this post was submitted on 03 Mar 2026
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Science Memes

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[–] imsufferableninja@sh.itjust.works 90 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] tyler@programming.dev 23 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

The exact sentence I came to post. Apparently we all think alike.

[–] Davel23@fedia.io 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] kionay@lemmy.world 21 points 3 weeks ago
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[–] superfes@lemmy.world 49 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)
[–] athatet@lemmy.zip 14 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Shit piss fuck cunt cocksucker motherfucker tits fart turd and twat

There you go. I cust too much.

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[–] jedibob5@lemmy.world 44 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

So a lizard must be an excess of Liz?

[–] MonkeMischief@lemmy.today 32 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

Oh no, people are gonna start being called "Rizzards" soon.

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[–] Dicska@lemmy.world 9 points 3 weeks ago

The opposite of Thin Lizzy.

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[–] VivianRixia@piefed.social 32 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

So, calling someone a bast-ard, implies that their mother slept around on many beds that weren't the marriage bed. Does that mean it all comes back to calling your mother a whore?

[–] rockerface@lemmy.cafe 32 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)
[–] drosophila@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

I think in English there is also:

  • Comparing the subject to an animal, such as a dog.
  • Slurs for various minorities.
  • Names for 'vulgar' body parts, or the act of sex itself.
  • Names for human waste products.
  • Literal 'curse words', such as "damn" or "hell", which imply the subject will go to, or just allude to the existence of, the Christian hell.
  • Literal swears, as in oaths. This is pretty rare in modern English aside from "I swear to god... ". The word "gadzooks" is actually a minced version of "God's Hooks" (the nails used in the crucifixion), which was probably shortened from "I swear on God's Hooks". Its pretty funny how something that was probably deadly serious in the past has been diluted so much that now only cartoon characters say it.
  • Literal profanity, as in invoking the holy in an improper context. This has a lot of overlap with the previous two categories.

I don't really know anything about linguistics, but these seem like the categories to me. In addition to the "alludes to the sexual impropriety of the subject (if female) or the subject's mother (if male)" category.

[–] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 6 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

“Yer daddy was a 2 pump chump!”

Edit: Not sure how that comes back to “mom’s a whore”

[–] darkdemize@sh.itjust.works 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Because she clearly needed more than two pumps.

[–] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Most people do. Not her fault

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[–] melvisntnormal@feddit.uk 27 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

ahh so that's why charizard is so hot

[–] tryagain@sopuli.xyz 11 points 3 weeks ago

¡Más chorizo!

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[–] stray@pawb.social 25 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

It's not "too" something; it's just being strong (hardy) or remarkable in that trait. A lot of sources list it as derogatory, but it isn't so in all instances of use.

A wizard is not too wise, but very wise. Renard or Reinhardt is someone who gives good advice or makes good decisions.

The "must" in mustard is juice and pulp which you intend to ferment, because grape must was an ingredient. There's a lot of debate over whether the "ard" is the one in this post or ardens (burning).

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[–] TheTechnician27@lemmy.world 25 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

This is largely true. English takes '-ard' from Old French. MW defines it as:

one that is characterized by performing some action, possessing some quality, or being associated with some thing especially conspicuously or excessively

The main point is that it's generally just a pejorative suffix.

Citing the Trésor de la langue française informatisé, however, Wiktionary puts forward a surprisingly cogent counterargument and alternative etymology to the "packsaddle" one for "bastard".

[–] helvetpuli@sopuli.xyz 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

French still has this feature, for instance a driver is a chauffeur, and a bad driver is a chauffard. Some one who goes overboard with partying is a fêtard, etc.

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[–] Hupf@feddit.org 23 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)
[–] hessenjunge@discuss.tchncs.de 9 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

The -ard here refers to the overabundace of regional channels: HR, WDR, SWR, NDR, BR, RBB, MDR, etc. pp.

