CNN of all places has a story up on the history of the word Frak from Battlestar Galactica and how it has started to slip into the mainstream lexicon.
The word has slipped the bonds that tethered other pretenders like Mork's "shazbot" in "Mork & Mindy" or Col. Sherman T. Potter's "horse hockey" in "M*A*S*H." Its usage has moved from the small but fervent group of "Galactica" fans into everyday language. It's shown up in very mainstream shows like "The Office," "Gossip Girl" and "Scrubs." One YouTube posting has 2 minutes of sound bites that cover the gamut.
"I'm in my own little cocoon of science fictiondom, but it is certainly used around here and amongst the people I know," said Irene Gallo, art director at the sci-fi imprint Tor Books, where employees held a "frak party" to watch the season premiere. "It's sort of a way to be able to use a four-letter word without really getting into any kind of HR trouble or with people you're really not quite comfortable being yourself with."
The word has even appeared in the funny pages where Dilbert muttered a disconsolate "frack" -- the original spelling before producers of the current show changed it to a four-letter word -- after a particularly dumb order from his evil twit of a boss.
"Dilbert" creator Scott Adams calls the word "pure genius."
I have to admit, I've been using Frak as a regular word for a while now. I can use it at work without getting in trouble. And I always notice it when someone else says it. It makes me smile when that happens.
The above youtube clip is the one mentioned in the quote. I didn't even know it existed before I read that, but I went and looked it up on youtube and found it. It's pretty frakkin funny!
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