Nobody will blame her. Utterance of the word is even considered justification for sexual harassment complaints. ''That'' is how offensive the word is in North America.[[/note]]

* '''Tits''' - Like "piss", it probably crept in at some point, but there are still places that will censor it. It was deleted, for example, from ''{{Film/Grease}}'' in the scene where the T-Birds are mocking the cheerleaders, and when it was used in an episode of the 1980s sitcom ''Series/TheTrialsOfRosieO'Neill'', it caused an uproar and has rarely if ever been heard on network TV since, despite Carlin describing it as the least offensive of the words on his list (although by 2018 standards it is now considered a sexist term).

* In SamAndMax Season 2, you can actually change the "seven words you can't say on television" to Items on a Grocery list. (Cantaloupe, Melons, Chicken Breasts, Oregano Vanilla and Soda), changing these words allows you to hear the name of a character that was being censored (It was ''Dick Peacock''), and every time the words of the new list is said by a character, the word is censored.

[[folder: Film ]]

* In ''Film/BruceAlmighty'', the eponymous Bruce is trying to convince his ex to come back to him, and has the following conversation:
-->'''Bruce:''' Would it help if I said I was being a complete ass?\\
'''Nearby Child:'''You said ass!\\
'''Bruce:''' It's okay if I'm talkin' about a donkey.
** But then he goes and ruins it.
-->'''Bruce:''' ...If I said "hole", as in assHO-
-->'''Grace:''' ''(cutting him off)'' OKAY!
* When ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsonsMovie'' is broadcast on television, Marge's line "Somebody throw the Goddamn bomb!" is censored to a varying degree, depending on the network: some cut the "God" part, others delete the swear entirely.

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* In SamAndMax Season 2, you can actually change the "seven words you can't say on television" to Items on a Grocery list. (Cantaloupe, Melons, Chicken Breasts, Oregano Vanilla and Soda), changing these words allows you to hear the name of a character that was being censored (It was ''Dick Peacock''), and every time the words of the new list is said by a character, the word is censored.

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* 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.
* In 2003, during a live airing of the Golden Globe awards, lead singer Bono of Music/{{U2}} greeted the band's award with "this is fucking brilliant!" Surprisingly, the FCC determined that the incident was ''not'' indecent, as the usage was "spontaneous and fleeting" and did not refer to the ''act'' of fucking. No one was fined.

* In ''Film/BruceAlmighty'', the eponymous Bruce is trying to convince his ex to come back to him, and has the following conversation:
-->'''Bruce:''' Would it help if I said I was being a complete ass?\\
'''Nearby Child:'''You said ass!\\
'''Bruce:''' It's okay if I'm talkin' about a donkey.
** But then he goes and ruins it.
-->'''Bruce:''' ...If I said "hole", as in assHO-
-->'''Grace:''' ''(cutting him off)'' OKAY!
* When ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsonsMovie'' is broadcast on television, Marge's line "Somebody throw the Goddamn bomb!" is censored to a varying degree, depending on the network: some cut the "God" part, others delete the swear entirely.

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!!Media That Have Referenced American TV Censorship Standards In General

[[folder: Film ]]

It should be noted that when the term "American television" is used in this context, it refers to the FCC-controlled mainstream commercial networks. Although there are some residual regulations regarding broadcast hours, there are no bars to the use of language in cable broadcast channels (which greatly outnumber the network channels).

* '''Piss''' - George Carlin, in later life, pointed out in at least one interview that the acceptability of "piss" is generally a question of whether or not it is an actual reference to urine -- "I got pissed off" is far less likely to get bleeped than "I got pissed ''on''". The first network broadcast that allowed " piss" to mean "urinate" was ''{{Series/Shogun}}''.

* '''Tits''' - Like "piss", it probably crept in at some point, but there are still places that will censor it. It was deleted, for example, from ''{{Film/Grease}}'' in the scene where the T-Birds are mocking the cheerleaders, and when it was used in an episode of the 1980s sitcom ''Series/TheTrialsOfRosieO'Neill'', it caused an uproar and has rarely if ever been heard on network TV since, despite Carlin decribing it as the least offensive of the words on his list (although by 2018 standards it is now considered a sexist term).

** After Kent Brockman was fired for saying "a word so vile it should only be uttered by Satan himself while sitting on the toilet", Grandpa remarks that in his day TV celebrities weren't allowed to say "booby", "tushy", "burp", "fanny-burp"[[note]]In the UK, the term "fanny" refers to an entirely different part of the body (one that only females have).[[/note]], "underpants", "dingle-dangle", "Boston marriage", "LBJ", "Titicaca", or "frontlumps".

* '''[[CountryMatters Cunt]]''' - The only one of the seven which may be considered more offensive now than when Carlin did the original routine. Not only forbidden in American network television, but in almost all conversation. Considered extremely vulgar and sexist in America, even though it is used more as a unisex term of offense outside of the USA and Canada.[[note]]It does not matter how many times you say 'but I didn't mean it that way' if you are not from the USA or Canada. If you use that word and a woman is around, she will probably flinch — and potentially slap you. Nobody will blame her. ''That'' is how offensive the word is in North America.[[/note]]

* '''Cocksucker''' - While "suck" and other forms are widely used even in G-rated media, and "cock" is acceptable if you're talking about chickens, "cocksucker" is still largely banned. If you want to know for certain, watch a non-{{Creator/HBO}} rebroadcast of the movie ''Film/BullDurham''; there is a scene that depends upon the word.

