emeff en · ADJ
Etymology
Minced oath of motherfucker based on the names of the initial letters of its elements, equivalent to the phonetic respelling of the initialism MF. First attested in the 1960s.
Meanings
-
(not-comparable, qualifier:minced oath) Synonym of motherfucking.
I got to contend with the students, the school board, the parents, the teacher’s union, the Board of Ed., the PTA, the principal, winos on the block, the pushers, the hall monitors, and in particular, this one Black teacher who is the local Gestapo, with Black Power, like crazy, all over the emm-eff community.
1973, Alice Childress, “Bernard Cohen”, in A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich, New York, N.Y.: Coward-McCann, Inc., →ISBN, →LCCN, page 34:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| em-eff | alternative | lexicographic | |
| em eff | alternative | lexicographic |
Synonyms
MF · mothereffing · emeffing · motherfucking