c. an impressive or outstanding thing; humdinger.
1977 National Lampoon (Aug.) 33: Have I got a motherfucker of a stunt for you! 1981 C. M. Brown in Black Scholar (Sept./Oct.) 8/2: They got some skies in Africa that are a motherfucker, man! 2001 Village Voice (May 22) 124/1: The Berkeley quartet opened its set jamming and vamping… From then on it was a motherfucker; nothing like the current wave of junior Black Sabbaths and Blue Cheers trudging through the low end.
3. (used as an indefinite standard of comparison).
1962 in D. Wepman et al. The Life (1976) 139: I just come back.… Mad as a motherfucker. 1962 V. Riccio & B. Slocum All the Way Down 149: Something new has been added…the letters LAMF under a personal name or a gang name.… It means “Like A Mother Fucker,” and it’s supposed to suggest to all who read it that the person or the gang…is rough and tough and hell-bent for war or what may come. 1966–67 P. Thomas Down These Mean Streets 160: He went limper’n a motherfucker. 1973 J. E. Wideman Lynchers 39: It be dark as a muthafucka. 1975 S.P. Smith American Boys 100: LaMont was [running] like fifty motherfuckers. 1976 R. Telander Heaven is Playground (1995) 170: Who wants to go to college?.… Where’s the talent? A strong finish. I’m losing my voice. The phone never stops ringing, coaches, high schools, prep schools, colleges. I’m closing like a motherfucker!’ 1990 E. W. Rukuza West Coast Turnaround 39: It was raining like six motherfuckers. 1991 J. Singleton Boyz N the Hood (film): This fool got more comics than a motherfucker.
In phrases:
beans and motherfuckers, Military. a C-ration portion of lima beans and ham.
1980 M. Baker Nam 11: I’m not going to say he had cold beans and motherfuckers for breakfast. Ibid. 320: Beans and motherfuckers—C-ration delicacy composed of lima beans and ham. 1990 G.R. Clark Words of Vietnam War 52: Beans-and-Motherfuckers (Ham and Lima Beans). 1991 L. Reinberg In the Field: Beans and motherfuckers, slang for unpopular C-ration lima beans and ham. 2004 C. Burke Camp All-American 111: Soldiers in Vietnam complained about the food they were served: the “beans and baby dicks” (beans and franks), the “beans and motherfuckers” (lima beans and ham). 2004 L. Reardon Mercy Killers 86: He eats that nasty beans and motherfuckers like it’s steak and eggs.
bends and motherfuckers, Military. calisthenic squats and thrusts.
1980 M. Baker Nam 39 [refers to ca1970]: You look like shit, so we’re going to do a little PT now. Bends and motherfuckers. Many, many, many of them. Ibid. 320: Bends and motherfuckers: the squat-thrust exercise. 1990 G.R. Clark Words of Vietnam War 55: Bends-and-Motherfuckers… squat-thrust exercises. ca2000 J. DiFusco et al. Tracers (rev. ed) 56: Bends and motherfuckers—cadence count—one hundred repetitions. Ready. Exercise. (The five begin doing squat thrusts, counting off.)
ham and motherfuckers, Military. a C-ration portion of canned ham and lima beans.
1973 McA. Layne How Audie Murphy Died in Vietnam (unpaged): Packaged into the 1942 C-ration case.… Ham & little muther fahckers,/Affectionately called,/Ham/&/Mutha’s. 1980 J. DiFusco et al. Tracers 41 [refers to Vietnam War]: I haven’t got anything left except some ham and motherfuckers, man. 1982 E. Leonard Cat Chaser 76: Ham and lima beans: ham and motherfuckers. 1987 “J. Hawkins” Tunnel Warriors 332 [refers to Vietnam War]: Ham & Motherfuckers. C-rations serving of ham and lima beans. 1988 M. Clodfelter Mad Minutes 258 [refers to 1966]: Cans of “ham and mother fuckers” (ham and lima beans). a1989 C.S. Crawford Four Deuces 107 [refers to Korean War]: Ham and lima beans… was considered to be one of the good rations even though we called them “ham and motherfuckers.” 1990 E. M. Helms Proud Bastards 125: I think I’ve got a sudden craving for ham and motherfuckers. 2008 J. C. McManus 7th Infanry Regiment 70: Ham and lima beans (always referred to as “ham and motherfuckers”).
motherfucker interjection
(used to express astonishment, anger, etc.).
