You can't say that!

David Cameron has come in for some stick for using a four-letter word beginning with "t" on the radio. In my youth I was familiar with this word as meaning "a stupid person" (and I'm certain that this was the sense in which he used it) and it was only later in the Forces that I became aware that it had a secondary rude meaning. This business of obscene (or judged by some people to be obscene) words often causes me some amusement. The English language is full of words and expressions that take different meanings depending on the circumstance in which they are used - the double entendre was the stock-in-trade of the seaside postcard and the Carry On films. We are used to differentiating between the various meanings of words based upon the context, and it's only when two people perceive different contexts that a problem arises such as has been caused by the radio interview in question. It is often said that if there is any confusion in a communication then the fault must lie with the communicator as it is their job to see that the message they wish to give gets across, and I suppose on this basis Cameron must bear the blame. Problem is, there are those who set out to be offended (Mary Whitehouse?) and it's very difficult to make allowances for them. Mind you, there are also those who deliberately set out to shock or offend - I've never understood how FCUK managed to get away with that as a brand name.