Ever wonder what those strings of non-alphabet characters used to indicate swear words are called? Jonathan Hoefler explains:
grawlix, n. A string of typographical symbols used (especially in comic strips) to represent an obscenity or swear word.
Apparently the term was coined in 1964 by Mort Walker, but is still waiting to be recognized by the Oxford English Dictionary. What's taking them so @!$&^$* long?! Apparently the term is not used widely enough, so we'll just have to contribute to the effort. So, do you have a favorite set of grawlix characters? Do you prefer to grawl in a particular type?
1 comment:
I'm more of a verbal grawler, saying regular words with an intonation that suggests that they are slanderous. For example, we bought our house from a guy named Cecil who did some really crappy work on the place. When there are problems with the house, I might shake my fist and rage, "CECIL!!"
Great post. Smart and funny.
--MM
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