1968 Nation (Dec. 2) 595: I said how come you din’ sing the National Anthem?…Motherfucker!…You a bunch of jive motherfuckers. 1974 L.D. Miller Valiant 21 [refers to WWII]: Mudderfucker!… I’m hit! 1985 D. Bodey F.N.G. 144: Muthafucker, can this be? 1988 J. Norst Colors x. 138: But the pain only incensed Hightop, rejuvenated his awesome wired strength. Motherfucker! Motherfucker! 2008 J. Picoult Change of Heart 56: Calloway sank down to the floor of his cell, cradling the dead bird. “Motherfucker. Motherfucker.”
motherfucking interjection & infix
(used for emphasis). [The 1962–63 quotation is euphemistic.]
1962–63 K. Kesey Sometimes a Great Notion 7: How do you expect any-motherkilling-one to know Hank Stamper’s reasons? 1967 G. Ragni & J. Rado Hair 154: Yeah! Emanci-motherfuckin’-pator of the slave. 1977 E. Torres Q & A 54: Motherfuckin’-A right. 1987 J. Ferrandino Firefight 124: Just hats up and dismotherfuckinappears. 1999 D. Century Street Kingdom ii. 77: I’m gettin’ ready to go up north my-muthafuckin’-self!
motherfucking adjective & adverb
1. goddamned; FUCKING.
1889 Texas Court of Appeals Report (1890) XXVIII 206: According to Sumner, he spoke of defendant as “that God damned lying, thieving son-of-a-bitch”;…and according to McKinney, as “that God damned mother-f—cking, bastardly son-of-a-bitch!” 1898 Texas Criminal Reports XXXVII 22: You are instructed, that if prior to the shooting of deceased by defendant, the deceased called the defendant a “mother-fucking son-of-a-bitch,” and the defendant…shot and killed the deceased, then you are instructed, in such a case, the defendant could not be guilty of a higher offense than manslaughter, if guilty of anything. 1933 J. O’Hara Appointment in Samarra 154: Why, you small-time chiseling bastard, you. You dirty mother—bastard. [1933 J. Conroy Disinherited 30: Scab! Scab! O,you bloody mother-killin’bastards! O,you lowdown sons of bitches!] 1936 M. Levin Old Bunch 122: Listen, you mother-f—little runt, if you don’t—. 1948 N. Mailer Naked & Dead 12: Of all the mother-fuggin luck, that sonofabitch takes it all. Ibid. 400: That’s the mother-fuggin’ truth. [1948 W. Manone & P. Vandervoort Trumpet on the Wing 131: If I hurt your beat-out feelings, I beg your mother-robbin’ pardon.] 1951 J. Jones Face of War 62: Mother fuggin’ bastards. 1951 J. Kerouac Visions of Cody 119: I read every WORD of that motherfuckin thing. 1953–55 MacK. Kantor Andersonville 524: Mother-fucking old Yankee mudsills. [1957 T.H. White Mountain Road 21: The next guy doesn’t know a mother-frigging thing about it.] 1958 T. Berger Crazy in Berlin 168 [refers to WWII]: A Southerner or a Negro, passing on the sidewalk out front, described to a mute companion a succession of events that were invariably mothafuhn. 1961 in C. Himes Black on Black 69: I’ll cut your motherfucking throat. 1961 G. Forbes Goodbye to Some 128 [refers to WWII]: You ain’t home with you mother-fuckin’ mother! [1963–64 K. Kesey Sometimes a Great Notion 7: The whole motherkilling agreement.] 1965 S. Linakis In Spring the War Ended 75: He’s a mother-fuckin’ liar. 1962–65 R. Giallombardo Society of Women 49: She said…“I’m not showing you a mother—’ thing.” 1965 C. Brown Manchild in the Promised Land 140: I’m gon bust your mother-fuckin’ ass. 1966–67 P. Thomas Down These Mean Streets 129: They don’t come no motherfuckin’ better. 1967 W. Crawford Gresham’s War 161: You motherhunching son of a hounddog whore. 1967 W. Stevens Gunner 231: It was that motherfucking Ploesti that reached up and tore his ass apart. 1964–69 in S. Calt Rather Be Devil 57 [refers to ca1919]: The guys…wouldn’t say: “Pass me such and such a thing, if they wanted a big pan of meat or biscuits or rice.… They said, “Let such-and-such a thing walk up that motherfuckin’ table.” 1970 J. Neary Julian Bond: Black Rebel 174: Mayor Richard J. Daley yelled “Get that motherfucking Jew out of here!” at United States Senator Abraham Ribicoff of Connecticut. 1977 T. Jones Incredible Voyage 284: But you tell that mother-fucking chief, Manco Quispe, I want a clan meeting right now. 1986 P. Welsh Tales Out of School 64: [The pupils] lapse into street dialect, saying “be” for “are,” “mines” for “mine” and of course the ubiquitous adjective “mother-f—.” 1989 S. Robinson & D. Ritz Smokey 42: This is my motherfucking house and I’m gonna live here and no one’s gonna stop me
. 1993 New Yorker (Feb. 8) 35: Motherfucking cockroach. 1993 J. Mowry Six out Seven ii. i. 272: It cause of what Bates say to you! That…that bullshit! That cock-suckin motherfuckin liar!
