What is the origin of the British curse, “bleeding”? If it is something to do with women’s cycles, it is more gross than I realized.
The swear ‘bloody’ in British English is a contraction of the words, “By Our Lady”, which is swearing using the Mother of Jesus, or so I have read.
Actually, the form used in the British Empire was ‘bloody’.
There are many theories as to it’s root, but the most popular is that it is a euphemism for profanity.
Which would make sense it weren’t also a fact that many Britians follow up the word ‘bloody’ with the word ‘f*cking’, so avoiding profanity seems not to be a real issue.
IMHO, the term ‘bleeding’ used as an adjective is meant to signify a person that is ‘bleeding’ on everyone else. A person who has mostly self-inflicted wounds and wants everyone else to provide bandages and transfusions. If you don’t, they’ll just stand there and keep bleeding all over you. Hence, ‘bleeding’ liberal.
It is just as possible that ‘bleeding liberal’ was derived from ‘bloody f^cking liberal’, as well.
I just wonder which ‘definition’ the author intended, or if the author knew no better.