I’m interested in how UK and USA audiences might have reacted to Ted Lasso differently and I feel like the amount of fucks said might have led to a different amount of fucks given.
I’m interested in how UK and USA audiences might have reacted to Ted Lasso differently and I feel like the amount of fucks said might have led to a different amount of fucks given.
Depends on context.
It’s an insult first and foremost. It’s stronger than jerk which has the same meaning in American English. I wouldn’t let my kid say it and he doesn’t know it, unlike arse, dickhead, pillock which are milder (I don’t let my kid use them but he does know them).
Having said that I think it’s quite rare to call someone a wanker to their face in anger. It’s more often used with at least a bit of a playful edge, like when teasing a friend or shouting something mocking at a stranger. “Bus wanker” on the Inbetweeners is a famous example of this. In fact, the inbetweeners is a great show to watch if you’re interested in British swearing customs.
If you call someone a wanker behind their back or call something a load of wank, it is read as more sincere and insulting.
Fwiw cunt is used in pretty much exactly the same way as wanker but with much more intensity. If I call someone a wanker behind their back I think they’re useless and annoying. If I call them a cunt it means I think they are a bad person. But between friends there isn’t so much difference in meaning, it’s just a sign of the amount of trust between friends.
And then in some parts of Scotland cunt can just stand in for the word “person” hahaha.