WORD'S WORTH BY AMY WALLACE The first person to e-mail us with the correct answers will win a $25 gift certificate from Borders Books & Music.

T H E_ f-W O R D - - - - - - - - - > I love the F-word. I never tire of it. I've been told its unladylike, and I'm sure that's true, but what the heck -- nothing says it better. Maybe the best thing about it is its manifold use: From the essential "Fuck you!" to the relatively genteel "Well, fuck me!" You don't have to be a sailor to revel in this word. Here is a sample of its infinite variety: "Fucking A! That motherfucker totally fucked me, it was un-fucking-believable! So I said, 'Go fuck yourself, you fuck.' That fucked him up. But you know what? I really don't give a fuck." Where did this word come from? Could Quentin Tarantino have had a career without it? The first question we can approach. The term first appeared at the start of the 16th century, and its initial dictionary appearance is in John Florio's World of Wordes (1598): "Fottere, to iape, to sard, to fucke, to swive, to occupy." Some say the word derives from Germanic roots that have to do with thrusting, or with the Latin pungare, which means to strike. One appealing but inaccurate theory is that during the time of the plague -- when it was necessary to increase the population -- a royal injunction was issued telling the common folk to "Fornicate Under Command of the King." The fact is, no one really knows for sure where it started, not even the OED. Fortunately, in spite of increasing public usage, it hasn't entirely lost its pizazz -- the New York Times still refuses to print it, and people still say, "Oh, fudge!" or "I'm so effing mad!" The most famous story of an F-word euphemism concerns Norman Mailer. When "The Naked and the Dead" was published in 1948, he was forced to render it as fug. When Dorothy Parker met Mailer at a party, she said, "So you're the young man who can't spell fuck?" The author is indebted to Jesse Sheidlower's invaluable book "The F-Word," which is certainly the last word on this subject. 1. The following are all foreign language words for "fuck." Can you name the languages? 1. larru jo 2. bolle, kneppe and pule 3. neuken or naaien 4. baszni 5. ficken or bumsen 6. fiki or seksumi 2. Can you match the following slang terms for sexual intercourse with the century in which they were used? 1. join paunches 2. ride a St. George 3. play hide the salami 4. get one's greens 5. foin 6. make the beast with two backs A. 14th B. 20th C. 17th D. 16th E. 19th F. 18th 3. Can you match these quotes with their literary sources? 1. A cigar is a cigar, but a good woman is a fuck. 2. I wasn't going to fuck around for those toffee-nosed buggers. 3. I feel fuck-all discouraged about things sometimes. 4. And what should an ingenue look like? A fucked-out redhead with big tits. 5. If he didn't fuck off those four years in the steel mills, he could've gotten ahead. 6. Bug off, you worthless faggot! You twisted pigfucker. 7. I feel mad to ... fuck between you ... bubbies. 8. I was that superior fuck who smiled patronizingly and observed ... "Recent statistics show that the French have the greatest land army in the world." A. Ken Kesey B. S.J. Perelman C. Studs Terkel D. T.E. Lawrence E. James Joyce F. Hunter S. Thompson G. Ernest Hemingway H. Jacqueline Susann Are your answers and other information all filled in? Then press the SUBMIT ANSWERS button below. This quickly sends your answers back to Salon. There is no need to press this button twice. Please enter your e-mail address: Please enter your full name: Aug. 15, 1997 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Answers to the last Word's Worth: 1. Can you match the following with the activities they describe? 1. Tell a French joke 2. Irish wedding 3. Jamaica discipline 4. Go to Copenhagen 5. Hindustani jig 6. Dutch fuck 7. Russian salad party 8. Scotch screw 9. Roman engagement A. Anal intercourse with a virgin girl B. Masturbation C. Nocturnal emission D. Oral stimulation of the anus E. Orgy in which all participants are greasy F. Have a sex-change operation G. An act of lighting one cigarette from another H. A wife's denial of sexual favors to her husband I. Anal intercourse Answers: 1. D 2. B 3. H 4. F 5. I 6. G 7. E 8. C 9. A 2. Which of the following does not refer to genitalia? 1. Roman candle 2. Jew's lance 3. French fare 4. English sentry 5. Welsh flagpole 6. Canadian bacon Answer: 5 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Amy Wallace is the co-author of many books, including "The Book of Lists," and is the author of "The Prodigy," a biography, "Desire," a novel, and Salon's Listress quiz. She lives in Los Angeles.