Forbidden Words

First-year medical students are said to learn the sympathetic nervous system's role in the four F’s: fear, fight, flight, and sex.

The fourth "F" wouldn’t prompt a smile in medieval England, when everyday words for body parts or functions were no big deal. Children’s reading lessons might teach arse and fart. Street names might include Shitwell Way or Pissing Alley. Centuries later, Victorians separated the acceptability of a word from its meaning. Polite society could use Latin terms like fornicate or defecate, but not the Anglo-Saxon four-letter equivalents. That taboo continues with the aid of bleeps and asterisks.

The federal government in 2025 has multiplied the number of banned and trigger words for federal documents, websites, and grant proposals (see here and here). Latin substitutes no longer help; diversity, equity, and inclusion all have Latin roots. Could schools and colleges replace DEI with “education for all” programs for similar goals? Can you do better than “child-bearing adult” in place of woman or female? Endless revisions may offer editors and creative writers a new market for their talents.

Image: Jay & Trey Cartoon Swearing.