4 ms·

"Heck" is to "Hell" like "Darn" is to "Damn" (or "Freaking" to “F--ing") - a word that sounds similar but is more polite, to be said in public in more religious

"Heck" is to "Hell" like "Darn" is to "Damn" (or "Freaking" to “F--ing") - a word that sounds similar but is more polite, to be said in public in more religious places and times.

thaumasiotes 8mo ago
That can't explain "hecking", because there is no form "helling".
- PopAlongKid 8mo ago
  From Wiktionary entry for heckin': Etymology From heck as a euphemism for hell.
  - throwaway27448 8mo ago
    This still doesn't make sense as "hellin" isnt a term in wide use. What makes the most sense is transition from "fuckin". But why not simply use fuckin? Surely invoking sex is less taboo than invoking hell.
    - jldugger 8mo ago
      > What makes the most sense is transition from "fuckin". But why not simply use fuckin? Indeed, you have a community that wants to be family friendly but high energy, and so the technique is to start with "fucking", one of the top tier swears, and replace its root word with the lowest tier swears. And part of the charm is that "hell" is barely a taboo topic -- it's part of the Apostle's creed and plenty of sermons, and there's no commandment against its use[1], yet it gets minced to "heck"! [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thou_shalt_not_take_the_name_of_the_Lord_thy_God_in_vain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thou_shalt_not_take_the_name_o...
- bombcar 8mo ago
  It's a form of hella which is "hell of" but hecka sounds silly so you get heckin. (Heck is also used as a substitute for fuck sometimes and takes its forms.)