Mav said: Ironic, isn't it, given that "bloody" was itself spawned as a euphemism to avoid the sacrilegious "by our lady"!

I find the early to mid seventeenth century a fascinating period. It by turn produced some of the most risque plays ever produced and yet imposed the most repressive religious conformity ever known in England under Cromwell. This was, of course, the reason for most of the euphemisms used then, several of which are still in use today. (Packrats again ...) Talk about contrasts!

I've always considered that the Renaissance never really hit England until the Restoration. That period had all the ingredients which had been present in Italy two centuries earlier. I assume everyone has read Pepy's diaries. They're so revealing it's almost like being there. And I'm not talking about the grubby bits.


The idiot also known as Capfka ...