''Roger's Profanisaurus'' is a humorous book (and for a short period commencing 2011;
mobile app
A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a smartphone, phone, tablet computer, tablet, or smartwatch, watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop appli ...
), published in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
by
Dennis Publishing
Dennis Publishing Ltd. was a British publisher. It was founded in 1973 by Felix Dennis. Its first publication was a kung-fu magazine. Most of its titles now belong to Future plc.
In the 1980s, it became a leading publisher of computer enthusi ...
which is written in the style of a
lexicon
A lexicon (plural: lexicons, rarely lexica) is the vocabulary of a language or branch of knowledge (such as nautical or medical). In linguistics, a lexicon is a language's inventory of lexemes. The word ''lexicon'' derives from Greek word () ...
of
profane words and expressions. The book is marketed as "the foulest-mouthed book ever to stalk the face of the earth".
It is a
spin-off publication from the popular British adult comic ''
Viz'', and features one of the comic's characters, the foul-mouthed
Roger Mellie "the Man on the Telly who says 'Bollocks!". The title of the book is a
word play
Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, ph ...
on ''
Roget's Thesaurus
''Roget's Thesaurus'' is a widely used English-language thesaurus, created in 1805 by Peter Mark Roget (1779–1869), British physician, natural theologian and lexicographer.
History
It was released to the public on 29 April 1852. Roget was ...
'', ''Profanisaurus'' being a
portmanteau
In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together. of ''profanity'' and ''Thesaurus''.
Publication history
The ''Profanisaurus'' was originally published as a supplement stapled into the middle of the December 1997 edition of the ''Viz'' comic (''Viz'' 87), with 'over 700 rude words and phrases'. It was labelled "Sweary Mary's Dictionary", after a foul-mouthed character from Viz. The 2013 edition of the ''Profanisaurus'' is titled "Hail Sweary", a possible a nod to her heritage.
Contributions from readers were originally published in the comic, and then edited into later editions.
The first actual book was released less than a year later, in 1998 (), but the content had tripled with now 2,250 definitions; this was followed in the second edition in 2002 with the number of terms covered growing to 4,000 ().
An updated version, the ''Profanisaurus Rex'', containing over 8,000 words and phrases, was released in 2005, and a further-expanded version, the "Magna Farta" (a play on ''
Magna Carta
(Medieval Latin for "Great Charter"), sometimes spelled Magna Charta, is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardin ...
'') at the end of 2007. (Perhaps coincidentally,
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...
is said to have referred to Magna Carta as "Magna Farta".)
Subsequent versions have been ''Das Krapital'' (2010, a play on
Karl Marx
Karl Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He is best-known for the 1848 pamphlet '' The Communist Manifesto'' (written with Friedrich Engels) ...
's ''
Das Kapital
''Capital: A Critique of Political Economy'' (), also known as ''Capital'' or (), is the most significant work by Karl Marx and the cornerstone of Marxian economics, published in three volumes in 1867, 1885, and 1894. The culmination of his ...
''), ''Hail Sweary'' (2013, featuring on the cover Roger in a monk's outfit kneeling as if in prayer, and the title in
Olde Englishe above; an obvious and obscene reference to the Catholic '
Hail Mary
The Hail Mary or Ave Maria (from its first words in Latin), also known as the Angelic or Angelical Salutation, is a traditional Catholic prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the ...
'), ''War and Piss'' (2018, a play on Tolstoy's ''
War and Peace
''War and Peace'' (; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, the work comprises both a fictional narrative and chapters in which Tolstoy discusses history and philosophy. An ...
'', with "over 20,000" definitions) and ''Turtleshead Revisited'' (2024, a play on Evelyn Waugh's ''
Brideshead Revisited
''Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder'' is a novel by the English writer Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1945. It follows, from the 1920s to the early 1940s, the life and romances of Charles Ryder, esp ...
'').
Content
Unlike a traditional dictionary or thesaurus, the content is enlivened by often pungent or politically incorrect observations and asides, intended to provide further comic effect.
Those familiar with
Ambrose Bierce
Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 – ) was an American short story writer, journalist, poet, and American Civil War veteran. His book '' The Devil's Dictionary'' was named one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by the ...
's ''
Devil's Dictionary'' might recognise some parallels with Bierce's style, though his lacked the overt obscenity.
The authors often take delight in lampooning political or media figures of the day, or illustrating terms with fictional dialogue between notionally respectable historical figures. A much-used technique for sexual phrases is to include them in a quoted passage from a non-existent
Barbara Cartland novel.
Reception
David Stubbs wrote that ''Profanisaurus'' "represents what you might call the maximalist tendency in obscenity".
Becky Barrow wrote that ''Profanisaurus'' "became a bestseller. It contained more swear words than the most devoted practitioner would ever remember."
See also
* ''
The Meaning of Liff''
References
External links
''Roger's Profanisaurus'' online at ''Vizs website
{{Viz (comics)
Comedy books
Linguistics books
English dictionaries
Works about profanity