** This would have gone in the writer's forum, but I figured it would be more fun and more active to post here. I'm putting together the finishing touches on a character for a graphic novel/multi-media novel project I've had in the back of my mind for a couple years now. The protagonist is a strong female character who gets thrown into some unusal and other-worldly situations. I want to give her a "catch phrase" for when she finds herself in hot water, similar in practice to Sam Beckett's "Oh boy..." in the series Quantum Leap, however I want it to be edgier... but not too edgy. I've been using "Feh" as a placeholder until I figure out what I want to use. Throw me some ideas people? If I like it and use it, I promise to send you a free first issue when it's completed. Some guidelines... go light on the profanity. "Aw crap" and "dammit" were tossed around as an idea, but I didn't like the sound of em, and that's about as rough as I want to go. I don't want it to be too comedic... "Oh doodles!" isn't going to cut it. Two to three words long is ideal. To set it up, a tough female detective makes a wrong turn into an alley, comes face-to-face with a werewolf and she says..... ?

I knew a guy who, when the circumstances warrented it would replace "Oh SH**"" or "Oh F***" with the exclamation: OH FILTH!

Before they made me they broke the mold!
http://home.roadrunner.com/~kflach/

" ... and she says..... ?" "Oh, HI! ... I was just on my way to grandmother's house." Nah! ................. Prolly not. ;=[

Remember ... "With Poser, all things are possible, and poseable!"

cheers,

dr geep ... :o]

edited 10/5/2019

This is probably way too silly for your purposes, but I once had a teacher who would exclaim "Oh horsefeathers!" when he was annoyed. :-)

LOL Doc... you're such a card. What if it was a vampire, or a sentient pile of lime jello? Wouldn't fit... :P I also thought about "Aw... fuhgeddaboutit" but figured I'd never spell it the same way twice, heh. (J/K... but not about the spelling part, heh)

"What if it was a vampire, ..." She could say, "Oh bloody shuckin's! ... Now what's a girl to do?" " ... or a sentient pile of lime jello?" She'd be coy and say, "Oh, ..... jello, how are you?" ... or she could say ... Nah, prolly not. ;=[

Remember ... "With Poser, all things are possible, and poseable!"

cheers,

dr geep ... :o]

edited 10/5/2019

Or, how 'bout --------> "Oh, frick 'n frack! Not again!" I can see it in print now! Yes? ;=] ..... ;=] ..... ;=] ..... ;=] Yes? ?????????????????? ;=?

Remember ... "With Poser, all things are possible, and poseable!"

cheers,

dr geep ... :o]

edited 10/5/2019

How about cussing in another language, like "Merde!" or "Donnerwetter!"

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another day in paradise

frick 'n frack lol they were JFK's secretaries secret service code names- ( long story ) chuckles :) mom when she swore said "brick-a-brich"

Doc, weren't frick and frack comic strip characters from the depression era? Wouldn't want any lawsuits, heh. I like "merde" but I don't know if it's fitting to the character since she's of Austrian descent (some folks I know personally have the most gorgeous auburn hair in their family, which I put on my character) and I'm almost afraid to ask what donnerwetter translates to... A phrase similar to the paradise one is within the realm of possibility too... it's just too many syllables. "Here we go again..." maybe. Eh... Keep em coming, we're getting warmer...

Dang Darn Dern Frag Farg Narf

frick 'n frack were they the two cartoon crows

To set it up, a tough female detective makes a wrong turn into an alley, comes face-to-face with a werewolf and she says..... ? "Bring it On!" "Wanna Piece of this?" Rebekah Garner Sixus1 Media

One of my Heinlein favorites: "Tanj!" Stands for "there ain't no justice" There's Star Wars "I have a bad feeling about this..." How about "Not again!" How about "Oh, noogies." Ok, I'm done. Well, for now.

