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I was thinking of asking a question that has a swear word in its title. The question would have the same swear word, 3-4 times. It isn't offensive for anyone!

The title:

Beautiful ways to say 'Get the f*ck out'

The intention is to simply ask ways to say that, that don't require swearing.

Is this allowed?

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  • There's nothing wrong with asking about language (and titles are usually sanitised). Relevant tags exist. However, do make sure that the question itself is on-topic and not likely to be closed as too broad (too many possible answers). List questions are not suitable for the Stack Exchange format.
    – Andrew Leach Mod
    Jan 30, 2015 at 23:59

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As referenced in this Meta question, asking about a swear word is absolutely okay (as long as your question meets all the standard criteria, of course); the mere fact that it is a question about a swear word should not bring any opprobrium.

The primary restriction is that you should post in a polite, civil manner, which means that you should not actually use swear words or offensive terms as part of your general presentation.

okay:

What's a more polite way to tell someone to "get the fuck out"?

not okay:

Why the fuck should I have to conform to some anonymous asshole's stupid rules about civility?

Also (as pointed out by @KitZFox in comments), since question titles can automatically be published network-wide in the "hot network questions" sidebar, bowdlerizing the title of your question by character substitution is recommended. I don't know if we have any preferences for "f*ck" vs. "f**k" vs. "f***", but I'd imagine that the more letters you can blank out while still leaving your word recognizable, the more socially acceptable it is.

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  • Thank you. This is what I was looking for! Yes, the idea is to generate a polite question with polite answers to say something not-so-polite.
    – Ismael Miguel
    Jan 30, 2015 at 22:18
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    Also, it's our policy to bowdlerize swear words in titles, even when it is a use distinction.
    – Kit Z. Fox Mod
    Jan 30, 2015 at 23:19
  • @Kit Z. Fox: I hadn't realised that. Am I therefore being "helpful" by editing the title of What's the etymology of "when the sh*t hits the fan"? And is it also "desirable" to append (NSFW) to such titles?
    – FumbleFingers
    Jan 31, 2015 at 15:12
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    @Fumble the reason for sanitizing titles is that titles are broadcast network wide, so even though it's appropriate use, users have less control over the appearance of titles in sidebars for instance. NSFW isn't really appropriate because that implies the content is, shall we say, non-academic, which would mean it's not site-appropriate.
    – Kit Z. Fox Mod
    Jan 31, 2015 at 15:17
  • @Kit Z. Fox: Ah, right. I suppose that should have been obvious, but I didn't take account of "automated" broadcasting (which includes what turns up in Google searches). Thanks for setting me straight.
    – FumbleFingers
    Jan 31, 2015 at 15:23

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