Etymology Journal ยท W
What the frick?
Meaning
- A modern, sanitized version of a more offensive swear word. It is used to express anger or surprise while remaining polite enough for polite company.
Casual, slightly goofy
Used in a sentence
- What the frick are you doing to my car?
- I just lost my keys for the tenth time today. What the frick?
- What the frick just happened to the internet connection?
The backstory
This is a classic 'minced oath' that has gained popularity as social media and internet culture have made people more conscious of clean speech.
Heard in
Nationwide
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