bloody

[sugarmags]

I saw older answers on why bloody is a bad word in britian, and where it derived from. But I want to know how bad is it? Would you use it around your kids? Would a kid get in trouble for saying it around adults? Would you use it in "polite company?" Any examples would be helpful as I have been wondering about this for years.

[Grunty]

In the scale of things, it is nowhere near the worst of impolite words, but is not really acceptable in polite company.  Children in most families ae strongly discouraged from using it, and their parents would not use it around the children.

Historicaly it is said to refer either to menstrual functions (a disgusting thing to mention centuries ago) or the use of the Virgin Mary's name (a contraction of By Our Lady).

[Flurfl]

It's also known as the great Australian adjective. Far more common to hear it down there, about on par with damn.

[graemer]

Flurfl you're right it was once the great Australian adjective but these days seems to have well been taken over by the "F" word.

[joko]

My Dad says it but he pronounces it 'bladdy' because he thinks it sounds better and 'posher' -  he is from Liverpool! Here we would say 'bluddy'.

[magicdice]

bloody & crap are on the same level, these days

[ChocClare]

I've noticed that Americans (in films at least) seem to think it's something the British say a lot.  Fair enough, we probably do.  However, this means that they have Ron in the Harry Potter films say it in every single film.  This is quite believable if he were talking to Harry and Hermione (or his other contemporaries), but in one of the films he tells Professor McGonagall that her transformation was "bloody brilliant!".  My kids laughed and laughed at this - mainly from the tingle of delicious horror that any child would EVER say this to a teacher!

[Chriscol]

It is confusing. I noticed there is a website of words used in the Harry Potter books (not just the films) and bloody is listed. If you run a google for "dictionary of british words in the "Harry Potter" books" it should show up.

So I wonder, why did Rowling use it in this manner?