History Main / CurseOfTheAncients

** As do Cranley and a few other university classmates of Stephen's in Joyce's ''Literature/APortraitOfTheArtistAsAYoungMan''.

* In ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'', Ancient Grecian SociopathicHero Kratos often uses the term "By the Gods!" as an exclamation. Given that he's ''ancient'', it's highly appropriate for his setting.

* In ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'', Ancient Grecian SociopathicHero Kratos often used the term "By the Gods!" as an exclamation. Justified, as our curse words wouldn't be invented for over a thousand years.
** Er. Technically, our ''language'' wouldn't be invented for over a thousand years. The Ancient Greeks had their own curse words.

* UsefulNotes/JoeBiden's use of "bunch of malarkey" counts--when was the last time you heard anyone under the age of, well, Joe Biden call anything "malarkey" ''except'' as a Joe Biden reference? (To clarify: "malarky" is still pretty common to hear in America; it's just that everyone who uses it tends to be older, and a younger person would not usually think to use it.) Also counts as GoshDangItToHeck, since the contemporary way to say that would be "a load of bull(shit)".

* JoeBiden's use of "bunch of malarkey" counts--when was the last time you heard anyone under the age of, well, Joe Biden call anything "malarkey" ''except'' as a Joe Biden reference? (To clarify: "malarky" is still pretty common to hear in America; it's just that everyone who uses it tends to be older, and a younger person would not usually think to use it.) Also counts as GoshDangItToHeck, since the contemporary way to say that would be "a load of bull(shit)".

---> "In my day, TV stars weren't allowed to say 'booby', 'tushy', 'burp', 'fanny-burp', 'water closet', 'underpants', 'dingle-dangle', 'Boston marriage'[[note]]A 19th century term for two women cohabiting, with the implication of lesbian relationship.[[/note]], 'LBJ', 'Titicaca', 'hot dog', ''or'' 'frontlumps'!"

* Grandpa Lou Pickles from ''{{Rugrats}}''

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---> "In my day, TV stars weren't allowed to say 'booby', 'tushy', 'burp', 'fanny-burp', 'water closet', 'underpants', 'dingle-dangle', 'Boston marriage', 'LBJ', 'Titicaca', 'hot dog', ''or'' 'frontlumps'!"

* In David Gerrold and Larry Niven's ''Literature/TheFlyingSorcerers'', we get to hear the traveller's translator-recorder's version of what he is really saying when he discovers the locals have sabotaged his spaceship.

* ''PeterPan'' had [[{{Pirate}} Captain Hook and his crew]] curse in this manner. "Odds bods, hammer and tongs!"

** As do Cranley and a few other university classmates of Stephen's in Joyce's ''APortraitOfTheArtistAsAYoungMan''.

* In the world of Hyboria, from ConanTheBarbarian stories, characters would often exclaim "By Crom's Beard!", "By Crom!", or simply "Crom!" which was the name of a particularly apathetic god.

* If you're playing ''TheEyeOfArgon'' drinking game, you take a shot every time Grignr the Ecordian yells "by the surly beard of Mrifkr!"
* One of the '90s ''SonicTheHedgehog'' novels has Tails coming out with the line "what the fugding [sic] heck is that?" He also used "sugaring flip". Tails using out-of-date slang (not just invective) was a constantly [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] RunningGag in the books.

** In By the Shores of Silver Lake, Laura's cousin uses "Gosh!" and the shocked narrative voice observes how 'she used that wicked word boldly'.

* Lampshaded in ''AshASecretHistory'', where the [[LiteraryAgentHypothesis editor]] explains that he translated the cursing of the eponymous character (a female mercenary who grew up in the camp) as "fuck" and equivalent modern oaths, since "God's death" and the like would seem quaint rather than shocking to modern readers.
* The {{Sharpe}} series uses antiquated obscene language, but in ways that make it quite clear what the terms mean, and they're clearly 'not' euphemisms. When Sharpe says something "hurt like buggery," for example, he's comparing it to anal rape.
* In the Creator/IsaacAsimov ''{{Foundation}}'' series, one character substitutes some soul-soothing cussing with the word "unprintable". Although, now that I think about it, perhaps he was using stronger language and Asimov simply refused to print it.
** Very Asimov. The short story ''C-Chute'' has this as well, with the simple note that the character's reply "was unprintable."
** Asimov's characters followed the pre-1970s convention of using "unprintable" as signifying "not suitable for mixed company". In the novel of FantasticVoyage the hero speculates that CMDF, the insigne of the paramilitary organization, might stand for "Consolidated Martian Dimwits and Fools", and adds, "I've got a better one than that but it's unprintable" -- and he's ''not'' in mixed company.

