How to Swear: An Illustrated Guide

“Those who grew up with the taste of soap in their mouths are bound to find this book both charming and hilarious.” —Imboldn

Grasping how to swear is a crucial skill to any English-speaker, but it can be a tricky business. Owing to the rich and complex history of swearing, a single word can have a host of different meanings – from expressing surprise, excitement, anger, celebration, disgust or simply that you’re fucked off. If you don’t get it right, you could really be in the shit.

How to Swear, by graphic artist and swearing-connoisseur Stephen Wildish, uses all manner of charts and flow diagrams to teach you all you need to know, including: the building blocks of an effective insult; the adverbial uses of various types of animal excrement (horseshit, apeshit etc); and the different parts of speech a swear word can fulfil: ‘Fucking fuck, the fucking fucker’s fucked’. This charming (and rude) book will take you right to the heart of the wondrous world of swearing, with a lot of laughs on the way.

“A book of lavatorial language made for the smart lavatory . . . entertaining and informative and, if nothing else, remind[s] you of the mysterious pleasure of using words that are not meant to be said.” —The Guardian

“A book dedicated to the art of swearing, complete with quick-read charts, diagrams, explications, and strategies to take readers’ salty skills to the next level.” —Medium