Four-letter words (Written Conventions)

FOUR-LETTER WORDS (Figures of Speech)

Joe: Hey, Moe. In class they told us that "four-letter words" aren't appropriate in business communications. I don't get it!
Moe: Oh, "four-letter words" is an idiom meaning "swear words."
Joe: And what exactly are swear words?
Moe: Okay, think of a rude word for something you do into a toilet. How many letters does that word have?
Joe: Umm... four!
Moe: Good! Now, how about a rude word for a sex act. Letters?
Joe: Four again!
Moe: And the body part used for that act?
Joe: Still four!
Moe: That's right. For some reason, many of the words used for sexual or bathroom activities have four letters.
Joe: I think I get it! Even if a rude word like those has five or six letters, I shouldn't use it, should I?
Moe: That's right! We also use those words when we're angry, along with milder words like "damn" and "hell" and so on.
Joe: And I shouldn't use any of those in business, right?
Moe: Exactamundo!

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(Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons; CTTO)