To set it up, a tough female detective makes a wrong turn into an alley, comes face-to-face with a werewolf and she says..... ? Arghhhh.....gurgle...snap....sounds of bones being gnawed OK, assuming she's faster than that, how about, "Great, just great!"

"Oh, lovely." "Isn't this lovely?" "Dang!" "Oopsie!"

"another tumble in the sheets" good and bad usage "another day in bliss" , "just blissful" (sarcasim) "yes mother, you did warn me" said to nobody inparticular under breath "should have taken the wallmart job" "oooh Grande latte!" if she smokes "damn no light", "got a light", "need a cig!" crimin'ay (crocidle hunter), peachy is always a good one goes good or bad "oh just peachy" as they run off a cliff. personally I like reading or seeing character that have something in their background that applies to the phrase or sentence. Hudson Halk just wants a capacino and it becomes the running gag. Indy hates snakes. etc. shrug

Actually, I kinda like "Oh Bliss" as much as I like "filth!"

Before they made me they broke the mold!
http://home.roadrunner.com/~kflach/

Personally I like "Ay, caramba!" or "Ay, dios mio!". But you could always stick with something tried and true, like "FUBAR!".

Well - this may not come out strong, like a 'bad' expletive - but I've heard my gramma say "Shooey" and "Shucky-darn"

"Out of my way sperm bank" "Have you stopped beating your wife today?" "Have you stopped molesting your kids today?" "Men... can't live with them. Can't kill them... might as well beat them up" "Why don't you go die in a war somewhere" "I have batteries. What do I need you for?" Oh wait... those would be a bit too real world now wouldn't they.

Well, MY favoured not-very-bad cussphrase is usually "Piss sticks!" But it's a very english thing... :-D

"you are terrifying
and strange and beautiful
something not everyone knows how to love." - Warsan Shire

"Bless my (or your) heart!"

Before they made me they broke the mold!
http://home.roadrunner.com/~kflach/

Need to know more about her. If she comes from the present or past, she should say something appropriate to her environment. If from the future or fantasyland, you should invent something based on her beliefs, like "Crom!" (Conan the barbarian) or "Soul of the avatar!" or "Hokan's Claw!" or "Dragonfire!".

ki...nel seeklight

My thoughts... ...a tough female detective makes a wrong turn into an alley, comes face-to-face with a werewolf and she says..... ...well that's different. ...lovely. ...um...ok...(looks creature over)damn your ugly. ...well I didn't see that one coming. ...my day just keeps getting better and better. ...sigh ok lets do this. ...pulls out revolver unloads one silver round, werewolf falls, she says "thought so". ...oh great, now I have to wipe. I don't know, just a few off the top of my head.

On the sci-fi channel's FarScape show they made up some new words, such as "What the frell...." If you take a couple of letters from a real swear word and add some different letters after it (or pick a different word that starts with those letters) you can have the feeling of cussing, without actually doing it. "Oh shards" "Fudsucker" "mudsucker" "Oh frack" "What the flick?"

"Fardles"

...a tough female detective makes a wrong turn into an alley, comes face-to-face with a werewolf and she says..... "...not just the ugly stick - the whole tree!" "...fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down" (or shorten it to "Hit every branch on the way down, didn't ya" and then explain the whole phrase in the next frame). "...I have one of those lives" (some people have one of those days, I have one of those lives.) "...your face and my butt." (Got a match? Your face and my butt.) "Sorry, the last one just left." (Running gag: I shoot every third werewolf, and the second one just left.) "Time to mow." (Your *ss is grass and I'm the lawnmower.) My favorite, if the character was a man, and facing another man, would be: "Hey, how's your wife and my kids?" That was fun, although i realize I didn't give a lot of original thoughts. :)

Shiite muslims!

Porridge (old BBC program) came up with new versions of old anglo saxon words, 'Naf off' comes to mind...

