Curse Words From The Past That Haven't Aged So Well
Language is constantly changing, and swear words are no exception. In fact, you might be surprised to learn that our ancestors from long ago had a rich vocabulary of curses and foul phrases that they could unleash on their enemies. Some of these might be worth bringing back, so we can put every smellfungus and Arfarfan’arf in their place. But others? Others are simply too filthy.
Churl
In the time of a defined upper and lower class in Europe, calling someone a churl was a major insult. The word meant peasant and is similar to the modern-day phrase “trailer trash.” The noun disappeared, but part of the word is still used in the adjective churlish.
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Knave
This insult pertained to men who were liars, cheats, or con artists during the Renaissance, though its connotation wasn't always so immoral. Before taking on this definition, the word originally referred to a peasant or a servant during medieval times.
Cozen
In the Renaissance, cozen was a verb for cheating people. It likely originated from the phrase “to make a cousin of,” which was a popular scam of the time: someone would claim to be a part of the family and then con the target out of their money.
Scumber
A dirty word to use in place of excrement is scumber. Actually, scumber doesn’t sound like a curse word — it seems too fun and lighthearted. If you want to try to bring back this verb, you should know that it only applies to dogs or foxes.
