Sweary links #14

October already? You know what that means: It’s decorative gourd season, motherfuckers.

Mug via McSweeney’s Store.

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A retired lecturer in medieval history has found what appears to be the earliest use of fuck. It’s in a 1310 court record, and it’s a surname: Roger Fuckebythenavele. “Experts say name refers to lack of sexual prowess, or gross stupidity.” – Daily Mail. “I’m sort of speechless.” –  Language Log’s Geoffrey Pullum. “The Middle English dictionary needs a fucking update.” – medievalist Piotr Gąsiorowski.

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“The search for the first ‘fuck’ may be both fascinating and futile — even when we find it, we might not have the context to know what it means.”