Fug off!
by Rachel Ragg
As former university teachers, my husband and I are never ones to miss an opportunity to bore our children senseless in the name of increasing their vocabulary.
And so it was that we found ourselves in the car chatting about the word ‘fug’ (as you do on the way back from a day out in the sun).
“Nobody talks about fugs any more,” my husband mused.
“My father does,” I said helpfully. They are of a similar same vintage and similar boarding-school background.
“I know what fug off means,” our just-turned-ten-year-old son said even more helpfully.
“I know what fug is too,” our seven-year-old daughter added.
Uh-oh. Last time we had an F-word conversation, it was about ‘foot’ not being a swear word. As the word had been used in their presence by someone with a Yorkshire accent, I could see how the misunderstanding might have arisen.
“Okay,” I said carefully. “You tell me what fug means.”
Our daughter gave me a withering look.
“A fug is one of those teenage boys who gets drunk and behaves badly in the street.”
We laugh. Not least with relief.
Hooray for daughter.
I have to confess that I didn’t go to boarding school and so I am not familiar with the language that you shoving-heads-down-toilets used.
You have been quiet on the blogging front recently actually.
Indeed I have! The Daily Mail is keeping me very busy…
Maybe I should include a translation of fuggery. Or a ‘guess the meaning’ competition.
I’m sure you will feel much better for knowing that you are obviously too young to have encountered fugs!
My parents use the word fug in the context of sitting snugly inside all afternoon. But I’d have no idea to to ‘fug’ in boarding school.
Brilliant!!! I remember my daughter asking me what “fug off” means. I was positively shocked but relieved at the same time because she hadn’t actually used to correct word!!
CJ x
It does come as something of a relief when you discover that they are still innocent after all!
In that case, your parents are probably ‘getting a fug up’!
‘Fug’ is the only possible word for the smell inside the boys’ locker room at my son’s school…