Motherfucker

Motherfucker (also existing in countless contracted forms e.g. muthafucka (in rap), or shortened to just "mother") is a common insult and profanity in American English and in other varieties of the English language. The term, widely viewed as an obscenity, may be used by some in a neutral, or even positive way. (The term can be used to describe somebody as a moron, an idiot or backstabber.) The term is literally an accusation of incest, although as with most insults, it is used pejoratively. When used in this way specifically in relation to a man, it may be intended as an attack on his masculinity. 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.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the initials M.F. became a common, less explicit substitute for the term.

Origins

The term and its congeners are originally North American slang, whence it spread to other varieties of English. The earliest record of the noun "motherfucker" dates back to 1918. All other senses and forms are first recorded in the 20th century. For example, "Tyler Cochran, you motherfucker!" (Oxford English Dictionary; online version) The term is also frequently used in pop culture, appearing over 200 times each in the films Menace II Society, GoodFellas, and Pulp Fiction.The term was used by Jazz artist Thelonious Monk in the movie documentary, Thelonious Monk: Straight No Chaser, expressing how much he liked the pants that one of his band members was wearing. "Those are some bad motherfuckers."

The literal meaning of this word is "engaging in sexual intercourse with one's mother". It can also mean "engaging in sexual intercourse with someone else's mother, a friend's mother, or a girlfriend's mother". Some people would say it as a joke that they slept with that person's mother to insult them. It can also be another way to say mama's boy. Since the meaning is so offensive, this word is mostly used during crude arguments.

The term was also used in the 1960s, in reference to a talented musician, e.g. "that guy is a real motherfucker, man". Frank Zappa's band, The Mothers of Invention, were originally called The Motherfuckers, but their record label refused to publish them under that name, and so it was changed.

The term has been used in the Portuguese show O Homem que Mordeu o Cão, where it's presented a character (one of the first roles played by the famous comedian Ricardo Araújo Pereira) named Bad Boy MC Crazy Motherfucker, a black men who is beaten up by the people in his neighborhood by being a sissy. That character's original name is Cláudio Miguel, but he says that the people kicked him when he introduced himself, so he changed for Bad Boy MC Crazy Motherfucker ("Bad Boy so that people don't mess with me; MC, the letters popped into my head; and Crazy Motherfucker because it sounds nice.") Also the Portuguese band Da Weasel named their first album, launched in 1993, More Than 30 Motherfuckers. All the songs of this album were sung in English..

See also: Up Against the Wall Motherfuckers