Oh my Heck. - If you live anywhere in Utah or Souther Idaho you've heard that one. Chesse and Rice - I actually had a platoon sargeant in the army that used that witicism. NIF - now I'm fooked. The thing with this is 99% of your readers are going to know exactly what your character meant anyway, when you use the word substitution for colorful english expletives. Unless your going to get it printed by a major comic label or your intended audience is under eighteen I'd probably just say "Oh Fuck" rather than Oh Fark. As You're best bet is to see if you can pick up some austrian slang that sounds good.

Dang nab it ...or maybe "oh poo"

C'mon, it has to be a short catchphrase, so all those witticisms don't cut it. I'm thinking that something could be done using mostly intonation, such as: Uhh - OH! Another possibility is the good old standby: Oh, ffffffff...fiddle!

I'd like to second Movida's "another day in paradise " and throw in a "frognuts!"

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OK folks, remember this is a catch phrase. THe werewolf setup was an example, but the phrase should work in lots of situations.

"AAAAAhh, FOGHORN!!!"

" Not another learning experience?"

A friend of mine a long time ago was fond of "Oh fudge!" Or: Craptastic Rat's Buttocks! poo (as suggested by someone above as well)

The technique I use is to say something in the beginning of the story, as in Duke Nukem: Time to kick ass and chew gum! And I'm all out of gum. And then in the rest of the story, everytime a situation develops just say: Out of gum again! Obviously come up with your own lines. Or else introduce a catchphrase early in the story, and make an acronym (is that the proper english word?) For instance, in the army we had a phrase (excuse the swear word): A self organised military fuck-up. The acronym for this became Somfu. So everytime a situation developed we would just say: Not another Somfu.

"To set it up, a tough female detective makes a wrong turn into an alley, comes face-to-face with a werewolf and she says..... ?" That sounds like the perfect opportunity for an "Aw, nuts." Or, if you're a MST fan, "Oh, poopie."

Oh jeez, NOT AGAIN.

I for one am shocked that leather-guy actually said "Fardles" in mixed company!

I've always liked: "Fuddlebuckets!"

Oh frell, not another faldercarb..
Ah..Wookie!
-what a technician said in range of Lucas when he dropped a gel or somesuch, and the actual source of the name 'Wookie'
Farging Barstages
-Johnny Dangerously
Puppy Biscuit!
Mommy, that man said 'Puppy Biscuit'..
-James Thurber, and one I use on occasion
yotz..
Farscape, referentially the reproductive organs..;)
I dunno..as above, when we 'pity' someone down South, it's 'bless his/her heart'..when you hear that, the next phrase will not be complimentary..;)

I wish I'd said that.. The Staircase Wit

anahl nathrak uth vas betude doth yel dyenvey..;)

Actually I've heard that the term "Bless your heart" is Southern Baptist for "Stupid!"

Before they made me they broke the mold!
http://home.roadrunner.com/~kflach/

A popular 'light' expletive here in the north of England is 'bugger' (probably corrupted from 'beggar'), as in 'yer daft bugger', 'oh bugger', and the less frequently-used exclamation 'well bugger me', a phrase which has since given rise to a joke concerning a magic lamp, a startled Yorkshireman, and a very literal genie ;)

"Oh... sh... atner!" "Absofragginlutely"

L'ultima fòrza è nella morte.

"spudnuts" ...it's a local donut shop here... Scarab

....or as an oath... "By Slick Willie's Cigar!" Scarab (that's my story boys, and I'm stickin' with it....)

To set it up, a tough female detective makes a wrong turn into an alley, comes face-to-face with a werewolf and she says..... ? (Assuming a bit of hardened 'I've seen it all' attitude) "Oh, joy."

'woof'

Scheisse? since she's austrian. Means (oh) shit if anyone is in doubt.

