Nine words that can get you arrested

What not to say.

1.OK

On Friday, a woman in Thailand was arrested for responding with the word "ja" which means "I See"/"Ok". Patnaree Chankij wrote this in response to a post comment on facebook which criticised the regime and she believes this is the true reasons she has been arrested.

2. F**k

In 2013 Wesley Force was arrested for swearing in public. Mr Force used the "F" word in a hardware store and was arrested by police for breaching a local ordinance against profanity in the town of New Bern, North Carolina. So much for the First Amendment.

3. Pig

Last year Police Officers in Kendal, Cumbria arrested a deaf man for using sign language to call them a "Pig". The accused, Linely Hassan pleaded guilty to being drunk and disorderly.

4. Old

In October 2015, James Mwaya was arrested and jailed for two nights on the charge that he had called President Mugabe "Old". According to Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, Mwaya was referring to a time that President Mugabe gave a speech to Parliament which he had already given.

5. Bingo!

The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic.

These words by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes rang true in 2013 when 18 year old Austin Whaley shouted "Bingo" in a crowded Bingo Hall in Covington, Kentucky and caused chaos. Elderly players take the game extremely seriously, and after creating such a commotion and refusing to apologise Whaley was arrested, facing up to 90 days in jail and a $250 fine.

6. Hi

An unnamed man was arrested in 2013 for saying "Hi" to a stranger. Two Police Officers in Pennsylvania, US, told the man it constituted suspicious behaviour, and accused him of "freeloading". The incident which goes on for over 16 minutes was caught on camera.

7. C**t

An Australian Federal MP Christopher Pyne narrowly avoided prosecution after calling another Member thatfour letter word. In 2014 Pyne allegedly called the Leader of the Opposition a "c**t", though Pyne later claimed he said "Grub". In Pyne's home state, the use of abusive or insulting language in public can result in a three month prison sentence. See the video here to decide for yourself.

8. Woof

In 2007 a 16-year-old Kyle Little was arrested for saying Woof to a Police Dog. Little had been cautioned by Police for swearing in public, and decided to instead bark at the two Labradors "Princess" and "Ruby". Little's case was overturned at Newcastle Crown Court the same year. Justice Beatrice Bolton told the court.

I don't think section 5 of Public Order Act applies to dogs

9. Bomb

In Malaysia it is illegal to shout "bomb" in an airport, for obvious reasons. Police at Kuala Lumpur International Airport reported arresting 15 travellers for this in the last year alone. If convicted this can lead to 7 years in prison or a hefty fine.

George Carlin's Seven Dirty Words

An honourable mention has to go out to comedian George Carlin who famously had a routine of "Seven Dirty Words". These were words that he argued had no possible other meaning and were banned from television and radio.

Let me separate these [swear words]. Which ones don't have saving meanings? Which ones don't have a saving grace to them/

After performing his deconstruction of the 7 words in many of his routines, Carlin was arrested in July 1972 at one of his live shows in Wisconsin, USA. He was charged with violating obscenity laws. The case was dismissed when a court ruled Carlin had been "indecent" but not "obscene". The 7 words that got Carlin arrested that night remained contentious. In the following year American censors entered a legal battle with a New York radio station for broadcasting his material.

As you're on tenterhooks, the seven swear words with no other meaning are:

1. Sh*t

2. P**s

3. F**k

4. C**t

5. Cckscker

6. Mthrf*er

7. T*ts

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