There are some words which sound offensive when we think of them, but actually, their meaning is not offensive. This article discusses top 10 such words. So, if you find a word in this list which you always thought of as offensive, and you did not say it, start saying it, but be sure to explain what it means in case somebody thinks of them as offensive. But, be sure that the country you live in does not think if the word as offensive and the person you are speaking to actually knows what is the meaning of the word.
1. Feck
In countries like Scotland and Ireland, Feck is spoken to curse the listener very minutely. And hence, the word is not offensive at all. Even in the courts of Scotland and Ireland, speakers have said that this word is not offensive. Irish Cider Company was given the right to use this word publically. Without complaint, this word was used in airing of “Father Ted.” Thanks to this company, the word is no more thought of as offensive, at least in Ireland and Scotland.
2. Niggardly
This word is not offensive, the real meaning of Niggardly is to be stingy, but it is due to the syntactical nature of this word that it resembles an offensive word, and hence, people instead of hearing niggardly, hears something else and all the problems come up. There are many cases when people lost their jobs due to the reason of speaking this word in front of their bosses or colleagues. People think that the person who speaks it is being a racist.
3. Honky
Just like niggardly denotes a person’s hatred for blacks (for some stupid people, who do not know actual meaning of Niggardly), Honky is its counterpart that denotes the speaker’s hatred towards white people (for the same stupid people!). But, actually, it is not like that. Honky has been used for various other meanings in the past.
4. Wench
The actual meaning of wench is a “young girl.” In the western part of England, people know this word very well and hence, if you go to this country and speak Wench to any girl in public, she would not mind it. But, if you do this in some other part of the world, you might be in danger, as people around the world think of this world as offensive, except a few areas. In these areas, the meaning of wench is supposed to be “prostitute.”
5. Dyke
Dyke is a word which meant to offence those women who enjoyed men’s company. But, while spelling it, some people made a mistake and wrote it as Dike. Dike is nothing but a sheet of igneous rock. Later on, the group Dykes on Bikes, which is actually a group of lesbian women riding on motorcycles all through the city, thought that the word is not offensive and they took it for themselves.
6. Bastard
If you are thinking we are making a joke here, you are probably wrong. Bastard is not offensive at all. The actual meaning is a person who is born out of wedlock. However, these days, being born of unmarried parents in not a big deal and hence, the offensive nature of the word automatically resolved.
7. Gaylord
Gaylord is thought of as an offensive word in the entire world. And about Scott Gaylord, the famous NASCAR racer or about Gaylord Perry, a famous baseball pitcher, it is said that they have offensive names. But nobody thought it like that- Gaylord is just a name, it is the people only who have made this word offensive when actually it is not.
8. Focker
It was from the movie “Meet the Fockers” that people came to knew that the word they have been thinking all their lives as an offensive, was not actually offensive. Also, the main character in the movie was known by the name of Gaylord Focker. The movie makers were worried because they thought that if people do not actual meaning of Focker, their movie might be banned, but they found out people who had Focker in their last names and the entire problem was resolved.
9. Smeg
Some people think that smeg is no word actually but just a short form of smegma, whose meaning is very offensive, at least in some parts of the world. The word sounds really dirty but actually it is not. It was the TV shoe Red Dwarf that invented the word and later on, it was added to the Oxford English dictionary and its meaning as per the dictionary is a general expletive. So, you need not worry if anyone tells you Smeg or even if you want to say it to some other person at your school or college.
10. Fag/Faggot
Fag means cigarette in UK, hence speaking it has nothing to do with the reputation of the listener. And, Faggot is nothing but a meat dish which is not very popular and thus, not many people know about this one. However, some people think of these words as offensive and their meaning is dirty. So, you need to be careful what you are speaking. Chances are there that Faggot is supposed to be a dirty word if the person you are speaking to has never eaten Faggot or never smoked Fag.
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