Remember back in the old, heavily censored days before terms like "WTF" and "basic bitch" were commonplace? Now the question isn't whether or not Americans swear -- it's how they choose to do it! According to a new series of "swearword maps" published by professor of forensic linguistics Jack Grieve, how we swear depends largely on where we live, with certain states favoring certain swearwords. (Who knew?)
Check out our slideshow to see what foul-mouthed types in your state are most likely to yell out their windows in a fit of road rage (and how well you fit in!).
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In France, it's "merde" -- but here in the U.S., it's plain old "sh*t." Especially in the following states: Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, Florida, Jew Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New York. Meanwhile, if you live in the Midwest or Maine, apparently your only exclamatory option when you step in dog excrement is a G-rated "Oh, poop!"
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Irate folks in the following states need to wash out their mouths with soap, they're screaming "a**hole" so often: Oregon, California, Idaho, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Most Southern states, however, are far too polite for this vulgar term!
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New Englanders definitely have a favorite swear word, and it is ... c*nt. Indeed, it appears to be the go-to curse for residents of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island -- as well as Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota. Once again, the Southern states are apparently too polite for this one!
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The swear jars in these states must be pretty empty, because one of their favorite "curse" words is "gosh": Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Montana, Kentucky, Tennesee, Virginia, and West Virginia. (In New England and the tri-state area, however? Not so much gosh going on.)
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If there's one curse word to unite us all, it's the ubiquitous "f*ck," which is considered to be commonly used in Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. If you don't want to hear this one, maybe head to Utah or Wyoming.
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Does "darn" really count as a curse word? To people living in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Wyoming, Mississippi, and Oklahoma -- the answer is yes. (To people living in the tri-state area, the answer is an emphatic NO.)
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Perhaps the most surprising thing about the results of this poll (at least for anyone who's lived in NYC) is how few states incorporate "motherf*cker" into their daily swearing regimes: Only residents of Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, South Dakota, Illionois, Maine, and New Hampshire.
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Fans of Breaking Bad will be surprised to learn that New Mexico isn't on the list of states that favors "bitch" as term of derision and/or endearment. The states that made the cut? Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Michigan.
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It's no shock that Southerners prefer Rhett Butler's expletive of choice -- "Damn" -- is an oft-used curse in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, and Florida. (Not, however, in the Northeast or Northwest.)
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