Gratuitous use of the word dude

My four year old daughter asked me the other day if 'dude' was a swear word.
For a moment I was confused. My daughter is generally quite a sharp little girl and her grasp of language is relatively advanced. So why would she come to this conclusion I wondered?
Upon further questioning she informed me that I used the word a lot when I am angry, and she is quite right.

I am not a surfer. I never was. I do not use surfer jargon as a general rule. Using the word 'sick' as a totally awesome compliment is beyond me.
However the word dude, pronounced [dooo -ooohd], usually with varying degrees of frustration or disbelief has crept into my vocabulary. I have noticed that I use it a lot when driving. I drive a lot with small children. And so instead of loosing my temper and yelling "Use your f***ing indicator before you blatantly push in front of me in traffic you f***ing w**ker or I swear to G*d I'll come over there and f**k you up" I simply shake my head and say: "Du'de" with a disbelieving smirk on my face.

It would appear that the original message behind the word is not lost on my righteous little sick babe.

Comments

Zoya said…
:-D I better remember that and keep way clear of you once you'll start calling me dude :-D
Clive Dorer said…
YO! Dude! Like, chill OUT dude...
Dictionary.com says: "Dude: a man excessively concerned with his clothes, grooming, and manners."
Kinsey said…
So you mean Oscar will totally know what I really mean when I say "Oh, bumpers!"? Fiddlesticks!