NYC May Ban the 'B-Word'

The "N-word" was the first to go, earlier this year, and now New York's city council wants to impose a citywide symbolic ban on another dirty word: bitch. The councilwoman who jump-started the initiative calls the slur "a vile attack on our womanhood," but plenty of New Yorkers disagree. It all depends on context, the Times reports.

"Bitch" technically refers to a female dog, but the dictionary says it's no longer "in decent use." The council is looking to nix it along with another hip-hop librettist favorite, "ho." One stand-up comic says a real ban would keep her from working: "You may as well just say to me, don't even use the word 'the.'" (More language stories.)