[susan888]

Peg,
I have always hated that word (and other crude words that some use when referring to a female). Although...I have been called that in a distant, past marriage so my opinion may be tainted. I guess the y at the end does soften it up a little..but..JMO..I simply do not like that word.

As far as PC is concerned..well..I just ignore that one and say to myself...if someone wants to describe themselves like that then that really isn't for me to say it's right or wrong. Personally, I would never use that mood icon because I am not a female dog in heat.

[FooZe]

Originally Posted by Catherine2

...no male would be said to be a ***** let alone *****y...

<--- How could I resist?

----------------------------
I'm only planning to leave it up for a day. For anyone who sees this too late, what it used to say (of course!) was, "My Mood: "

You fool ..... lol

[eskielover]

*****y doesn't really bother me (go figure..lol). After breeding dogs, *****y is just a normal state (for my female dogs)......however, I have a couple of males that are rather *****y also.

I have to admit.....if I was still living with my husband, that would be my permanent mood......but haven't felt that way since I haven't had much to do with him for the last year....lol.

My favorite one was when I was at my grandparents home with my parents (30+ years ago).....My grandmother said something & I blurted out BS. My parents did a gasp & my grandmother said "what?" My grandfather graciously told her "Balogna Soup".....think I had the coolest grandpa in the world......he more than made up for my grandmother.......she was a "World Class B****" if there ever was one.

(((((Rainbowzz)))))),
Can't believe you remembered that...lol....definitely not very inviting to be in a social chat when the leader is being *****y....lol

[jerrymichele]

Originally Posted by pegasus

I am female.

I'm sorry, I had no idea.I hope that I didn't upset you.

[Catherine2]

Originally Posted by Fool Zero

<--- How could I resist?

----------------------------
I'm only planning to leave it up for a day. For anyone who sees this too late, what it used to say (of course!) was, "My Mood: "

really appreciate this...not

[notz]

If for no reason but authoritative education, I am posting information from Wikipedia. I've sectioned it up into more than 1 post so it will be easier to read.

P.S. I doubt it will change anyone's opinion, but interesting nonetheless.

History

The term "*****" comes from the 1150 word bicche, which was developed from the Old English word bicce. It also may have been derived from the Old Icelandic work bikkja for "female dog." The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term meaning "female dog" to around 1000 A.D.[1]
As a derogatory term for women, it has been in use since the fourteenth[2] or fifteenth century.[1] It's earliest slang meaning mainly referred to sexual behavior, according to the English language historian Geoffrey Hughes[3]:
The early applications were to a promiscuous or sensual woman, a metaphorical extension of the behavior of a ***** in heat. Herein lies the original point of the powerful insult son of a *****, found as biche sone ca. 1330 in Arthur and Merlin ... while in a spirited exchange in the Chester Play (ca. 1400) a character demands: “Whom callest thou queine, skabde *****?” (“Who are you calling a *****, you miserable *****?”).
"*****" remained a strong insult through the nineteenth century. The entry in Francis Grose's Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1785) reads :
A she dog, or doggess; the most offensive appellation that can be given to an English woman, even more provoking than that of *****, as may he gathered from the regular Billinsgate or St. Giles's answer--"I may be a *****, but can't be a *****."[4]

[notz]

Modern use

In modern usage the term ***** has different meanings depending largely on context and may vary from very offensive to endearing.[1] The term can refer to a person or thing that is very difficult, as in "Life's a *****." It is common for insults to lose strength as their meaning broadens ("bastard" is another example). [3] By 1974, Elton John could have a pop hit (#4 in the U.S. and #14 in the U.K.) with "The ***** Is Back," which mentions "*****" repeatedly. It was, however, censored by some radio stations. [5]
Modern use can include self-description as an unfairly difficult person. For example, in the New York Times bestseller The ***** in the House, a woman describes her marriage: "I'm fine all day at work, but as soon as I get home, I'm a horror....I'm the ***** in the house." [6] Boy George admitted "I was being a *****" in a falling out with Elton John. [7]
Generally, the term is still considered offensive, and not accepted in formal situations. According to some linguist like Deborah Tannen, "***** is the most contemptible thing you can say about a woman. Save perhaps the four-letter C word."[8] Its common for the word to be censored on Prime time TV, often rendered as "the b-word." During the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign, a John McCain supporter referred to Hillary Clinton by asking, "How do we beat the *****?" The event was reported in censored format:[9]
On CNN's "The Situation Room," Washington Post media critic and CNN "Reliable Sources" host Howard Kurtz observed that "Senator McCain did not embrace the 'b' word that this woman in the audience used." ABC reporter Kate Snow adopted the same locution. On CNN's "Out in the Open," Rick Sanchez characterized the word without using it by saying, "Last night, we showed you a clip of one of his supporters calling Hillary Clinton the b-word that rhymes with witch." A local Fox 25 news reporter made the same move when he rhymed the unspoken word with rich.
Rick Sanchez of CNN went on to comment: "...a horrible word that is used to do nothing but demean women... Obviously, the word that's used here is very offensive."[10]

[ECHOES]

LOL LOL

Isn't if hilarious that if you type the word *****y, it gets censored...but you can have it displayed as a mood icon.