2. (used to emphasize the positive qualities of a following noun).
1954 in D. Wepman et al. The Life (1976) 42: I love him madly, he’s my motherfucking man. 1961 R. Gover $100 Misunderstanding 95: Tee vee man talkin up a mothahfuggin storm! 1973 J. Flaherty Fogarty & Co. 157: What a motherfucking man he was, Shamus! 1978 R. Andrews Appalachee Red (1987) 254: From Carolina to Alabama to Mississippi back to Alabama to here, home sweet motherfucking home! a1990 in M. Costello & D. F. Wallace Signifying Rappers 79: I shoulda kicked your ass/My-motherfuckin-self. 1991 C. E. Faupel Shooting Dope 75: Hey man, let’s go get us some good motherfucking dope. 2000 Village Voice (Jan. 18)107/2: Damn girl! Look at that motherfucking ass! Whatup baby! You see that ass on her? Talk about stopping traffic. 2003 “Zoe Trope” Please Don’t Kill the Freshman 76: My beautiful fantastic motherfucking cocksucking brilliant queer.
mothergrabber noun
(a partial euphemism for) MOTHERFUCKER.
1963 in J. Blake Joint 357: You set me up, mother-grabber. 1966 I. Reed Pall-Bearers 34: Goofy mother-grabber! 1968 H. Sackler Great White Hope I. 46: Ellie. (With Negro inflection.) You slimy two-bit no-dick mothergrabber. 1994 A. D. Foster in Impossible Places (2002) 101: You lazy good-for-nuthin’ orbitin’ mothergrabber!
mother-grabbing adjective
(a partial euphemism for) MOTHERFUCKING.
1953–58 J. C. Holmes Horn 68: Those mother-grabbin’ slacks… were full of seeds! 1961 J. Jones Thin Red Line 60: He’s a jerkoff. A goddam mother-grabbing jerkoff. 1961 T. Williams Night of the Iguana in Three by Tennessee (1976) 95: Oh, my God, the money. They haven’t paid the mother-grabbin’ bill. 1962 R. Serling New Stories 67: Are you out of your mothergrab-bing mind? 1971 Playboy (Mar.) 92: “Out of your mother-grabbing mind,” Joanne said. 1990 M. Newton Blood Sport 134: “Life’s hard,” Flynn said. “Ain’t that the mother-grabbin’ truth?”
motherhumper noun
(a partial euphemism for) MOTHERFUCKER.
[1959 A. Anderson Lover Man 52: There’s a bad mother-hubber/Down the road a way.] 1963 T. Doulis Path for our Valor 81: Death, I think, you mother-humper. 1967 D. Ford Incident at Muc Wa 133: “C’mon, you mother-humpers!” Ski yelled at his Raiders. 1970 J. Grissim Country Music 281: Anybody that can follow me is a motha-humper. And they ain’t many that can do it.… I’m a violent motha-humper today. Don’t nobody fool with me or I’ll kill! 1972 National Lampoon (Sept.) 6: There are fourteen fuck you’s, nine cocksucker’s, and six mother-humper’s left over. 1986 J. C. Stinson & J. Carabatsos Heartbreak Ridge 77: Let’s smoke this motherhumper’s ass. 2000 L. Brown Fay 423: He was toting one motherhumper of a buzz. 2001 J. Ellroy Cold Six Thousand lxxiv. 395: By my lights, he’s a mean motherhumper. Probably gargles with antifreeze and flosses with razor blades. 2006 Men’s Health (July/Aug.) 118/1: “I’ll mess him up so bad he’ll have to eat through a straw!… I’ll sue the motherhumper!” says the chairman, although maybe not with those exact words.
mother-humping adjective
(a partial euphemism for) MOTHERFUCKING.
