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-The phrase '''four-letter word''' refers to a set of [[English language|English-language]] words written with four letters which are considered [[Profanity|profane]], including common popular or [[slang]] terms for [[Excretion|excretory]] functions, [[Human sexuality|sexual activity]] and [[genitalia]], and (depending on the listener/reader) sometimes also certain terms relating to [[Hell|Hell and damnation]] when used outside their original religious context, and/or slurs. The "four-letter" claim refers to the fact that a large number of English "swear words" are incidentally four-character [[Syllable|monosyllables]]. This euphemism came into use during the first half of the twentieth century.<ref>{{cite book
- | first=Christine | last=Ammer | year=1997
- | title=The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms
- | publisher=Houghton Mifflin Reference Books
- | location=New York
- | id=ISBN 039572774X }}</ref>
-Common four-letter words (in this sense) that are widely considered [[vulgarity|vulgar]] or [[term of disparagement|offensive]] to a notable degree include:
-''[[Wiktionary:cunt|cunt]]'',
-''[[Wiktionary:fuck|fuck]]'' (and regional variants such as ''feck'', ''fick'' and ''foak''),
-''[[Wiktionary:jism|jism]]'' (or ''gism''),
-''[[Wiktionary:jizz|jizz]]'',
-''[[Wiktionary:piss|piss]]'',
-''[[Wiktionary:shit|shit]]'',
-''[[Wiktionary:twat|twat]]'' and
-''[[Wiktionary:tit|tits]]''.  ''Piss'' in particular, however, may be used in non-excretory contexts (''pissed off'', i.e. "angry", in [[American English|US English]]; ''pissed'', i.e. "drunk" in [[British English|UK English]]) that are often not considered particularly offensive, and the word also occurs several times with its excretory meaning in the [[King James Bible]]. Several of these (including even ''piss'', despite its biblical pedigree) have been declared legally [[Indecency|indecent]] under the [[United States Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) TV and radio open-airwave broadcasting regulations.
-A number of additional words of this length are upsetting to some, for religious or personal sensitivity reasons, such as:
-''[[Wiktionary:arse|arse]]'' (UK),
-''[[Wiktionary:damn|damn]]'',
-''[[Wiktionary:fart|fart]]'',
-''[[Wiktionary:hell|hell]]'',
-''[[Wiktionary:wang|wang]]'', and
-''[[Wiktionary:wank|wank]]'' (UK).
-[[Ethnicity|Ethnic]] and [[Gender identity|sexual-preference]] slurs may also qualify, such as ''[[Wiktionary:mong|mong]]'', ''[[Wiktionary:gook|gook]]'',  ''[[Wiktionary:kike|kike]]'', ''[[Wiktionary:spic|spic]]'' and ''[[Wiktionary:dyke|dyke]]''.
-Several "four-letter words" have multiple meanings (some even serving as [[given names]]), and usually only offend when used in their vulgar senses, for example:
-''[[Wiktionary:cock|cock]]'',
-''[[Wiktionary:dick|dick]]'',
-''[[Wiktionary:knob|knob]]'',
-''[[Wiktionary:muff|muff]]'',
-''[[Wiktionary:puss|puss]]'',
-''[[Wiktionary:shag|shag]]'' (UK) and
-''[[Wiktionary:toss|toss]]'' (UK).
-A borderline category includes words that are [[Euphemism|euphemistic]] evasions of "stronger" words, as well as those that happen to be short and have both an expletive sound to some listeners as well as a sexual or excretory meaning (many also have other, non-vulgar meanings):
-''[[Wiktionary:butt|butt]]'' (US),
-''[[Wiktionary:crap|crap]]'',
-''[[Wiktionary:darn|darn]]'',
-''[[Wiktionary:dump|dump]]'',
-''[[Wiktionary:heck|heck]]'',
-''[[Wiktionary:poop|poop]]'' (US),
-''[[Wiktionary:slag|slag]]'' (UK, NZ, AUS),
-''[[Wiktionary:slut|slut]]'' and
-''[[Wiktionary:turd|turd]]'', as several examples.
-Finally, certain four-lettered terms with limited usage can be considered offensive by some, within the regional dialect in which they are used, such as
-''[[Wiktionary:mong|mong]]'' and
-''[[wikt:mary|mary]]''.
-Occasionally the phrase "four-letter word" is humorously used to describe any word composed of four letters. This is the case when used to mean the word ''work'', alleging that the speaker's or writer's audience treats work as unpleasant, or when the game of ''[[golf]]'' is noted as a four-letter word because the player's chosen entertainment pastime becomes an exercise in frustration.
-==Similar euphemisms in other languages==
-* [[Dutch language|Dutch]]: A similar tradition occurs with "three-letter words", e.g. ''kut'' ("cunt"/"twat"), ''pik'' and ''lul'' ("cock"/"dick"/"prick").
-* [[Spanish language|Spanish]]: the word ''puta'' ("whore") is sometimes referred to as ''cuatro letras'' ("four letters"), for example, ''Esa chica es una cuatro letras'' ("That girl is a four-letter").
-* [[Chilean Spanish]]: the phrase ''"el cuatro letras"'' (the "four letters") is often used as a euphemism to refer vulgar slang for the penis as there are many local slang terms consisting in four letters for that organ. Examples: ''pico'', ''palo'', ''mazo'', ''pito'', ''walo'', ''ñaño'', ''copi'', ''nepe'', ''niño'', ''falo'', etc.
-* [[French language|French]]: the word ''merde'' ("shit") is sometimes referred to as ''le mot de cinq lettres'' ("the five-letter word"). Also, profanities in French are usually called ''gros mots'' (fat words).
