A swear jar (also known as a swearing jar, cuss jar, swear box or cuss bank) is a device intended to discourage people from using profanity.[1] Every time someone uses profanity, others who witness it collect a "fine", by insisting that the offender put some money into the box.[2] The container may be made of glass, porcelain, or metal, and may have a lid with a slot. From time to time, the accumulated money may be used for some agreed-upon purpose, or contributed to charity.
The concept appears to have originated in the 1890s, under the name "swear box",[3][4] and to have gained popularity in the 1910s.[5] The term "swear jar" appears to have been invented in the 1980s in the United States, and is not documented in Great Britain;[5] an early mention of a swear jar is in the 1988 U.S. movie Moving. The concept of swear box or jar became very popular in the 1980s.[5]
A swear jar might not be a physical object; instead, a notional swear jar is referred to in order to indicate someone's use of profanity has been noted.
- ^ "Swearing and Bad Language". BYU. Retrieved 2014-06-10.
- ^ "Panorama Archive: Dimbleby's swear-box". BBC. 14 November 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ^ Forest and Stream, March 20, 1890, p. 176.
- ^ Thomas J. Henry, Claude Garton: A Story of Dunburgh University, 1897, p. 167.
- ^ a b c Google nGrams comparison of swear box and swear jar in the US and in GB.