The most versatile word in our language can do almost
anything, other than be printed in a family newspaper. It
can be a noun, a verb, a gerund, an adjective or just an
expletive. It can be literal or figurative. Although it has an
explicit sexual meaning, it's usually used figuratively these
days, as an all-purpose intensifier.
The F-word remains taboo. But just barely. We may be
entering an era in which this fabled vulgarity is on its way
to becoming just another word -- its transgressive energy
steadily sapped by overuse.
From hip-hop artists to bloggers to the vice president of the United States, everyone's dropping the F-bomb.
Young people in particular may not grasp how special this word has been in the past. They may not realize
how, like an old sourdough starter, the word has been lovingly preserved over the centuries and passed from
generation to generation. For the good of human communication we must come together, as a people, to
protect this word, and ensure that, years from now, it remains obscene.