The "History of Swear Words" on Netflix

The “Bad Words Story” series on Netflix.

© Netflix

Text by: Elisabeth Lequeret Follow

2 min

Today we are talking about an unusual series, produced and broadcast by Netflix.

In "History of swear words" ("History of swear words"), Nicolas Cage returns, alongside historians and specialists in etymology, on the construction of swear words and their evolution in the English language.

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Did you know that the word "bitch" comes from "bicce", an old English word for a bitch?

Or that “fuck” was a 16th century surname and nothing offensive?

This is what you will learn, among a thousand other things, by watching this funny and instructive mini-series, hosted by Nicolas Cage.

"Fuck", "shit", "bitch", "dick", "pussy" and "damn", each episode attaches to a word, to tell us its story.

We will learn that physical resistance increases by 5% when we swear - it is a scientist who assures us - or that the coarsest actor of all time is Jonah Hill, followed by Samuel L. Jackson.

When bad words turn into art

We also learn that "dick" - short for Richard, but a slang word translatable as "asshole" - had its heyday during the mandate of President Nixon, nicknamed

Tricky Dick

, Richard the trickster ...

Sometimes the swear words are forgotten.

Sometimes, the very people they were supposed to insult take them back and they inspire artists, filmmakers or musicians, because no matter how dirty they are, sometimes bad words turn into art.

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