1. Every language has words that its speakers consider taboo-- unfit to be spoken, or at least not in "polite company." Which of these is NOT a reason why a word may be considered taboo? The string of sounds in that word is intrinsically "dirty." The word has religious connotations. It refers to an act that society considers taboo. Lower classes tend to use it.

2. The Oromo people of Ethiopia consider it taboo to speak the names of their relatives and in-laws. They even avoid saying "normal" words which sound similar to their relatives' names. Naturally, this causes a few problems, because these words are often common vocabulary items! Which of these strategies do they use for "linguistic taboo avoidance"? Substituting synonyms for words that sound like a relative's name. Referring to a family member by their title or by the nature of their relationship. Inventing nonsense words that sound vaguely like a relative's name or a word that sounds like it. Any of these.

3. Are some words so bad they could send you to Hell? Jesus said (Matthew 5:22) that if you call someone this really, really, really bad four-letter F-word, you "shall be in danger of hell fire." Fool Fork Fred Fart

4. Hell fire aside, bad words can bring a lot of publicity! George Bernard Shaw's famous 1910 play, "Pygmalion," was shocking in its use of vulgarity. What was the one word which generated so much controversy? Bloody Bombed Sorry, it's unprintable on a family site like Funtrivia! Bikini

5. The origins of one commonly used English taboo word are difficult to trace. This is partly because the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary considered the word too scurrilous to include when they first compiled volume "F." One of the earliest references to it occurs in a 15th century poem, "Flen flyys." What is so unusual about this reference? The poem is a liturgical work. (Apparently the word wasn't quite as taboo back then.) The word was blotted out. (Modern multispectral imaging has allowed us to read it again.) It is noted simply as "ye f-wyrde." (It is also the first recorded use of that idiom for taboo avoidance.) The word has been Latinized. (The poem is written in Middle English and really bad Latin.)

6. Mass media is notoriously averse to using taboo vocabulary. That said, in which English-language newspaper would you be likely to encounter "bad words" in print? The London Times The New York Times The Guardian The Washington Post

7. Typographical "bleeping," like replacing letters in a word with h-ph--s or ast*r*sks, has been around for a long, long time. When was the first recorded instance of this in English? 1680 1066 1943 1899

8. Of course, it is easy to OVERcorrect for taboo vocabulary. An overzealous censor bleeped out every instance of which word when editing "The Queen" for in-flight showings? Answer: (One word. "(Bleep) bless you, ma'am"!)

9. Using, or rather, mis-using, taboo vocabulary can come with serious political consequences. Just ask former Sen. George Allen (R-VA). His racist nickname for S. R. Sidarth, a democratic campaign worker who attended one of Allen's political rallies, probably caused Allen to lose the 2006 Senatorial race. This loss was what tipped the balance of power in the Senate to the Democrats. True False

10. One notorious racial slur (the one that starts with the letter between M and O), is sometimes considered "acceptable" if used by a member of that ethnic group, but "unacceptable" if someone outside that ethnic group says it. Enter "The Daily Show." Our white British friend Oliver needed to use this troublesome word, but he couldn't just come out and say it, could he? What did he do instead? He had Wilmore, an African-American man, speak the offending word when Oliver paused. He would just pause awkwardly, then move on with what he was saying. He held up a card with the offending word written on it. He would "speak" the offending word, but only in sign language.