[notz]

Reappropriation

Picture of wine bottle labeled ***** will not load here


"*****" has been reappropriated to have positive meanings in some contexts.
In the context of modern feminism, "*****" has varied reappropriated meanings that may connote a strong female (anti-stereotype of weak submissive woman), cunning (equal to males in mental guile), or else it may be used as a tongue-in cheek backhanded compliment for someone who has excelled in an achievement. [11][12][13] For example, ***** magazine describes itself as a "feminist response to pop culture." [14]
Feminist attorney Jo Freeman (Joreen) authored the "***** manifesto" in 1968 [15][16]:
A ***** takes **** from no one. You may not like her, but you cannot ignore her....[*****es] have loud voices and often use them. *****es are not pretty....*****es seek their identity strictly thru themselves and what they do. They are subjects, not objects...Often they do dominate other people when roles are not available to them which more creatively sublimate their energies and utilize their capabilities. More often they are accused of domineering when doing what would be considered natural by a man.

I didn't really notice it until it was pointed out, but I don't find it offensive

[ADHD1956]

I do not find the '*****y' icon offensive.

[notz]

Pop Culture

In a 2006 interview titled "Pop Goes the Feminist," ***** magazineAndi Zeisler explained the naming of the magazine [11]: co-founder
When we chose the name, we were thinking, well, it would be great to reclaim the word “*****” for strong, outspoken women, much the same way that “queer” has been reclaimed by the gay community. That was very much on our minds, the positive power of language reclamation.
Pop culture contains a number of slogans of self-identification based on "*****". For example,

• "You call me '*****' like it's a bad thing."
• "I go zero to ***** in 3.5 seconds."

There are several invented acronyms. Heartless ***** International is a club with the slogan "Because we know ***** means: Being In Total Control, Honey!" Other imagined acronyms include

• "Beautiful Intelligent Talented Creative Honest"
• "Beautiful Individual That Causes Hardons" [17]
• "Babe In Total Control of Herself". [18]

[notz]

Hip hop culture

The word ***** is sometimes used casually among hip-hop artists and followers of the culture. The term is typically used to describe a young female regardless of personality or looks. As in the culture the term "dawg" is used for males it is sometimes said as a type positive way as "*****" is the female term. Often it is a directly negative and violent condemnation of character (referring sometimes to males as well, but especially directed at females). Queen Latifah constantly uses the phrase "Who you calling a *****" in her Grammy-winning song "U.N.I.T.Y.".
The terms "biatch", "beyotch" or similar expression is a slang substitute for "*****". The term has become widely used in mainstream media to avoid censorship. It is a feature of "Let Me Ride" by rapper Dr. Dre, from his album The Chronic. In this album featured artist Snoop Doggy Dogg calls MC RenTim Dog with the word "biatch", and that's why many people think that the word was created by Snoop himself as well as the word "bootylicious", a word featured in the single "Dre Day from The Chronic. Snoop Dogg also in his live tours says the word "biatch" at the end of Gin and Juice.[19] Since the original term is no longer as derogatory as it once was, these derivatives are often used with emphasis to try to achieve the expression of irritation the term itself once expressed about the female character.[citation needed] and

[notz]

In reference to men

When used to describe a male, "*****" may also confer the meaning of subordinate, especially to another male, as in prison. Generally, this term is used to indicate that the person is acting outside the confines of their gender roles, such as when women are assertive or aggressive, or when men are passive or servile.
In the context of prison sexuality, a ***** is a lower-hierarchy prisoner, typically physically weak or vulnerable, who is dominated by more senior prisoners and forced to adopt a servile role. According to convention, these inmates are used as sexual slaves or traded as personal property. [20]
A "prison *****" can also refer to any subservient entity, as in the Douglas Rushkoff description of a Microsoft - Yahoo partnership: "Yahoo is merely hooking up with the most alpha male company it can still find in order to survive. Microsoft will soon turn Yahoo into its prison *****, and this won’t be pretty." [21]

[Yoda]

Originally Posted by ECHOES

LOL LOL

Isn't if hilarious that if you type the word *****y, it gets censored...but you can have it displayed as a mood icon.