"donnerwetter" just means 'thunderstorm'. i think it would not be the right choice. a "nice" curse often heard in bavaria and parts of austria would be himmiherrgottsakra derived from: himmi - himmel = heaven herrgott = the lord, god sakra = short form of sacrament hope this was helpful in some way

If she is (mostly) naked and her name is Victoria, she pulls out her sword, wields it against the poor bugger and says nothing at all. If she has wings attached to her back, she puts on her most innocent look, poses her limbs in a very graceful manner still saying nothing. Sorry - I'm overposered. ;)

another word on "donnerwetter" - it would be OK but it just does not sound austrian at all. and it seems to be too weak in my ears. since "himmi..." (mentioned before) is too long for the locals also, it is shortened in most cases to: "sakra". and this is my proposal. btw, this word assumes a catholic background (i think still more than 90% of austrians are catholic).

One I usually use is a made up word. Not sure where I got it. Oh Shugana (pronounced Shoo-gah-nah). My two cents for what its worth. Dave

To set it up, a tough female detective makes a wrong turn into an alley, comes face-to-face with a werewolf and she says..... ? "What now?" (exasperated tone, touch of disappointment) "Not again..." (exasperated and a touch annoyed or bored) "Sure 'nuff" (derived from "just when things are at their worst, a little voice says 'cheer up things could be worse', so you cheer up and sure 'nuff, things get worse) "Sorry honey, I have a headache" (works for male antagonists, at least), could become "Headache time!" once readers are familiar with the character. - Drew

I use "damnity!" and "pissants!" My grandfather used to refer to "scissorbills" to describe cheapskates, tax collectors, and officious bureaucrats. I suggest avoiding anything not in American English unless you are very familiar with the word and where it has been. "Bugger" used to describe a man-man sexual activity during the Victorian era, so, while it may be watered down now, it may also not be appropriate for your character, or may raise eyebrows among British readers. When working with a Mexican draftsman, we picked up the term "chancadero" (sp?) said when he dropped something or similar mishap. Later he told me not to use it in polite company. (I think it means damned little thing?) Shakespeare used a lot of extremely colorful terms, which have been somewhat sanitized after 400 years. There are books and lists full of them. They ought to be different enough to add an edge to your character without fear that a modern reader would misunderstand or be offended. One thing to remember: swear words maintain their power through taboos and sacredness. If a culture thinks nothing of excrement (it is after all a biological process), they won't say "shit" for emphasis. If their cosmology doesn't include a hell or damnation but 40,000 nature spirits, they won't damn someone. They may start listing names, though. ;) What is sacred to your character? Carolly

A good expletive should have harsh syllables and contain references to either obscenity or something gross. Since both the latter are not desired in this context, what you want is something that sounds like it /ought/ to be dirty, while not specifically meaning anything. :) My Texas relatives have been known to use "Mo-ther pussbucket..." but that's a bit too gross for me... "Festering fracklin..." "Oh, retch..." "Reeking drek!" Etc.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud ...."
-- Colonel Jack O'Neill, Stargate SG-1

Some of you might find this site helpful, or at least amusing:

http://www.insultmonger.com/swearing/index.htm

I always liked Felgercarb, from Battlestar Galactica. My understanding of Donnerwetter is that it's really much stronger to German-speakers, kinda like MF is to English speakers. So, for an Austrian, Donnerwetter would be an excellent choice. Do we have any German speakers to chime in on this? Oh, and Shugana sounds like Meshuganah - which I believe is Yiddish like Furschlugginer. Thinking about it, that would be a good term for a German speaker - Mad Magazine used it all the time as I recall.

By the way, I have links to over a dozen curse generators (including the Shakespearean one), if anyone's interested.

Yes, please - that Insultmonger link that posted at the same time as mine had Meshuganah (sp?) as Crazy Person in Yiddish. More links would be welcome!

Shakespearean Curse Generator

Olde English/Pirate Curse Generator

Conservative Curse Geneator

Biblical Curse Generator

Curse Generator

The Insultmonger site has a nice selection of generators, also:
http://www.insultmonger.com/generators/index.htm

Try the Auto-Flamer ... perfect for the Off Topic forum.

poppycock. the heroin plant combined with...well, you get it. very oldy-timey.