* '''Motherfucker''' - See "fuck." A fan pointed out to Carlin that the word was redundant, but Carlin kept it in because removing it disrupted the rhythm of the piece.

* '''Tits''' - Like "piss", it probably crept in at some point, but there are still places that will censor it. It was deleted, for example, from ''{{Film/Grease}}'' in the scene where the T-Birds are mocking the cheerleaders.

Live events, to avoid these and other dirty words, often refer to a seven second delay. Note that live events are NOT immune to the dirty words; these seven seconds between recording and broadcasting allow the networks to add in last-minute edits like censorship and captioning.

* '''Fart''' - Like "tits," a cute word, no harm (in recent years, "fart" has been used quite judiciously).

* '''Turd''' - You can't say it but who wants to?

* '''Shit''' - ''Series/NYPDBlue'', a show long known for pushing boundaries, announced that it would air the first uncensored instance of the word "shit" on network television. The furor was fairly small, but the idea was [[TakeThat viciously mocked]] by ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', broadcast by cable channel Comedy Central.

Unrelated to the EightDeadlyWords.

It should be noted that when the term "American television" is used in this context, it refers to the FCC-controlled maintstream commercial networks. Although there are some residual regulations regarding broadcast hours, there are no bars to the use of language in cable broadcast channels (which greatly outnumber the network channels).

* '''[[CountryMatters Cunt]]''' - The only one of the seven which may be considered more offensive now than when Carlin did the original routine. Not only forbidden in American network television, but in almost all conversation. Considered extremely vulgar and sexist in America, even though it is used more as a unisex term of offense outside of the USA and Canada.[[note]]It does not matter how many times you say 'but I didn't mean it that way' if you are not from the USA or Canada. If you use that word and a woman is around, she will probably flinch-- and potentially slap you. Nobody will blame her. ''That'' is how offensive the word is in North America.[[/note]]

* '''Twat''' - On the list because it's the only part of the sexual anatomy that does not have a double meaning. "Snatch," "box" and "pussy" can be used in a Walt Disney movie when used properly, but "twat" remains isolated.

* TimMinchin plays with this. "I saw the word ''fuck'' on the front page of the newspaper--all they had to do was spell it ''f** k''." He goes on to point out that by contrast, you couldn't get away with a normally innocuous word like ''finger'', even if you spelt it ''f** ger'' in "I want to finger your mum."

* [[TheZerothLawOfTropeExamples Zeroth Law]] example: Theatre/TwelfthNight by Creator/WilliamShakespeare:

* '''[[CountryMatters Cunt]]''' - The only one of the seven which may be considered more offensive now than when Carlin did the original routine. Not only forbidden in American network television, but in almost all conversation. Considered extremely vulgar and sexist in America, even though it is used more as a unisex term of offense outside of the USA and Canada.[[note]]It does not matter how many times you say 'but I didn't mean it that way' if you are not from the USA or Canada. If you use that word and a woman is around, she will probably flinch--[[BewareTheNiceOnes and potentially slap you. Nobody will blame her.]] ''That'' is how offensive the word is in North America.[[/note]]

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* Whilst it is probably not a direct reference there is a [[Series/TheTwoRonnies Two Ronnies]] sketch about a swear jar in a pub to raise money for the church idea. All of the swearing is censored by beeps, klaxons and so on (with each clearly meant to be a certain word, a whooping noise being much worse than the others and worth £1 rather than 20p.)

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* '''[[CountryMatters Cunt]]''' - The only one of the seven which may be considered more offensive now than when Carlin did the original routine. Not only forbidden in American network television, but in almost all conversation. Considered extremely vulgar and sexist in America, even though it is used more as a unisex term of offense outside of the USA and Canada.[[note]]It does not matter how many times you say 'but I didn't mean it that way' if you are not from the USA or Canada. If you use that word and a woman is around, she will probably flinch--[[DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale and potentially slap you. Nobody will blame her.]] ''That'' is how offensive Americans think the word is.[[/note]]

* One StoryArc in ''ComicStrip/BloomCounty'' referred to finding the word "{{snugglebunnies}}" as offensive. A strip in this arc had Milo and Binkley, upon notification, yelling "SNUGGLEBUNNIES!" repeatedly until being cut off mid-word. And mid-panel; the fourth panel was blank, presumably because the strip was cut off.

* '''[[CountryMatters Cunt]]''' - The only one of the seven which may be considered more offensive now than when Carlin did the original routine. Not only forbidden in American network television, but in almost all conversation. Considered extremely vulgar and sexist in America, even though it is used more as a unisex term of offense outside of the USA and Canada.[[note]]It does not matter how many times you say 'but I didn't mean it that way' if you are not from the USA or Canada. If you use that word and a woman is around, she will probably flinch--[[DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale and potentially slap you. Nobody will blame her.]] ''That'' is how offensive the word is.[[/note]]