They certainly enjoyed 'doubles entendres' . Once again I refer you to the
Riddles, see:
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxon_Riddles_of_the_Exeter_Book/
Carol
From: John Clark
Sent: Sunday, October 18, 2015 10:59 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [BRITARCH] Help me: Old English crude language
Mike
I just don't think you should expect to find Old English 'crude language'.
Why assume that they felt that certain parts of the human body and certain
bodily functions were so 'unclean' they must not be 'named' or that the name
must not be spoken in polite society? That sounds Biblical to me.
If on the other hand you are looking for words that they would use as a
matter of course but that WE regard as 'crude', then looking up the
etymology of the 'dirty words' in the OED is a good start.
John C
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