1949 D. Alman World Full of Strangers 54: I’ll fatigue you, you mother-humpin’ little bastard! 1961 R. Gover $100 Misunderstanding 19: He kin hardly git his mothahhumpin hands roun that wad! 1963 T. Doulis Path for our Valor 80: Why, that no-good, sneaky, mother-humpin’ rebel. 1964 H. Rhodes Chosen Few 99 [refers to ca1950]: That mother-humpin’ fuckoff wanted satisfaction! 1964 in R. Gover Trilogy 215: Right inta this mothah-humpin lounge. 1968 W. Crawford Gresham’s War 197: Motherhumping cowards. 1969 C. Brown Life & Loves of Mr. Jiveass Nigger 20: Like, it’s none of their motherhumping business, right? 1970 D. Quammen To Walk the Line 86: I thought we been fittin’ to make it to a gray jam, not do a suicide mission with some mother-humping cage-case. 1986 J. C. Stinson & J. Carabatsos Heartbreak Ridge 163: Friggin’ motherhumpin’ Highway. 1990 J. E. Wideman Philadelphia Fire 122: This mother-humping play can’t end no oder way. 1998 B. Bova Moonwar 391: We got a damned good chance of still being out here and getting fried to a crisp by the mother-humpin’ nuke. 2000 P. Kerr Mañana Mañana (2003) 114: “Mother-humpin’ faggot!” a raucous voice behind me shouted out.
mothering adjective & adverb
(a partial euphemism for) MOTHERFUCKING.
1951 J. Blake Letter (June 21) in Joint (1972) 21: He said if the motherin’ screw ever caught up to us, he’d wish he hadn’t. 1956 N. Algren A Walk on the Wild Side 160: His whole life he ain’t worked one single mothering day! 1957 E. Brown Locust Fire 95 [refers to 1944]: No more mothering flying. Well, hucklety buck. I don’t give a one. 1959 W. Miller Cool World 15: Why shitman them Colts is the same motheren piece they was usen at Cussers Last Stan. Ibid. 37: Them headbreakers. Motheren headbreakers. 1959 in H. Ellison Sex Misspelled 103: You try my mutherin’ patience. 1961 R. Russell Sound 31: You’re too motherin’ much, man. 1962 V. Riccio & B. Slocum All the Way Down 43: We’ll show these mothern bastards. 1963–64 K. Kesey Sometimes a Great Notion 210: I feel…pretty motherin’ good. 1965 P. Matthiessen At Play in the Fields of the Lord 37: Them poor mothering Indians. 1966–67 W. Stevens Gunner 56: They got some motherin big idea. 1968 Saturday Evening Post (Sept. 16) 27: I hope you have four motherin’ flat tires. ca1969 D. Rabe Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel 26: You ain’t no motherin’ exception to that whistle! 1975 Black World (June) 75: Not that motherin day. 1994 J. Barth Once upon Time 100: We are one hundred percent spent, but we seem actually to have weathered this mothering storm. 2005 J. MacGregor Sunday Money xii. 310: But then the misery index was high all the way around this weekend, hot and humid as gumbo.… On Sunday six cars with Hendrick engines blew up in that mothering funk.
mother-jumper noun
(a partial euphemism for) MOTHERFUCKER.
1949 H. Ellson Tomboy 5: It was that no good mother-jumper that owns the store. 1952 H. Ellson Golden Spike 22: What mother-jumpers you been listening to? Ibid. 40: Let’s kill that mother-jumper! 1955 H. Ellson Rock 121: I hit for the candy store then, mad as a mother-jumper. 1957 L. Margulies Young Punks 43: But this motherjumper is a white stud. 1963–64 K. Kesey Sometimes a Great Notion 334: I thought…the mother-jumper wasn’t even gonna. 1965 A. Borowik Lions 3, Christians 0 155: Yessir, you motherjumper, you’ll be laughing outa the other side of your mouth when the cops come for you. 1966 R. Fariña Been Down So Long 120: You old benevolent motherjumper, I love you! [1966–67 P. Thomas Down These Mean Streets 91: I hate all you white motherjumps.] 1970 W. C. Woods Killing Zone 88: He used to be a sad mother jumper. 1977 J. Wylie Homestead Grays 242: He was as quick as a motherjumper. 1977 M. Butler & D. Shryack Gauntlet 130: All right, you mother-jumpers. 1988 R. McKnight Moustapha’s Eclipse 15: I really don’t believe this motherjumper works. 2003 D. Hamill Sins of Two Fathers 358: I’ll kill him.… I’m washing dishes for a mother jumper who knocked up my kid sister! I’ll kill him!
mother-jumping adjective
(a partial euphemism for) MOTHERFUCKING.
