209. Four Letter Words: Serving C-bomb
The Allusionist
Helen Zaltzman
4.7 • 3.8K Ratings
🗓️ 25 May 2025
⏱️ 51 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Ten years ago, on the fourth episode of the show, I investigated why the C-word is considered a worse swear than the others. Since then - well really just in the last three years or so - there has been a huge development: the word has hit the mainstream as a compliment, in the forms of serving it and -y. Linguists Nicole Holliday and Kelly Elizabeth Wright discuss this use of the word originating in the ballroom culture of New York City in the 1990s, and what it means to turn such a strong swear into praise.
Related to this: the Allusionist live show Souvenirs! Which is about, among other things, some of the tech problems today's word causes, and how being one can wreck a friendship and a printing press. See Souvenirs in Toronto 1 June and Montréal 9 June; find ticket links and venue info at theallusionist.org/events.
Visit theallusionist.org/serving for a transcript of this episode, plus links to more information about topics in the episode, and the rest of Four Letter Word season.
Support the show at theallusionist.org/donate and as well as keeping this independent podcast going, you also get behind-the-scenes glimpses about every episode, fortnightly livestreams with me and my dictionaries, and the Allusioverse Discord community.
This episode was produced by me, Helen Zaltzman, on the unceded ancestral and traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. The music is by Martin Austwick. Download his songs at palebirdmusic.com and listen to his podcasts Song By Song and Neutrino Watch.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is The Illusionist, in which I, Helen Zaltzman, frame language for all my crimes. |
| 0:10.2 | It is four-letter word season at The Illusionist. Last episode was about the F word. This episode is about an even stronger word. |
| 0:19.2 | So, content note, there will be category A swears in abundance. |
| 0:27.1 | Related to this is the current illusionist live show souvenirs, |
| 0:31.4 | part of which is about a man just going about his business more than 900 years ago, |
| 0:35.9 | and yet somehow causing profane technical |
| 0:39.1 | glitches in the present. It's some very educational swear entertainment. There is also perhaps |
| 0:45.5 | my best ever work in souvenirs, the story of some very heightened emotions in the last |
| 0:51.7 | place you'd ever expect to find them, English men in the |
| 0:55.0 | Edwardian era. And you can come to see this entertainment extravaganza imminently. Shows are on in Toronto |
| 1:02.7 | 1st of June 2025 and Montreal on the 9th of June. Tickets are linked at the illusionist.org |
| 1:08.5 | slash events. And if you've got a venue or festival or such and want the illusionist live show in it, get in touch. |
| 1:17.3 | If you come to the live show and you are a paying member of the Illusionaburs, you get special perks at the merch table where I will be selling, amongst other things, hand-drawn teetowls and pins. |
| 1:29.1 | So sign up at the illusionist.org slash donate. And you will also get regular live streams with |
| 1:34.6 | relaxing readings from my collection of vintage reference books. You get written scoops about each |
| 1:39.5 | episode and occasional essays from me when inspiration strikes, plus membership of the Illusionverse Discord community, |
| 1:47.0 | a kindly corner of the internet where this month, |
| 1:50.3 | members have been sharing mosaics they've been making, |
| 1:52.9 | advice for public speaking, and pickle illustrations. |
| 1:56.5 | Join us, theillusionist.org slash donate. |
| 1:59.7 | Now, are you ready for some strong language because I'm all out of |
| 2:03.9 | asterisks on with the show ten years ago on the first ever The Illusionist, the word cunt used to be in street |
... |
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