swearing

[pistolday]

where does the word f**k come from ?

[cole13uk]

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl-f-word.htm

This may be of some help

[mycats]

Yeah I always thought it was the:
"'For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge'" one

[Narolines]

I think you'd be better off consulting a proper etymological dictionary, the vast majority of which will point you to an ancient Norse or Teutonic root, coming into English either via Anglo-Saxon or under Viking rule. It was already an old word by the 15th century, and has nothing whatever to do with spurious acronyms of any description.

[Quizmonster]

The earliest-recorded direct written use of the f-word in English was in a poem by the Scottish writer, Dunbar, in 1503. There were earlier coy 'hints' about the word hidden away in written material. One of those was a satirical poem that dealt with the Carmelite friars of Cambridge. A line in code reads, once it's �translated': "They are not in heaven because they f... wives of Ely". Some people claim it came from the German word 'ficken', meaning 'to strike' or 'to copulate with'. However, The Oxford English Dictionary - the etymology 'bible' - can see no reason to suppose there ever was any such direct connection and simply claims the etymology is unknown.
It seems likely, however, that both words, the English and the German, may have had a common root in the ancient Germanic language.
Certainly there is no truth in the idiotic idea that the word is an acronym about �Fornication Under Command of the King' or �For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge' or - as Narolines says above - any other acronym.

[Catso]

I beleived it to originate from a very long time ago, old anglo-saxon. The verb 'fokken' (or something like that) meaning to strike, to hit.

It's also related to the german(?) word 'fokker', as in Fokker Triplane (WW1 airplane), which although the designer's name, could also mean 'striker', which was very appropriate for a fighter plane.

[commoner]

....as in the comedy sketch by a well known British comedian .....which included things like....The Fokkers are coming...don't let the Fokkers get you..shoot the Fokkers down".................and other equally hilarious remarks..........;-(

[Tarka2006]

I heard it stood for "Fornication Under Consent of King" (Im no historian so..)

Back in the "olden days" probably medaeival type times the peasants in the fudal system had to apply to the King to have s*x as purely a means of reproduction, and when they were, a sign would be on the door saying that.

Over time it became abbreviated.....

But I seem to be the only person here thinking this!