[–] quink@lemmy.ml 8 points 3 weeks ago

Ah yes, in English it apparently means ‘-ly’, in German it means ‘Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland’… I guess some languages are just more expressive than others.

[–] FosterMolasses@leminal.space 23 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)
[–] tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 37 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (3 children)
[–] cori@lemmy.blahaj.zone 31 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

people who confuse entomology and etymology bug me in ways i can't put into words

[–] tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 19 points 3 weeks ago
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[–] lvxferre@mander.xyz 21 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (5 children)

The -ard is basically "fucking" + nominaliser (if necessary):

  • wizard - fucking wise one
  • drunkard - fucking drunk one
  • coward - fucking tail (the initial part is from Old French "coue" tail, itself from Latin "cauda" tail. Who shows the back in a fight? Someone running away!)

The "nominaliser" part is an artefact of the borrowing, the suffix is from French. Romance languages often use adjectives as if they were nouns, but that doesn't quite roll in English. In turn French borrowed it from Frankish, it's apparently cognate of English "hard".

The etymology of "mustard" is disputed. The first part is likely from Latin "mustum" must; it used to be prepared with young wine. The -ard is typically explained as ardens (fiery, hot). So basically "mustum ardens" hot must. ...Capsicum peppers are from the Americas, black pepper and long pepper were expensive, European mediaevalards didn't really have a lot of spicy flavours to work with, so... I guess mustard was spicy for them?

[–] qarbone@lemmy.world 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I'm going to turn "wizard" back into an insult. Some smart-aleck tries to act bougie: "fuck off, wizard"

[–] Gyroplast@pawb.social 6 points 3 weeks ago

Pronounce it /ˈwaɪzɝd/ for added effect! Don't go overboard, though, or you may be called a custard.

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[–] null@lemmy.org 17 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

So when people call me a retard they're saying I'm overly moist?

[–] GreenShimada@lemmy.world 21 points 3 weeks ago

That you have an excess of Ret, not Wet.

C'mon, retard, figure it out.

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[–] MurrayL@lemmy.world 17 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

See also: haggard, laggard, braggart (this one changed to a ‘t’ for some reason), dastard, dullard, and a few others. It’s uncommon but it’s out there!

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[–] psycho_driver@lemmy.world 14 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Today I learned I might be too ret.

[–] Khanzarate@lemmy.world 10 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

The root means "slow", BTW, so it does get to join that list.

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[–] mech@feddit.org 11 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

This explains my University Report Card.

[–] Trex202@lemmy.world 8 points 3 weeks ago

Yes, it's too University Report C.

[–] Paulemeister@feddit.org 11 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)
[–] specimen@lemmy.world 11 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

I think there’s a wacky Japanese comic book about this

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[–] AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space 11 points 3 weeks ago

“-ard” would mean not so much “excessively” as “by their/its nature”; i.e. a seed/condiment whose very nature is mustiness, a person conceived out of wedlock (which was considered a black mark on one’s character back then), one who is habitually drunk, and so on

[–] dovahking@lemmy.world 10 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

I love learning new stuff through memes.

[–] Endymion_Mallorn@kbin.melroy.org 9 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)
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[–] froh42@lemmy.world 9 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Mallard ducks would be very confused about this post.

[–] xx3rawr@sh.itjust.works 7 points 3 weeks ago

They're very much filled eith "too much" malice

[–] fibojoly@sh.itjust.works 9 points 3 weeks ago

Un animal de bât is indeed a pack saddle animal, and bâtard is indeed a bastard so that's pretty cool. Never realised the connection! -ard in French is also often a negative suffix, like connard which would be a... "cuntard" if you will.
-asse is the feminine variant, although there are inconsistencies, such as pétard / pétasse which are probably related but one is a firecracker, while the other is a tart (the lady kind)

Rude language is always so much fun!

[–] CaptPretentious@lemmy.world 8 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

They bring up wizard... But what about bards?

[–] Minizarbi@jlai.lu 20 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Too b or not too b

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