IS 'Bloody' as bad as the F word?

Question

I thought it was, but I'm watching this movie, Breathing Underwater (REALLY good), and they keep saying bloody this, bloody that - in front of the kids- even the kids are saying it..
Noone's acting all offended like they would if you were dropping the F bomb...

So, English and Irish folk (or people who really know) ..
What does bloody mean? Is it the English word for F-ing??

Answer 1

In around 1750 bloody, became taboo in polite society. In 1887, the New English Dictionary on Historical Principles, James Murray noted “now constantly in the mouths of the lowest classes, but by respectable people considered ‘a horrid word’, on a par with obscene or profane language”. In 1880, John Ruskin commented “use of the word ‘bloody’ in modern low English is a deeper corruption, not altering the form of the word, but defiling the thought of it.” British police reports of the time usually wrote it as “b----y”, continued till today.

George Bernard Shaw, in a play Pygmalion, in 1914, had flower girl Eliza Doolittle flounce out in Act III with, “Walk! Not bloody likely. I am going in a taxi”. People went just to hear the forbidden word.

People mistakenly believed it derived from old oaths like Christ’s blood, by God’s blood, or by our lady, in reference to the Virgin Mary. The origins may be traced to the sixteenth century.

One of the 20 century use of the words were American solders commenting on "Bloody Japs or bloody nips" chancing on the blood of corpses that the Japanese left behind of beheaded prisoners.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Bloody is a contraction of 'By Our Lady', so it is in the most literal sense a swear word - you are saying that you invoke the virgin Mary to verify your statement. English people use it for emphasis. It was regarded as bad language (as an oldie, I would have be clobbered at school for using it) but it is very mild today.
F U C K derives from an old English word meaning to beat or to thrash - it mimics the actions of two people copulating - the Shakespearean 'beast with two backs' writhing back and forth.
So it is today a very controversial word, and not in the same class as the f word!

Answer 3

Not nearly as bad as the F word and accepted in lots of strata of society but not by everyone. It is not the English word for F--ing and you have to be careful where and when you use it, not really used in "polite" society but to emphasize a point. Personally I think that it shows a lack of good vocabulary.

Answer 4

Bloody simply means covered in blood. It's a swear word because it implies a violent Person the F word is sexual.

Answer 5

No the english word for f***ing is f***ing...bloody is a swear word but considered relatively mild.

Answer 6

Bloody No

Answer 7

I'm offended by the F word, but not bloody. I like that word and think it's a funny word. I'm American though so I guess it's not part of our vocabulary so we don't consider it taboo.

Answer 8

Bloody No! means definitely not!
Bloody Hell! in american expression "What the heck/ what the hell?"
it's an emphasis on something like "Bloody marvelous!" means simple marvelous! or Great!

Answer 9

As you yourself wrote "bloody" but not the "F word" it means the latter is much worse.

Answer 10

yes ...my step mom lived in europe for 24 years and ive been 7 or 8 times and when somebody says it you know what they mean