[notz]

Idioms

Son of a *****

The term son of a ***** is a form of profanity usually used to refer to a man who is nasty, rude or otherwise offensive. In Shakespeare's King Lear (1603), the Earl of Kent refers to Oswald as[22]: "...nothing but the composition of a knave, beggar, coward, pandar, and the son and heir of a mongrel *****..."
Its use as an insult is as old as that of "*****". Euphemistic terms are often substituted, such as "gun" in the phrase "son of a gun" as opposed to "son of a *****", or "s.o.b." for the same phrase. Like "*****," the severity of the insult has diminished. Roy Blount, Jr. recently extolled the virtues of "son of a *****" (particularly in comparison to "asshole") in common speech and deed. [23]
***** slap



Lance Cade ***** slaps Shelton Benjamin during during the WWE Raw - Survivor Series Tour.
The term "***** slap" is derived from American slang. In the original sense, a ***** slap is a powerful, full-swing slap in the face with the front of the hand, evoking the way an angry pimp might slap a defiant prostitute (not to be confused with a pimp slap which uses the back of the hand). However, the term is now frequently used figuratively to describe a humiliating defeat or punishment.
Riding *****

"Riding *****" is a slang term for riding pillion, sitting behind the driver on a motorcycle. [24] It can also refer to sitting between others in a in a car. According to Urban Dictionary, women traditionally sit in the middle "so that the guys don't touch each other (irrational male homophobia)" [25]
In cards

To have the "***** end" of a hand in poker is to have the weaker version of the same hand as another player. This situation occurs especially in poker games with community cards. For example, to have a lower straight than one's opponenet is to have the ***** end.[citation needed]
"The *****" is slang for the queen of spades.[26]

[notz]

Other Forms

When used as a verb, to ***** means to complain. Usage in this context is almost always pejorative in intent. Allegedly, it was originally used to refer to the stereotypical wife's constant complaints about petty things, effectively tieing in the etymology with the vulgar slang for an unpleasant woman.[27]
As an adjective, the term sometimes has a meaning opposite its usual connotations. Something that is *****ing or *****in' is really great. For example, an admired motorcycle may be praised as a "*****in' bike". [28]
Self-Identified *****es



The band 7 Year ***** in concert.

• ***** (performer)
• Elton John. "It is my theme song," in discussion of The ***** Is Back. [5]
• Feminist ***** Webring. "I am proud to be a feminist *****. There is nothing wrong with sticking up for yourself and telling people they are sexist, rude, and/or patriarchal jerks." [29]
• Madonna. "I'm tough, ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a *****, okay." [30]
• Sandra Bullock. "I am a *****. I am a horrible, evil ***** but I'm a good actress and I can act like a really sweet person. Everyone has it in them." [31]

See also

[lynn P.]

Wow Notz - you're a genius! Thanks for the wealth of information. I tried to touch on the varied ways the B word is used but you did a much better job for sure. Your fingers must be sore LOL.

Love the Sandra Bullock one lmao

The Madonna one is funny too.

[notz]

Lynn, no sore fingers here! It's called cut and paste!! All I did was look it up, trust me dear, I am no genius!

My personal favorite was "I go zero to ***** in 3.5 seconds." :rotflmao:

[pegasus]

Thank you notz for the information, I never knew such a word could mean so many different things to different people! I still don't think that being '*****y' is appropriate on a support site though.

Thank you everyone for your contributions.

[multipixie9]

I grew up in a home where cursing and calling derrogatory names was accepted. I just don't like name-calling; it shows a lack of creative thinking. I wish the mood list was longer and gave us more words to use to describe where our mood is currently. (frazzled, surly, venomous, frozen, distracted, sparkly, manic, comatose, twitchy, pugnacious, childlike....) I'm sure there are many people with descriptives that could really add some pizzaz to the mood list without the use of words that are degrading. When I have felt closest to feeling like the "b" word, I could also use other words to describe it better - anxious, intense, volatile, irritable, miserable, contentious!

I was an English major in college so I really love to see people use our Language in clever ways without sinking to the lowest common denominator to express themselves.

[Rmdctc]

Well I personaly use the *****y icon 24/7 not because I am just because I think its interesting. I dont find it offensive (like you couldnt guess lol). I do believe PC has gotten a little too PC as Tish said though lol.

[FooZe]

Originally Posted by Rmdctc

Well I personaly use the *****y icon 24/7 ... just because I think its interesting.

lol I tried searching PC for "*****y" and found tons of hits dated long before this thread. Only a few had anything to do with the icon. It seems to be a word that people have been using regularly (and harmlessly).

When I hear someone using it seriously, I like to invite them to unpack* it and look more specifically at what it means to them. To me it suggests smoldering passive-aggressive anger, but I don't think everyone uses it that way.

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* spiritual_emergency