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Oh, s%#t! Those symbols in curse words are called a grawlix. There are no real rules about using them. The most common symbols used are &,%,#,@,!, and ?. You can use a string to replace most of the word, or you can use just one to replace a letter. Here is some other trivia about curse words:

When researchers asked people around the world to list every curse word they could think of, native speakers in the UK and Spain were able to rattle off about 16 words, but Germans could think of an average of 53. Why? It might be because the German language allows an endless variety of compound words to be made, so there are many options for new creations!The word shit (pardon my French) or its translation was the most common taboo word uttered in several languages including  English, Finnish, and Italian, but not in French, Spanish, German, or Dutch.Unfortunately, curse words that refer to women (such as bitch) are common across the board.Sexual words also came up universally.New words came up that have been created related to social and political change, such as feminazi. Instead of general curse words, new words are created to target people in certain, racial, religious, and gender groups. And many taboo racial and religious words have been there all long.The grawlix was seen in comic strips as early as the 1880s, and read as “bleep.”Church-related curse words were most common in Italian probably because of the strong Catholic tradition and proximity to the Vatican.Men are more likely to curse than women.Extroverts are more likely to curse than introverts. (Not so sure about this one!)On average people swear once for every two minutes of speech.Curse words are not used only negatively. They are very flexible. They can relieve stress and even be used in a humorous manner.Although swearing was at one time assumed to be a sign of aggression or low intelligence, there is now evidence that this is not the case at all.

Thank you to Ashifa Kassam and the Guardian for the information!

So, be my guest…..