-* [[German language|German]]: the phrase ''Setz dich auf deine vier Buchstaben'' ("sit down on your four letters") is mainly used speaking to children, as it refers to the word ''Popo'', meaning "rump" in baby talk. A variant, ''Setz dich auf deine fünf Buchstaben'' ("sit down on your five letters"), alludes to the vulgar use of the word ''Arsch'', meaning "arse" ([[british english|UK]]) or "ass" ([[american english|US]]).
-* [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]: another meaning of "four-letter word" (in [[Greek language|Greek]], ''[[tetragrammaton]]'') is the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] name of the [[Abrahamic religion|Abrahamic]] [[God]],  that is, [[YHVH|י-ה-ו-ה]] (commonly transliterated as "YHWH", "Yahweh", and "Jehovah"), which many practicing [[Judaism|Jews]] do not speak aloud and protect when written ''(see [[Geniza]])''. It is an example of the [[quadriliteral]] words of Hebrew.
-* [[Latin]]: a common insult used to be ''Es vir trium litterarum'', meaning "you are a man of three letters". The underlying implication was that the addressed was a ''fur'', meaning "[[thief]]", although if challenged, the speaker could always claim he simply meant ''vir'', that is, "man".
-* [[Polish language|Polish]]: the word ''dupa'' ("arse"/"ass") is called ''cztery litery'' ("the four letters"). Historically, also ''kiep'', which formerly used to be a taboo word meaning "female genitals", but presently is a mild or humorous insult meaning "a fool". Also , the word ''kurwa'' ("street corner prostitute") is euphemistically called ''słowo na k'' ("the word starting with letter k"). There is also a phrase ''Siadaj na cztery litery'' (''sit down on your four letter''), meaning ''sit on your arse''.
-* [[Russian language|Russian]]: the word ''хуй'' ("cock"/"dick"/"prick"), the most common obscenity, is called  "the three-letter word" (''[[Russian Language|russ]]''.: "слово из трёх букв") or just "three letters" (''[[Russian Language|russ]]''.: "три буквы") and is one of the key words of the "[[Russian mat#Key words|Russian mat]]".
-== Quotation ==
-<blockquote>
-Good authors too who once knew better words,<br />
-Now only use four-letter words.<br />
-Writing prose,<br />
-Anything goes.
-</blockquote>
-&mdash; [[Cole Porter]], "[[Anything Goes]]"
-==Use in titles==
-* [[Cheap Trick]]'s 1982 album [[One on One (Cheap Trick album)|''One On One'']] finishes with a song titled "Four Letter Word".
-* The fact that ''[[love]]'' is a word with four letters has been used in several popular songs, including "[[Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word]]" written by [[Bob Dylan]] and performed by [[Joan Baez]], "[[Four Letter Word]]" written by [[Ricki Wilde|Ricki]] and [[Marty Wilde]] and performed by [[Kim Wilde]], "[[4 Letter Word]]" written by [[Claude Kelly]] and [[Matt Squire]] and performed by [[David Cook (singer)|David Cook]] .
-* A television show called ''Love Is a Four-letter Word'' was produced by [[ABC (Australia)|ABC]] in [[Australia]].<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/tv/loveis/]</ref>
-* The band [[Cake (band)|Cake]] made a play on words in their song "[[Friend Is a Four Letter Word]]."
-* In a song sung by [[Cilla Black]] and [[Cover song|covered]] by [[The Smiths]], "[[I Keep Mine Hidden|Work Is a Four-letter Word]]," this phrase is used to describe work as obscene.
-* ''[[Work Is a Four-Letter Word]]'' is the title of a 1968 British comedy film.
-* ''[[That Four-Letter Word]]'' is a 2006 independent film from India.
-* [[Wales|Welsh]] [[Punk rock|punk]] band Four Letter Word, formed in 1991, named themselves after the phrase. This later inspired locals The [[Lostprophets]] to also parody the phrase in their song "Five Is a Four Letter Word".
-* [[Jack Ingram]]'s song "Love You", uses love as a play on another four letter word: "Yeah, I'm sick an' lovin' tired of all your lovin' around".
-* [[Metallica]] uses the line "Love is a four-letter word" in the song "[[The Day That Never Comes]]" from their album ''[[Death Magnetic]]''.
-* ''A Four Letter Word'' is also the title of a 2007 gay-themed movie staring Jesse Archer and [[Charlie David]].
-* R&B singer Raheem DeVaughan used the "love" meaning in his song "Four Letter Word" on his 2008 album ''Love Behind The Melody''.
-* "[[Four Letter Word (Def Leppard song)|Four Letter Word]]" is also the title of a 2003 song by [[Def Leppard]].
-* American punk-rock band Gossip released a track entitled 'Four Letter Word' on their 2009 album Music For Men.
-* The 2007 [[Cold in California]] album by [[Ingram Hill]] includes a track entitled 'Four Letter Word.'
-==The "seven dirty words"==
-A famous citing of a litany of four-letter (and some longer) vulgar words was in the [[FCC v. Pacifica|US FCC's censorship]] of comedian [[George Carlin]]'s radioplay of his comedy routine "[[Seven dirty words|The Seven Words You Can't Say on Television]]", better known as the "Seven dirty words" skit ("shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, tits", in that order). Carlin later expanded the list in live and cable-televised performances to include over 100 words and phrases.
-==References==
-{{Portal|Language}}
-{{Reflist}}
-{{DEFAULTSORT:Four-Letter Word}}
-[[Category:Profanity]]
-[[Category:Euphemisms]]
-[[nl:Drieletterwoord]]
-[[sv:Könsord]]