Eighth-grade English had been discussing slang and its place in the lexicon. “The English language is ever-evolving,” I explained to the bright-eyed bunch of 14-year-olds seated in front of me. On my projector screen, I Googled “new dictionary words 2016,” clicked the first hit, and resumed my spiel. Immediately I was drowned out by raucous teenage laughter. As the class descended into mirthful chaos, I realized that I had ignored the cardinal rule of teaching: Preview your content. Too late, I saw that the Oxford English Dictionary had chosen 2016 as the year to make “buttfuck,” “buttfucker,” and “buttfucking” official.
Paula Turcotte is a writer and former English teacher. She makes a mean chocolate chip cookie. Find Paula at www.paulaturcotte.me and on Instagram @p.turc.