Classic UK swearwords are dying out as Brits share their fondest memories of words like “pillock” and “tosspot”.
The likes of TV’s Bottom and Only Fools and Horses cemented the swears in vocabulary, but it appears usage is dwindling. A post to r/CasualUK on Reddit has served as a rallying cry to potty-mouthed Brits who hope to maintain the likes of “plonker” and “wazzock”.
One user described the insults as “essential” to the British identity and listed off some extra swears destined for retirement like “twerp”. Taking to Reddit one wrote: “Haven’t said any of these in ages. Can’t wait to call my husband a tosspot as soon as he walks in the door.”
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Another wrote: “Wazzock is eternal. Wazzock shall never die.”
The death of these lighter swears may be due to the freedom of television and streaming services allowing writers to use the likes of “s**t, f**k” and c***” more liberally, according to one user. Others remain defiant the swears are as readily used as ever, with one writing: “Only a cad or bounder would think such a thing. Pillock, tosspot and plonker are all ace insults that will never go out of fashion.”
(Image: BBC)
Older generations were credited for keeping the likes of plonker in the country’s vocabulary, with one user suggesting their dad was “keeping plonker alive all by himself.” Another user added: “My aunty and uncle moved from Hampshire to a village near Skipton in the early 70s. They were in the pub and she called someone a pillock, apparently there was a deathly hush.”
But the swears may be headed for cultural oblivion as some say they have not heard plonker since their youth. “I still use pillock fairly regularly,” one wrote. “Often see tosspot used in written communication, but never really hear it spoken much. Only person I’ve ever heard use the term plonker was one of my school teachers about 12 years ago.”
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