* In David Gerrold and Larry Niven's ''TheFlyingSorcerers'', we get to hear the traveller's translator-recorder's version of what he is really saying when he discovers the locals have sabotaged his spaceship.

* In Stanislaw Lem's ''Cyberiad'', Klapaucius says "Great Gauss!"

* On ''TheTonightShow'', Johnny Carson's "Carnac the Magnificent" would issue humorous curses of the form "May a (noun) (verb) your (noun)."

* Cloris Leachman was known to say bleepable words when scored low (which happened often) on ''DancingWithTheStars''.
* James May and to a lesser extent Jeremy Clarkson on ''TopGear'' use antiquated profanity like "S'truth!" and "Bloody Nora."

* Averted by ''{{Deadwood}}''. Apparently the writers tried period swearing, but everyone sounded like Yosemite Sam, so they [[TranslationConvention used words that would be perceived by a modern audience the way the actual language would have been perceived at the time]] instead.
** Similar methods were used in ''SpartacusBloodAndSand''.
* ''SaturdayNightLive'''s Grumpy Old Man wants everyone to know that back in HIS day, they didn't have these modern curse words. They said things like "Flibityfloo!" and they LIKED it.
* ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'': in ''TheFinalSacrifice'', Mike comes down with Grizzled Old Prospector Syndrome (because he's immune to Hockey Hair (long story)), which causes him to use words like "con-sarn it," "dagnabbit," and to call the bots "varmints."
** This is inspired by a character in the movie who looks and sounds like Alberta's answer to Yosemite Sam - but he ''doesn't'' use CurseOfTheAncients. In many of their jokes about him Mike and the bots lay it on thick, though.
* In one episode of ''Series/{{Mash}}'', during a staff poker game, Klinger, before looking at his hand, prays, "May he who brings the water to the parched deserts grant me a small pair of aces!" When he looks at his hand he immediately folds, muttering, "May the mother of your camel spit in your yogurt."

* DonaldDuck is rather well versed in the CurseOfTheAncients. He often lets off a few of them before he goes into his characteristic unintelligible ranting. He ''did'' debut in the 1930s, though, back when some words and phases couldn't be used in respectable films.

In television, and especially cartoons MiniatureSeniorCitizens will spew invective that's essentially an archaic form of UnusualEuphemism. "Damn it" becomes "con-sarn-it," "dang-blast-it" or something else LetsPlay/DeceasedCrab uses to filter his language while recording. Even relatively inoffensive phrases such as "Good lord" becomes "great-googly-moogly," "land sakes," and the like. This trope is an exaggerated version of the Expressiveness Cycle, the linguistic explanation of how extreme language turns not extreme over time. Can be prime {{Narm}} for modern viewers when played straight.

* In Stanislaw Lem's "Cyberiad", Klapaucius says "Great Gauss!"

* Granny Smith, matriarch of the Apple family in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', talks like this sometimes.

* Gil of ARM from LarryNiven 's ''[[Literature/KnownSpace Flatlanders]]'' stories occasionally used words like "Censored" and "Bleeping" for swear words. To him they were appropriately offensive, until another character explained that those words only began to be considered crude after they were used as stand-ins for the original seven words.

* Gil of ARM from LarryNiven 's 'Flatlanders' stories occasionally used words like "Censored" and "Bleeping" for swear words. To him they were appropriately offensive, until another character explained that those words only began to be considered crude after they were used as stand-ins for the original seven words.

** As do Cranley and a few other university classmates of Stephen's in Joyce's ''PortraitOfTheArtistAsAYoungMan''.

* JoeBiden's use of "bunch of malarkey" counts--when was the last time you heard anyone under the age of 60 call anything "malarkey" ''except'' as a Joe Biden reference? (To clarify: "malarky" is still pretty common to hear in America; it's just that everyone who uses it tends to be older, and a younger person would not usually think to use it.) Also counts as GoshDangItToHeck, since the contemporary way to say that would be "a load of bull(shit)".

* The title character of Dolores Claiborne would use "Cheese and crackers" as a minced oath. This carried over to the film.

* JoeBiden's use of "bunch of malarkey" counts--when was the last time you heard anyone under the age of 60 call anything "malarkey" ''except'' as a Joe Biden reference? Also counts as GoshDangItToHeck, since the contemporary way to say that would be "a load of bull(shit)".