Balsa wood!

The important thing is not to stop questioning.
- Albert Einstein

Indoda

LonCray, where verdammt do you think i live? donnerwetter noch einmal! ("noch einmal" = once again; for some reason enhances the meaning) please keep in mind that german with all its colurs is extremely flexible. like: what is a strong word in some region would mean nothing to someone coming from another place. i remember a colleague who would not been angry to be called an "idiot", but calling hin a "dubel" (pronounced "doooble") would have upset him. also: words change their meaning in time. maybe "donnerwetter" was a strong word say 100 years ago, nowadays it is merely a word of surprize.

Sorry, Sebastel, didn't mean to step on your linguistic toes! All I had to go on is 2 years in Augsburg in the US Army and 2 years of American high school German before that. I wonder if the Swabians and Bavarians thought Donnerwetter was very strong - I got that idea from someplace!

not really a problem... ;-) well, i live in the southwest, so swabian is not in my direct environment, and bavarian is even further away. anyway, donnerwetter i'd think could be quite an interesting choice, but again i must stress it does not sound austrian at all. eventually today i phoned to a colleague in vienna, and asking hin, "what would you say if you turnded around a corner..." he actually answered "joooo..." which is kinda typically vienna. they have quite a dry humour. "jooo" is just a version of the german word for "yes". at the same time also "naaaaaa...." (open "a" like in the english wort "up", but stretched looooong) would have been possible ("naaa" = austrian accent for "nein" = "no"). vienna accent is more famous for very colorfully calling names. (most coming to my mind are definitively not suited for this family oriented forum) a more ancient expression would be "kruzitken" basically coming from the time when turkish troops were almost occupying vienna. don't ask me for the proper meaning. literally it is combined from cross (actually the christian crucifix) and turk. but as i said this is ancient. i just know it from reading. almost no one will say it as far as i know the language. (what is actually depending on where you live and how old you are, as already mentioned) well, 'nuff said, this was worth not even 5 cent.

LOL maybe it's just me but I really love the suggestion to use "Shatner" as an expletive!

Since those new UPS commercials ("If this package isn't delivered, we're all DOOMED") very much reminds me of Shatner, I think it's an excellent idea. Even sounds a little Germanic, in a warped way.

Thanks everyone for the brainstorming! I really liked the idea of using foreign words to swear, but in the end, I chose to go with a different approach since it may be a while before I do a segment that tells her backstory and in the meantime it would be slightly confusing for the reader/viewer. So I'm taking a different approach... blending someone elses' idea of using a longer phrase and then following up with a shorter version of it with a thought of my own, I came up with this. "I'm not charging enough for this job... and this is why." The panel below (above?) is just a rough mockup :) Kinda testing out the character before I throw her into the "real" situations. Again, thanks everyone for the ideas!

Helps to include the image...

You need something more like "Christ on a Crutch" for this story line though more Gothic and Serbian. I would suggest "Bloody Hell's Teeth" but that is a bit British. How about "Mountain Martyr's Moldy Cape?"

If it's going to be her tag phrase every time she gets into trouble - for everything from running into a zombie to dropping a blob of catchup on her favorite blouse, you need to make it something that sounds natural and won't become grating. Keep it short and simple. Uh-oh was already suggested and seems to fit the bill to me. Or perhaps, oh great. Short, simple, and natural. Just my two cents. jon

~jon
My Blog - Mad Utopia Writing in a new era.

hmm...what happened to the 'ol fantastic four 'It's clobberin' time'?..;)

I wish I'd said that.. The Staircase Wit

anahl nathrak uth vas betude doth yel dyenvey..;)

Taking a previous idea of merging two swear words together a group of friends and I came up with, "Oh Fugg it!"

Forum: Writers

Subject: A clean expletive?