Quebec French profanities, known as (singular: ; , "to consecrate"), are words and expressions related to Catholicism and its liturgy that are used as strong profanities in Quebec French (the main variety of Canadian French) and in Acadian French (spoken in Maritime Provinces, east of Quebec, and a small portion of Aroostook County, Maine, in the United States). are considered stronger in Canada than the foul expressions common to other varieties of French, which centre on sex and excrement (such as , "shit").
History
The originated in the early 19th century, when the social control exerted by the Catholic clergy was increasingly a source of frustration. One of the oldest is , which can be thought of as the Franco-Canadian equivalent of the English "goddamn it". It is known to have been in use as early as the 1830s. The word in its current meaning is believed to come from the expression ("Don't say that, it is sacred/holy"). Eventually, started to refer to the words Quebecers were not supposed to say. This is likely related to the commandment "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain" (Exodus 20:7). The influence and social importance of Catholicism at that time allowed to become powerful forms of profanity.
As a result of the Quiet Revolution in the 1960s, the influence of the Roman Catholic Church in Quebec has declined but the profanity still remains in use today. Some people feel it was an overall disdain to all things Catholic church and the influence the church had on society.
List of common
These are commonly given in a phonetic spelling to indicate the differences in pronunciation from the original word, several of which (notably, the deletion of final consonants and change of to before ) are typical of informal Quebec French. The nouns here can also be modified for use as verbs (see "Non-profane uses", below). Additionally, some forms, notably and , can become semi-adjectival when followed by , as in (Scram, you fucking cat!); is often added at the end for extra emphasis.
Often, several of these words are strung together when used adjectivally, as in (see "Intricate forms", below). Many combinations are possible, one of the more fascinating aspects of Quebec profanity. Since swear words are voluntarily blasphemous, the spellings are usually different from the words from which they originate. For example, can be written , , , , and so on. There is no general agreement on how to write these words, and the Office québécois de la langue française does not regulate them. : "baptism" (): "chalice" : "ciborium" or "pyx", receptacles in which the host is stored (Christ): "Christ", or , a more emphatic version of , both verbs meaning "to curse" , or (hostie): "host" (m) or (f): "damned" (or "damn") (): "Sacrament" : "Saint", added before others (ex. , , etc.) (): from the sin of simony (): "tabernacle"; typically considered the most profane of the (): "the Virgin Mary"
Mild forms
Most have modified, milder euphemistic forms (see minced oath). Such forms are not usually considered nearly as rude as the original. They are the equivalent of English words such as "gosh", "heck", or "darn". Many of the euphemistic forms are only similar-sounding to religious terms, so are considered not to denigrate the Church directly.
: : : : (from the English "cream puff"), : : : : (anagram of ), (merge of and ),
The following are also considered milder profanity:
: "bastard" : "boob", used to denote a complete idiot (): "harm to God" (): "shit", used in conjunction with other words, sometimes profanity: , , , , , , or , : a mix between and
Sometimes older people unable to bring themselves to swear with church words or their derivatives would make up ostensibly innocuous phrases, such as (literally, "five or six boxes of green tomatoes", being slang for , "green"). This phrase when pronounced quickly by a native speaker sounds like ("holy ciborium of the tabernacle"). Another example of a benign word that is church sounding is , which was simply an anglicism for "coal-tar", but pronounced just so, sounds like a merged and ("harm").
Intricate forms
In Canadian French, swear words can be combined into more powerful combinations to express extreme anger or disgust. These intricate uses of French profanities can be difficult to master. The combinations are endless; some people in both Quebec and francophone communities in other provinces community consider mixing and matching swear words to be a sort of skilled art.