Expletive deleted
The phraseexpletive deletedindicates thatprofanityhas beencensoredfrom a text by the author or by a subsequent censor, usually appearing in place of the profanity. The phrase has been used for this purpose since at least the 1930s,[1]but became more widely used in the United States after theWatergate scandal.
History
[edit]Compelled by a subpoena to provide the contents of the White House taping system to the House Judiciary Committee in April 1974, PresidentRichard Nixonordered transcripts of the tapes to be prepared. After a cursory inspection of the transcripts, Nixon, shocked at viewing several profanity-laced discussions amongst the White House's inner-circle, ordered that every use of profanity be replaced by "[EXPLETIVE DELETED]".[2][3]
The transcripts were published inThe New York Timesand elicited shock in much of the country, given Nixon's generally staid public image and the fact that contemporary media coverage of politicians did not usually report candidates' profanity use. As Nixon biographerJonathan Aitkennoted, Nixon had a rather broad view on what constituted profanity, and had ordered comparatively minor outbursts likeChristandhellto be replaced as expletives. Seeing the jarring phrase repeatedly within the transcripts seemed to give the public the impression that the words used were far harsher than what actually appeared on the tapes.[4]
The phrase entered the public imagination to the point where protesters outside the White House held up picket signs reading, "IMPEACH THE (EXPLETIVE DELETED)!"[5]
In later years, the phrase became commonplace as anironicexpression which indicates that a profanity has been omitted; this catchphrase has passed into general usage as a convenientlinguisticfigleaf.
Technical definition
[edit]The termexpletiveis commonly used to refer to any bad language (or profanity), used with or without meaning.Expletivesin this wide sense may beadjectives,adverbs,nouns,(most commonly),interjections,or (rarely)verbs.Withinlinguistics,however, "expletive"is a technical term referring to a word that does not contributesemanticallyto the meaning of a sentence, such as anexpletive attributiveor adummy pronoun.An expletive in this technical sense is not necessarily rude.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Stone, Elinore Crown (July 15, 1938). "Interne Trouble".The Morning Chronicle.Manhattan:Fay N. Seaton. p. 3.OCLC12428798.
Don't you know, you (expletive deleted) that dropping an instrument might be equivalent to murder?
- ^Walker, Sam (7 June 2013).""Expletive Deleted": Nixon Releases Edited White House Watergate Tapes ".Today in Civil Liberties History (April 29, 1974).RetrievedOctober 31,2019.
- ^Brockell, Gillian (September 25, 2019)."That time Nixon released doctored transcripts during Watergate".The Washington Post.RetrievedOctober 31,2019.
- ^Aitken, Jonathan (1993).Nixon: A Life.Washington, D.C.:Regnery History.p. 515.ISBN978-0-89526-489-3.
- ^Halstead, Dirck (1974-05-04)."Demonstrators w sign saying" IMPEACH THE (EXPLETIVE DELETED) "".Getty Images.Retrieved2023-01-22.
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