"Bloody"

Do British still say "bloody"? Is it a class thing?

Perhaps Damian would kindly contribute an essay?

Yes we do.

The word "bloody" has lost its power of deliberate offensive expression and it's hardly ever used any more in Britain. Other more effective expletives have long since taken its place, but even they now are beginning to lose steam, so someone will have to think up some new ones I reckon.

When George Bernard Shaw's play "Pygmalion" was performed on the stage for the first time in the early 20th century, people in the audiences were genuinely shocked when Eliza Doolittle yelled out: "Not bloody likely!" Some literally had the vapours on hearing that. Needless to say those sensitive souls were from what was known at the time as "polite society", and the types much more likely to go to the West End theatre rather than down to the saloon bar at the old Dog and Duck on the Mile End Road. Society just isn't quite so genteely "polite" any more.

NB: That was what I call a mini essay.

Fair enough.

Is the phrase in use anywhere else? I've heard it in America, admittedly I've said it before, but it's hardly a part of every day speech.

I use it when I'm in one of my polite moods.

Usually it prefixes the word "Immigrants" and is used by 60 y.o Daily Mail readers.

So what's the modern equivalent (not too obscene)?

'Bloody' is part of everyday speech for a big chunk of New Zealanders, especially the older ones (40+).

***So what's the modern equivalent (not too obscene)?***

Just watch (bleep) late night British TV dramas or (bleep) reality TV shows - that should give you a (bleep) pretty good idea. Daytime TV usually engages the (bleep) bleep buttons.

Do you mean to say, Damian, that people say "bleep" or that taboo words have largely substituted the relatively decent "bloody"?
I did hear people say "bleep".

I still hear this quite often as it goes - I certainly use it alot. You don't hear "Bleeding" as much though.

"Flipping" seems to be on the increase mind, I have no idea why. I mean, how did that word get involved in the equation???

I can tell you that "bloody" has only ever been a British expletive. Absolutely NOBODY in America ever uses it. It's a wonderful obscenity (referring as it does to menstrual blood, truly grotesque), but here we would just say "fucking"

You can still use "bloody" in England, but stronger expletives are used more often. But no one ever says the phrase that many Americans think sums up British English: bloody blokes. Although English people say bloody and blokes (both words past their prime, but still used to a degree), they are not used together in the same expression.