The evolution of swearing in television catchphrases

Catchphrases have long been a hallmark of US-American sit-coms and dramas, as well reality, game variety show programming. Because the phenomenon television catchphrase developed throughout era network, commercial broadcasting under Federal Communications Commission guidelines regulating profanity in network television, catchphrases traditionally not included swear words. Nevertheless, certain past can be regarded euphemistic alternatives swearing expressions (e.g. ‘Kiss my grits!’), while contemporary from cable or streaming series do include explicit ‘Don’t fuck it up!’). We examine database 168 popular 70-year period programming according to categories for bad language impoliteness formulae. identify three based on structural-functional similarities expressions, we trace distribution these over time across networks. The data reveal trend towards time, only services, but conclude that expressive nature their properties render inclusion words both more palatable audience compatible with norms, thus propagating mitigating use television. Due appropriation phenomena, may serve blur lines between actually simply invoking catchphrase, thereby potentially increasing tolerance off.