Season 1
An education in expletives.
Synopsis
History of Swear Words (2021), Season 1 is a documentary comedy you can watch online on iFILM — six episodes hosted by Nicolas Cage, who narrates the filthiest words in English with a perfectly straight face.
Every episode takes one curse word apart: where it came from, how its meaning drifted, why it stuck. The opener treats the language's most flexible f-word as silly putty that bends to mean rage, joy or sheer confusion. From there the season digs into the medieval root of a word for excrement, the way some women have reclaimed "bitch" as a badge of strength, and the odd path that turned a plain nickname into an insult. It closes on the mild old "damn," which has carried the same weight since biblical times. Between Cage's punchlines, linguists, historians and comedians do the actual teaching — a quick lesson, not a lecture.
The episodes run a tidy twenty minutes each, so the whole season fits one evening. It's made for viewers who like their documentaries self-aware and don't flinch at rough language. Stream History of Swear Words Season 1 online on iFILM.
6 episodes
S1·E1F**k
The silly putty of the English language, our most malleable swear word can refer to sex, rage, confusion, excitement and a whole lot more.
S1·E2Sh*t
With medieval roots as a term for excrement, this filthy vulgarity evolved over time into something much more versatile — and sometimes even positive.
S1·E3Bitch
Though it literally means "female dog," in recent years, some women have started to reclaim the "B word" as a term of strength and solidarity.
S1·E4D**k
You can have one or you can be one. But how did an unassuming nickname for "Richard" become one of our most popular swear words?
S1·E5Pu**y
From its feline origins to its modern slang uses describing genitalia or insulting manhood, learn how "pu**y" has stood the test of time.
S1·E6Damn
Though quite mild when compared with its profane brethren, "damn" has maintained its meaning from biblical times and can still pack a punch even today.
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