Britain’s favourite swear word revealed
And other stories from the stranger side of life
The F-word has overtaken “bloody” as the UK’s favourite swear word, according to a new study. An expert said the F-word is popular because it is “semantically vague”. However, researchers found that in the past two decades, the use of both words has declined, with the use of “bloody” estimated to have plummeted by 80%. The use of the word “shit”, however, nearly doubled.
Surgery ‘turning people into aliens’
A top plastic surgeon has criticised his industry for promoting a “twisted standard of beauty” that encourages people to adopt an “alienised” look. Steven Harris, who practises at the Harris Clinic in North London, said that the industry was becoming a breeding ground for mental health illnesses thanks to the rise of extreme cosmetic alterations such as pumped up lips, protruding cheekbones and abnormally arched eyebrows.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A hot dog takes 36 minutes off your life
Every hot dog a person eats shortens their life by 36 minutes, according to new research. Experts at the University of Michigan said that the 61 grams of processed meat in the results in 27 minutes of healthy life lost. “Then, when considering the other risk factors, like the sodium and trans fatty acids inside the hot dog - counterbalanced by the benefit of its polyunsaturated fat and fibres - we arrived at the final value of 36 minutes of healthy life lost per hot dog,” they said.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The controversial Free Birth SocietyThe Explainer Influencers are encouraging pregnant women to give birth without midwife care – at potentially tragic cost
-
Wes Anderson: The Archives – ‘quirkfest’ celebrates the director’s ‘impeccable craft’The Week Recommends Retrospective at the Design Museum showcases 700 props, costumes and set designs from the filmmaker’s three-decade career
-
Is conscription the answer to Europe’s security woes?Today's Big Question How best to boost troop numbers to deal with Russian threat is ‘prompting fierce and soul-searching debates’
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish