On The Utilitarian Nature Of Certain English Words

A long, long time ago a South Korean serviceman (and student of the English language) told me an interesting story about the utilitarian nature of a certain English word:

It seems there was a Korean soldier who encountered an American GI along a dusty dirt road in South Korea.  The GI was angrily kicking the bumper of his Jeep.  The hood of the Jeep was open and steam was coming out of the radiator.

The Korean soldier approached the GI and asked him what was wrong with the Jeep.

“Fuck!” said the GI.  “The fucking fucker’s fucking fucked!”

Let’s see: interjection-adjective-noun-adverb-verb.

Utilitarian, indeed.

(A Korean Air Force guy really did tell me that story, by the way.)

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