Motherfucker

For the anarchist group called the "Motherfuckers", see Up Against the Wall Motherfuckers.

The word "motherfucker" (also contracted forms mother and mofo and, phonetically, in African American Vernacular English, muthafucka) is a common insult and profanity in the English language and is widely considered obscene. The initials M.F. became a common, less explicit substitute for "motherfucker" in the 1960s and 1970s.

Literally, it accuses one of violating the taboo of incest. However, as with most epithets, its use is pejorative, rather than literal. The power of the word is that it attacks one's sense of manhood. The cause of countless barroom brawls and streetfights, it is purported to have sparked at least one prison riot. Many consider "motherfucker" to be one of the most offensive profanities in the English language. A study published in 2000 found that British people consider it second only to "cunt" in severity (Hargrave, 2000).

"Motherfucker" has taken on additional meanings through continued use. It has come to mean a formidable or inexorable force, as in the threat: "Payback is a bitch, but revenge is a motherfucker." It is also an expletive expression of disgust or contempt: "Now, ain't that a muthafucka!" "Motherfucker" also has come to be used in some circles as a general pronoun. The late Stand-up comedian Richard Pryor frequently used "motherfucker" as a term of endearment both on and off stage, and still used it in the positive sense to address his fans on his official website [1]. He stated in a January 2005 web post rebutting rumors of his losing his voice that "I'm still a talking motherfucker."

The growing use of motherfucker in popular culture may mean the term through time has become less offensive to some, but some see its increasing ubiquity as a sign of the general coarsening of society.

Other common replacements are those phrases meant to bear a resemblance to the original word, including "brother Tucker," "mother father," "mother trucker," "mother lover," and other combinations of similar-sounding words. Movies that contain the word motherfucker generally replace it with more acceptable phrases when they are broadcast on network channels.

See also

• Other profanity, slurs, and insults: asshole, shit, bastard, cocksucker, fuck, Seven dirty words
• Jules Winnfield's Wallet from Pulp Fiction
• Oedipus - a classical example of the literal term
• Bands: Lazy Mutha Fucka, EMF
• Albums: L.A.M.F. [Like A Mother Fucker], the only studio album by Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers
• Songs: "S.M.F." [Sick Mother Fucker] is the final song on the Twisted Sister album Stay Hungry (by extension, a fan of Twisted Sister is sometimes referred to as an S.M.F.); Sexy Motherfucker by Prince
• Motherfucker=Redeemer, a two-part, 31 minute song by Godspeed You! Black Emperor. The song encompasses tracks 4 and 5 from the album Yanqui U.X.O. There is, however, no profanity in the song(s) other than the title.
• Playing the dozens
• Morrison & Foerster LLP, a powerful law firm whose official nickname is MoFo
• "MOFO", a U2 song from the album Pop
• "I'm A Gypsy Motherfucker", a late-period single (and unofficial theme song) by punk rock performance artist GG Allin.
• "Marijuana Motherfucker", a David Peel composition that has also been recorded by Canadian punk group D.O.A..
• MFSB, the house band for Philadelphia International Records, was claimed by some to actually stand for "Mother Fuckin' SonovaBitch", although the label repeatedly stated the acronym's official meaning was the much cleaner "Mother Father Sister Brother".
• Cheetah Chrome Motherfuckers, an anarchist punk band from Italy.
• Professional wrestler Matt Hardy uses a play on the sanitized acronym, MF'er, to describe his fanbase. It means "Mattitude Follower". Stone Cold Steve Austin is often referred to as a BMF, short for "bad motherfucker". His walking style is also called The BMF Walk.

Reference

• Hargrave, Andrea Millwood (2000). Delete Expletives? London: Advertising Standards Authority, British Broadcasting Corporation, Broadcasting Standards Commission, Independent Television Commission.