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Glite Dictionary
expletive deleted

expletive deleted

1 9.6
Words used to show that swear words are removed from quoted speech
  • idiom
  • NSFW
translation icon : expletivo eliminado
  • He responded with an expletive deleted when he saw the bill.

Examples

  • The article included a note saying 'expletive deleted' to censor the harsh words.

  • "Once we get to Hollywood and find those Miramax"-- expletive deleted--

    Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)

  • And Dave would mutter an expletive deleted.

    The Glass House (2001)

  • During the interview, many expletive deleted remarks were edited out for a cleaner version.

Antonyms

uncensored
12 5.1

Presented in full without parts removed by the government

Surface Forms

expletive deleted main

Morphology

expletive + delete

The phrase literally indicates that an 'expletive' (a profane word) has been 'deleted' (removed); a B1 learner who knows both constituent meanings can directly infer it marks censored profanity. The noun + past-participle construction straightforwardly signals removal and this logic is common across languages, so the overall meaning is compositional and predictable.

Etymology

The phrase expletive deleted comes from the way reporters and editors showed that a swear word had been removed: they wrote expletive deleted in the transcript where the rude word used to be. So expletive deleted means a 'swear word' or 'offensive language' has been removed from the text.