The Rice University Neologisms Database

The f-word; used to compare its force in language with that of the atomic bomb (a-bomb) in war F-bomb follows the same pattern of A-bomb and H-bomb, clearly associating its use in normal social life with that of nuclear weapons in war. By comparing the f-word to the atomic bomb, the author was essentially summing up its explosive social nature and the stigma against using it unnecessarily. Because it is so unacceptable to many, the word f-bomb conveys both strength (i.e., strong language) and shock in the same way that major devastation and worldwide public shock were associated with the use of atomic weapons at the end of World War II.