A Brief History of Some Very Dirty Words

We enjoyed this article on Slate, which discusses how certain words got their terrible reputation.

Meanwhile, we wrote to the editor of the AP Stylebook two months ago suggesting a "Maledicta Key," which could be used to replace the letters in swear words. Dick Cheney's oath to Patrick Leahy could have been rendered "#¥©< Ω##!" Doesn't that look pretty? Alas, we're still waiting for a reply. For your entertainment, though, the Maledicta Key. We believe it enables users to spell all the major and some of the minor obscenities with style and grace. Do let us know, though, if we've left out key letters of your favorite foul word. Vowel substitutions
A = @
E = #
I = !
O = Ω
U = ¥

Consonant substitutions
C = ©
F = #
H = *
K = <
L = £
P = ¶
R = ®
S = $
T = +
W = π