'Offensive' word to be removed from Jacqueline Wilson book

[Zbigniev Hamson]

Well I'd guessed as much really, but the thread was still here just begging for a sarcastic comment.

[Pip Madeley]

Well at least you had a good reason to dig up an old thread.

[Dave Lewis]

It might even have been worthwhile to read the other posts on the thread before posting, really.

[Si Hunt]

Hasn't the point been missed here anyway? As I've always understood it, tw*t had two meanings - the first was as a mild put-down, akin to "twit" - as in "You stupid twat!", harmless and featured on TV comedies like Red Dwarf. The second, which in my innocence I only really discovered in recent years, was to mean a ladies 'area'. As it is clearly used here in the first context, I really don't see the problem. Unless we are now going to censor books featuring people called Dick because it's alternate meaning would be unsuitable for minors.

Si.

[Zbigniev Hamson]

Well at least you had a good reason to dig up an old thread.

To be fair it was only about 4 posts down from the top of the forum. I light brushing was enough to uncover it.

[Dave Lewis]

Hasn't the point been missed here anyway? As I've always understood it, tw*t had two meanings - the first was as a mild put-down, akin to "twit" - as in "You stupid twat!", harmless and featured on TV comedies like Red Dwarf. The second, which in my innocence I only really discovered in recent years, was to mean a ladies 'area'. As it is clearly used here in the first context, I really don't see the problem. Unless we are now going to censor books featuring people called Dick because it's alternate meaning would be unsuitable for minors.

Si.

You thought 'twat' and 'twit' were interchangeable? I hope you didn't inadvertently offend an old lady by calling her by a slang name for female genitalia... unless her name was Fanny, of course.

[Jeff]

Yeah, it's like how when I was in school the kids had a fun way of telling each other what a 'cool cat' they were. In what was obviously a feline reference they would call you a 'pussy'. And everyone thought I was the coolest kid in school!