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"Je m'en fiche" and "fichu" are toned-down versions of expressions which, at the time referred to, were not allowed in print, analogous to the English f-word. But the real humor is in the very use of those "euphemisms" in a lethal situation.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Dear wsieber: I suspected as much, but could find no confirmation. I found a couple places that gave "damned". A short time ago there was very little I could find about French in Internet. Now Yahoo seems to have hadded a whole bunch of URL. I have also been able to find some German things that simply were not to be found a couple years ago. I still haven't been able to find that bit about Brunhilde squeezing Siegfried's hand so hard the blood gushed out from under his fingernaels. That's a lot of woman. Bill
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I found a couple places that gave "damned".
I've been beginning to think that, particularly in the matter of euphemizable expressions, the claim of untranslatibility is more due to the fact that it would sound stupid if translated literally.
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It seems that "fichu" would mean "fixed" but that's not much of an expletive A number of the sites mentioned the French scorn of English swearing. They call the Brits "Goddams" because of frequency with which the Lord's name is taken in vain. Incidentally, I have a hazy recollection that "vain" is related to both "wind" and "cursing". I suspect "inveigh" may be in the family.NicholasW, where are you?
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it would sound stupid if translated literally.. This is true in many cases, yet the French and the English f-words differ only in their grammatical form (past participle vs. gerund), the meaning being pretty much  the same.
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Dear Bill, fichu as an adjective is exclusively used as a mild swearword nowadays (the original meaning playing no rôle at all), sometimes also in verbal form. Given todays level of talk, it sounds almost quaint .
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Dear wsieber: no connection to verb "ficher"?
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enthusiast
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Speaking of French swearing...
I was just thinking about the word 'maudit' (as in maudits Anglais! damn' English ), and wondering if it is a combination of mal + dit. I suppose so - isn't the verb 'maudire'? (bad/evil + to speak)
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enthusiast
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Maudit corresponds to the Italian maledetto.
Maledire ( evil + to speak) is the opposite of benedire ( good, well + to speak) which means to bless.
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no connection to verb "ficher"?
No, because the pp of ficher is fiché. The infinitive of fichu is fichtre which was also used as a swear word, in Corneille's days, if I am right
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