---
title: Soft words for hard things: rudeness and swearing — how Mova does on the tests · Euphemisms
description: Lesson 38 of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary school: 2 of 12 tests right, exam 1 of 4, every question with the options, the student's choice, the right answer and why it chose.
---

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# Soft words for hard things: rudeness and swearing

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**Tests:** 2 of 12 right · **Exam:** 1 of 4 right · **Kind:** ★ · **Understood:** 7 of 16 · **Run:** 2026-10-18, commit `f3c23ea72`

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Lesson 38 of the euphemisms course of Mova's primary school, as Mova's small model took its tests: it had read this lesson and the ones before it and learned from their exercises. Each test shows the options in the order the student saw them, its choice, the right answer, the score of every option and why it chose. The lesson itself, sentence by sentence with trees and pragmatics: [the lesson in the corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/38-drat-and-the-f-word/).

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Every question of this lesson and each of its options parsed by Mova, with trees and pragmatics: [the lesson's questions in the corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/38-drat-and-the-f-word/).

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### Test 1 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t1}

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TV news: "The minister was heard muttering the f-word into a live microphone." What happened?

- **1.** He forgot a word — no support
- **2.** He spoke French — no support
- **3.** He said the word "friend" — **← Mova's choice** · score 6
- **4.** He said a strong swear word — **✓ the right answer** · score 6

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 6, tied with another option at 6 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 34, line 3: «Businesses and politicians spin failures: a company whose plan flopped calls its new plan "a pivot", and a minister who was caught out says "lessons have been…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «say» (+3); the same doer «minister» (+3). The right option, 4, scored 6. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/38-drat-and-the-f-word/t1/)

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### Test 2 · ★ · right ✓ {#t2}

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"omg sugar sugar SUGAR i've locked the keys in the car" Is she talking about food?

- **1.** No, it is a soft swear because she is upset — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 6
- **2.** Yes, the keys are hidden in the sugar bowl — no support
- **3.** No, she means she is very happy — no support
- **4.** Yes, she wants some sugar — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 6, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 38, line 16: «"Sugar!" is a British mild word used instead of the s-word.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «sugar» (+2); the same thing acted on «british mild word» (+2); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/38-drat-and-the-f-word/t2/)

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### Test 3 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t3}

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Little brother says "shoot" is a swear and he's telling Mum. right?

- **1.** No, it means "well done" — no support
- **2.** Yes, it is the worst word in English — **← Mova's choice** · score 6
- **3.** Yes, it is about guns so it is banned at school — no support
- **4.** No, it is a mild stand-in, not a real swear — **✓ the right answer** · no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 6, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 38, line 15: «"Shoot!" is an American mild word used instead of the s-word, a rude word for poo.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «shoot» (+2); the same thing acted on «american mild word» (+2); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+2). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/38-drat-and-the-f-word/t3/)

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### Test 4 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t4}

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"What the heck is that smell?" How strong is "heck"?

- **1.** Very strong: worse than any word — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** Mild: it stands in for "hell" — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** Not a swear at all: it means "neck" — no support
- **4.** Medium: it is a word for a farm — no support

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**Why:** Nothing it remembers matched the question, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/38-drat-and-the-f-word/t4/)

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### Test 5 · ★ · right ✓ {#t5}

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"eff off and leave my bike alone." What does the speaker want?

- **1.** The other person to ride the bike — no support
- **2.** The bike to be fixed — no support
- **3.** The other person to go away now — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 7
- **4.** The bike to be switched off — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 3 with score 7, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 38, line 24: «"Eff off" is a rude British way to tell someone to go away, softened from the f-word.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «go away» (+6); the same property (+3). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1); one says «not», the other does not (counts against) (-1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/38-drat-and-the-f-word/t5/)

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### Test 6 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t6}

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An Aussie farmer sees a huge spider and says "Strewth!" What does he feel?

- **1.** Hunger — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** Boredom — no support
- **3.** Surprise — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** Joy — no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/38-drat-and-the-f-word/t6/)

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### Test 7 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t7}

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"Holy moly, you ate the whole cake??" What is the speaker feeling?