1942 K. Fearing Clark Gifford’s Body 215: You mother-jumping cockroach. I’ll cut the heart out of your breast and eat it with my bare hands. 1952 H. Ellson Golden Spike 19: You mother-jumping thief! 1961 R. Gover $100 Misunderstanding 35: He sit up like a mothah jumpin jack-in-a-box. 1962 P. Crump Burn, Killer, Burn 163: You’re a mother-jumping coward. 1963–64 K. Kesey Sometimes a Great Notion 209: And good motherjumpin’ riddance. 1969 in E. G. Romm Open Conspiracy 138: Fucking sonofabitch Fascist mother jumping cops! 1980 E. McDowell To Keep Our Honor Clean 156: Sanders, you seem to think you’re running this mother-jumping platoon, only it’s about time you learned differently. 1983 M. S. Bell Washington Square Ensemble 155: The dealer calls me a motherjumping guinea. 1992 B. Gifford Night People 96: That wife of his made him too mother-jumpin’ certain, and that’s no good. 2001 R. Green & M. Burgess To Save Us All from Satan’s Power in Sopranos (HBO-TV) (Apr. 29): It’s a great
mother-jumping lyric, Jan.
motherlover noun
(a partial euphemism for) MOTHERFUCKER.
1950 L. Brown Iron City 69: And as for that mother-lover—. 1954 E. Hunter Runaway Black 18: You broke the mother-lover. 1955 R. Graziano & R. Barber Somebody Up There Likes Me 215: “Stand straight, you little mother-lover,” he says. 1963 L. Cameron Black Camp 63 [refers to WWII]: On your feet, motherlover! 1996 G. Phillips Perdition, U.S.A. 75: All you motherlovers drop to the ground on your knees. Now. 2001 M. Azerrad Our Band Could be Your Life xii. 445: Mudhoney are geeky motherlovers, all matchstick arms and legs and horn-rimmed glasses and small bottoms and boyish fun.
motherloving adjective
(a partial euphemism for) MOTHERFUCKING.
1951 “W. Williams” Enemy 149: Oh, those foggers. Those mother-loving foggers. 1954 B. Schulberg On the Waterfront 308: You’re a cheap, lousy, dirty, stinkin’, mother-lovin’ bastard. 1955 J. Klaas Maybe I’m Dead 36: The dirty mother-loving bastards. 1955 “E. Hunter” Jungle Kids 103: He didn’t get out of that mother-lovin’ cellar. 1957 Laurents & Sondheim West Side Story 145: On the whole! Ever—! Mother—! Lovin’—! Street! 1959 G. Morrill Dark Sea Running 88: Don’t be so mother-lovin’ nosy. 1962 J. O. Killens Then We Heard the Thunder 16: That’s a smooth mother-loving curve you throwing. 1968 J. D. Spooner Three Cheers for War in General 53: We got ourselves a mother lovin’ home. 1972 N.Y. Times (Feb. 6) 19: His one indulgence: a St. Bernard weighing 260 mother-lovin’ pounds. 1975 Atlantic (May) 43: I’m the Paul mother-lovin Bunyan of the Interstate system. 1983 W. Prochnau Trinity’s Child 154: He switched to the intercom and radioed downstairs: “Keep your mother-lovin’ eyes peeled down there.” 1991 Creem (Apr.–May) 108/1: Some mother-loving hi-fi crankatron that will make strong men weak with envy. 2000 New York Magazine (Dec. 18) 18: Has John Simon gone off the mother-loving deep end? Making theatergoing plans based on his reviews has always been akin to asking your crazy uncle Abe for hygiene tips, but Simon has outdone himself in his review of Comic Potential. 2003 T. Carson Gilligan’s Wake 74: At ease, down boy, and hello sailor, which oughta cover pretty much every mother-lovin’ one of you.
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