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But be careful. Hubby tells me "Sacre Bleu" is strong stuff. [Whether we
think he's pulling my leg is another thing...]
I guess it's time for me to do some "homework" over the weekend, for the
sake of the other TechWhirlers, of course, not because *I* have *any*
interest in these expressions! ;)
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On the subject of French expletives:
Here in Quebec (I live in Ontario, work in Quebec), a deeply Roman Catholic
French population has developed some unique swear words of their own in the
400 years since leaving France And they are considered REAL swear words--
they don't have many expletives that are direct translations from English to
French--except, of course, for "merde".
The two that come to mind:
"Chalice" --meaning the sacremental cup, or chalice, pronounced, with
the same heartiness as swearing in any language, "Cawliss!" (emphasis on first)
Not sure about how it's spelled, though.
"Tabernacle" --meaning the Tabernacle, or "receptacle for the
Eucharistic elements" (Oxford) pronounced "Tabaaarrrrnack!" ("bar" as in
"bare", and an explosive emphasis on the "nack").
Note: "Sacre Bleu" is along the same lines; the "Sacred Blue" probably refers
to Mary's blue robes as portrayed in the RC Church.
Have fun, and if you need to swear, and you're not in Quebec, swear in
Quebecois. You'll feel better, and no one will know just how bad you were
being!
