TooMad t1_iqqhxfy wrote on October 2, 2022 at 10:57 AM

That's less vulgar than I was hoping for.

theservman t1_iqr030q wrote on October 2, 2022 at 1:54 PM

Put your fig leaf in my basket?

gregorydgraham t1_iqsmdjp wrote on October 2, 2022 at 8:08 PM

The British are weirdly hung up on “bastard”

BrokenEye3 t1_iqq1vtm wrote on October 2, 2022 at 7:27 AM

TIL "bastard" was once considered obscene enough to require a euphemism

grat_is_not_nice t1_iqq3xws wrote on October 2, 2022 at 7:54 AM

And my invention thrive, Edmund the base. Shall top the legitimate.

I grow; I prosper: Now, gods, stand up for baskets*!*

William Shakespeare, writing for the BBC

locks_are_paranoid t1_iqq71qd wrote on October 2, 2022 at 8:35 AM

The real TIL is always in the comments.

[deleted] t1_iqr24w1 wrote on October 2, 2022 at 2:09 PM

It’s still considered a curse word in the UK (and places like India)

NoNeedForAName t1_iqwo8kv wrote on October 3, 2022 at 5:22 PM

It's a curse word in the US, too, but a mild one like damn or hell. At least in my part of the US.

SuperJetShoes t1_irydxfl wrote on October 11, 2022 at 11:22 PM

Brit here. I'm sure most of my compatriots will agree that it's still quite a strong insult/profanity in the UK - but it needs to be spat out angrily, as in these fine examples from Sean Bean.

dmk_aus t1_iqr5dy9 wrote on October 2, 2022 at 2:33 PM

And for the euphemism to also be banned.

xX609s-hartXx t1_iqr5ita wrote on October 2, 2022 at 2:34 PM

I remember Orwell saying it was the worst word you could call a British man during the 30s/40s.

Inevitable-Year-9422 t1_iqr1y5f wrote on October 2, 2022 at 2:08 PM

I feel dumb because I can't tell if you're joking or not

dizzley t1_iqqajeh wrote on October 2, 2022 at 9:22 AM

I seem to remember hearing this in conversation in the 1960s in the UK: “you silly old basket”. I was just a kid and it was just a harmless bantering insult. It was really old fashioned even then. My parents banned me from saying “twit” though.

wkomorow t1_iqrv4sq wrote on October 2, 2022 at 5:22 PM

Bloody hell!, could you image what little dialogue Owen Newitt would have is if he were banned from saying things like that. One of my favorite episodes is the swear jar episode.

DexterBotwin t1_iqqdlgn wrote on October 2, 2022 at 10:01 AM

Is the fig leaves because it’s what Adam and Eve are usually shown covered up with?

FriendlyPyre t1_iqrw3fe wrote on October 2, 2022 at 5:28 PM

That explains why it's still sometimes used as an interjection in Singapore, always wondered where it came from.

themanfromoctober t1_iqquuks wrote on October 2, 2022 at 1:12 PM

I learned Lucky basket from the Likely Lads

Rin_Seven t1_iqsnjxd wrote on October 2, 2022 at 8:15 PM

So a 'basket case' is actually a bastard instead of a crazy person?

BrokenEye3 t1_iqux8yv wrote on October 3, 2022 at 7:52 AM

Apparently not, but the official etymology makes zero sense to me

Alsaki96 t1_iqzwqnp wrote on October 4, 2022 at 9:54 AM

When my great aunt was in primary school she was on a trip one day and unexpectedly saw her father (affectionately known in the family as dirty Bertie) pushing a pram with their nanny. Turns out he had a whole other family and she still talked about the 'baskets' up until her death a few years ago. Had never heard it anywhere else!

[deleted] t1_iqr012n wrote on October 2, 2022 at 1:54 PM

[deleted]

Jaggedmallard26 t1_iqrugv4 wrote on October 2, 2022 at 5:18 PM

I wonder if thats were the term "basket case" comes from.

minutemash t1_iqtn95l wrote on October 3, 2022 at 12:20 AM

"Bassssstard in a BASKET!"

Daniel Plainview

TIL the BBC released a 'Green Book' in 1949 to define comedy guidelines. Among some of the banned topics were jokes about fig leaves and vulgar use of the word 'basket'.

shimi_shima t1_iqpgz85 wrote on October 2, 2022 at 3:28 AM