- **1.** Holiness — **← Mova's choice** · score 6
- **2.** Surprise — **✓ the right answer** · score 6
- **3.** Hunger — score 6
- **4.** Sleepiness — score 6

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score 6, tied with another option at 6 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 1, line 4: «So the same fact, "he died", can be said kindly, formally, in old-fashioned words or as a joke, and a clever listener hears both what happened and how the spea…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «speaker» (+4); the same action «feel» (+2). The right option, 2, scored 6. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/38-drat-and-the-f-word/t7/)

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### Test 8 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t8}

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A teacher writes: "Sam told a classmate to 'eff off' at lunch." What did Sam do wrong?

- **1.** He took off his shoes at lunch — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** He rudely told a classmate to go away — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** He went home early — no support
- **4.** He switched off the lights in the dining hall — no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/38-drat-and-the-f-word/t8/)

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### Test 9 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t9}

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Grandpa, reading old letters: "Dash it all, I've lost my place!" Which modern word means the same?

- **1.** Draw — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** Run — no support
- **3.** Damn — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **4.** Hurry — no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/38-drat-and-the-f-word/t9/)

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### Test 10 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t10}

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A boss texts: "the frigging server is down AGAIN". How does the boss feel?

- **1.** Cold — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** Very annoyed — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** Glad — no support
- **4.** Calm — no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/38-drat-and-the-f-word/t10/)

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### Test 11 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t11}

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"this freaking homework, no wait, it's actually fine, i'm just tired." What is the speaker's mood at the end?

- **1.** Excited and happy — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** Calmer, just tired — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** Still very angry — no support
- **4.** Scared of homework — no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/38-drat-and-the-f-word/t11/)

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### Test 12 · ★ · wrong ✗ {#t12}

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Why does someone say "Fudge!" instead of the word it stands for?

- **1.** Because it is the f-word in French — **← Mova's choice** · score 5
- **2.** To show anger without using a strong swear word — **✓ the right answer** · score 4
- **3.** Because fudge is a stronger swear — score 4
- **4.** Because they are thinking about sweets — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 1 with score 5, against 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 38, line 18: «"Fudge!" is a mild word used instead of the f-word.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «fudge» (+2); the same thing acted on «mild word» (+2); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+1). The right option, 2, scored 4. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/38-drat-and-the-f-word/t12/)

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### Exam question 1 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e1}

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Identify the oath from which the exclamation "blimey" is held to derive.

- **1.** Blind man's buff — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** God blind me — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** Lime and lemon — no support
- **4.** Blame me — no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/38-drat-and-the-f-word/e1/)

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### Exam question 2 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e2}

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Ascertain the expression for which the interjection "heck" constitutes a softened substitute.

- **1.** Help — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** Neck — no support
- **3.** Hack — no support
- **4.** Hell — **✓ the right answer** · no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/38-drat-and-the-f-word/e2/)

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### Exam question 3 · formal language · right ✓ {#e3}

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Select the response that is consistent with the established meaning of the phrase "the s-word".

- **1.** A circumlocution naming a vulgar swear word without uttering it — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 5
- **2.** A formal synonym for the word "stupid" — no support
- **3.** An abbreviation of the word "sorry" — no support
- **4.** A password employed by secret societies of the nineteenth century — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 5, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 38, line 17: «"The s-word" is a polite way to name a rude swear word for poo without saying it.», reached through a sentence linked to the one the question matched. What matched: the same action «name» (+3); the same thing acted on «rude swear word» (+2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/38-drat-and-the-f-word/e3/)

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### Exam question 4 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e4}

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Where an individual exclaims "Sugar!" upon suffering a misfortune, determine the principal function of the utterance.

- **1.** To report the depletion of household provisions — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** To request a sweetener for a beverage — no support
- **3.** To address a loved one affectionately — no support
- **4.** To express vexation whilst avoiding a vulgar oath — **✓ the right answer** · no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/euphemisms/38-drat-and-the-f-word/e4/)

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- ← previous: [37. Soft words for hard things: stupidity and madnes…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/euphemisms/37-bats-and-gosh/)
- next →: [39. Soft words for hard things: rudeness and swearing](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/euphemisms/39-pardon-my-french/)
- ↑ back to [Euphemisms](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/euphemisms/)