what in the Bloody hell does Bloody mean?

HeXp£Øi±

HeXp£Øi±

Well-Known Member
So what exactly does it mean? Bloody just as it sounds or is there some other meaning? Also, how bad is this curse in the motherland? Is it equal to damn or shit? How would you rate this curseword on the bad scale 1-5?

Any other curse definitions are welcome.

I was just bloody wondering aye?
 
bloody - expletive adjective, as in 'bloody hell', or 'bloody nuisance' - Brewer's 1870 dictionary of phrase and fable explains that the use of the word 'bloody' in this sense ".....arose from associating folly or drunkenness, etc., with what are (were) called 'Bloods', or aristocratic rowdies...." Brewer explains also that this usage is in the same vein as the expression 'drunk as a lord', (a lord being a titled aristocrat in British society). Rowdy aristocrats were called 'Bloods' after the term for a thoroughbred horse, a 'blood-horse' (as in today's 'bloodstock' term, meaning thoroughbred horses). Clearly, the blood-horse metaphor captures both the aristocratic and unpredictable or wild elements of this meaning. The use of blood in this 'aristocratic' sense would have been reinforced by other similar metaphors: 'blood' was and still is a term used also to refer to family descent, and appears in many other lineage-related expressions, such as 'blood is thicker than water' (people are more loyal to their family members than to other people) and 'blue blood' (royalty or aristocratic people - an expression coming into England from France where 'sang blue' means of high aristocratic descent, the notion originating in Spain when it was believed that pre-Moorish old Spanish families had blue blood whereas the common people's blood was black. The blue blood imagery would have been strengthened throughout Western society by the idea of aristocratic people having paler skin, which therefore made their veins and blood appear more blue than normal people's.) The modern expression 'bloody' therefore derives from an old expression of unpredictable or drunken behaviour, dating back at least to the early 19th century.


It's conceivable, and I think likely, that since then people have inferred a Christ/crucifixion connection, which would have stigmatised the expression and added the taboo and blasphemy factor. 'Bloody' was regarded as quite a serious oath up until the 1980's, but now it's rare to find anyone who'd be truly offended to hear it being used.


It has also been suggested (ack B Bunker) that 'bloody' is a corruption of another oath, 'by our lady', which could have contributed to the establishment of the expression.

From here.
 
Bloody - One of the most useful swear words in English. Mostly used as an exclamation of surprise i.e. "bloody hell" or "bloody nora". Something may be "bloody marvellous" or "bloody awful". It is also used to emphasise almost anything, "you're bloody mad", "not bloody likely" and can also be used in the middle of other words to emphasise them. E.g. "Abso-bloody-lutely"!

I always have assumed the reasoning and origin behind the term "bloody" was to do with "Christ's blood"... therefore the blasphemous element is what makes it offensive... I believe that Shakespeare would use the terms "'swounds" as a cleaner version of "Christ's wounds" and "'sbloods" as a cleaner version on "Christ's blood"... but that is not so...

According to the Oxford English Dictionary:
"In foul language, a vague epithet expressing anger, resentment, but often a mere intensive, especially with a negative -- as, not a bloody one." They cite an 1840s usage.... On the other hand, the use as adverb dates back to 1650s: as an intensive, meaning, "very" or "and no mistake". In the 1880s, it was considered a "horrid word" by respectable people, on par with obscene or profane language, and was printed in newspapers, etc., as "b----y."

The OED says the origin is uncertain, but possibly refers to "bloods" (aristocratic rowdies) of the late 17th-early 18th centuries ... "bloody drunk" arising from '"drunk as a blood" ... and the association with bloody battle, bloody butcher, etc., "appealed to the imagination of the rough classes." They add, "There is no ground for the notion that 'bloody', offensive as ... it is now to polite ears, contains any profane allusion or has connection with the oath ' 's blood!', referring to the blood of Jesus."

As to how offensive the word actually is, well, that depends on whom you ask, or say it in front of. It's fair to compare it to the "F-word," in that it may cause your grandmother to faint, but may cause scarcely a raised eyebrow amongst the gang at the pub.

On a scale of 1-5... (where 1-5 are swear words that you wouldn't utter in front of children) I'd rate "bloody" in modern day Britain as a 1/2 (but still not utterable in front of children... especially from a teacher.) A similar level of offence can be assigned to the terms "bugger" and "damn."
 
My guess was going to be the British equivalent of "fuck" in the US. It seems to be commonly used as an adjective that's not technically correct for the phrase. "Bloody" is closer to being correct, though, since it at least started life as an adjective in the first place, whereas "fucking" is the present tense of a verb.
 
Inkara1 said:
My guess was going to be the British equivalent of "fuck" in the US.
Click to expand...

NO WAY! The "F-word" is on par with the "C-word" on the offensiveness scale... like a 5... possibly a 6!!!!!
 
ClaireBear said:
Bloody - One of the most useful swear words in English. Mostly used as an exclamation of surprise i.e. "bloody hell" or "bloody nora". Something may be "bloody marvellous" or "bloody awful". It is also used to emphasise almost anything, "you're bloody mad", "not bloody likely" and can also be used in the middle of other words to emphasise them. E.g. "Abso-bloody-lutely"!

I always have assumed the reasoning and origin behind the term "bloody" was to do with "Christ's blood"... therefore the blasphemous element is what makes it offensive... I believe that Shakespeare would use the terms "'swounds" as a cleaner version of "Christ's wounds" and "'sbloods" as a cleaner version on "Christ's blood"... but that is not so...

According to the Oxford English Dictionary:
"In foul language, a vague epithet expressing anger, resentment, but often a mere intensive, especially with a negative -- as, not a bloody one." They cite an 1840s usage.... On the other hand, the use as adverb dates back to 1650s: as an intensive, meaning, "very" or "and no mistake". In the 1880s, it was considered a "horrid word" by respectable people, on par with obscene or profane language, and was printed in newspapers, etc., as "b----y."

The OED says the origin is uncertain, but possibly refers to "bloods" (aristocratic rowdies) of the late 17th-early 18th centuries ... "bloody drunk" arising from '"drunk as a blood" ... and the association with bloody battle, bloody butcher, etc., "appealed to the imagination of the rough classes." They add, "There is no ground for the notion that 'bloody', offensive as ... it is now to polite ears, contains any profane allusion or has connection with the oath ' 's blood!', referring to the blood of Jesus."

As to how offensive the word actually is, well, that depends on whom you ask, or say it in front of. It's fair to compare it to the "F-word," in that it may cause your grandmother to faint, but may cause scarcely a raised eyebrow amongst the gang at the pub.

On a scale of 1-5... (where 1-5 are swear words that you wouldn't utter in front of children) I'd rate "bloody" in modern day Britain as a 1/2 (but still not utterable in front of children... especially from a teacher.) A similar level of offence can be assigned to the terms "bugger" and "damn."
Click to expand...



I think i'm done using the word bloody.
 
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