Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Linguistic Boners

Like many who've had an embarrassing moment in junior high-school when asked to do a math problem at the front of the classroom, I understand why the word "boner" is often used to refer to a mistake. Many other pejorative terms, though, leave me scratching my head (hello nurse). For instance, why do people insist on using the expression "jerk off" as an insult? We're talking about something that gives a great many people a great deal of pleasure. For that matter, the same question should be asked of the word "cocksucker". Let's face it, anyone who doesn't equate that word with pleasure has never had direct experience with anyone who fits that description (a description I mean as anything but a negative). Surely, that's their loss, but it needn't be anyone else's.

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