Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a euph. for fucking adj. (1)

1929		(con. WWI) R. Graves Goodbye to All That (1995) 79: The Bandmaster, who was squeamish, reported it as: ‘Sir, he called me a double-effing c—.’.
1946		R. Grinstead They Dug a Hole 83: Our sergeant is no effing bon.
1954		B. Kiely Honey Seems Bitter 104: I wish this effin thing was over.
1961		J. Sparks Burglar to the Nobility 154: Corporal, I can’t understand why you should want to see your face in an effing barrack-room floor.
1962		A. La Guma Walk in the Night (1968) 4: ‘Strolling again. Got pushed out of my job in the facktry.’ ‘How come then?’ ‘Answered back to a effing white rooker. Foreman.’.
1974		(con. 1940s) E. Thompson Tattoo (1977) 127: You know that’s just a come-on to get you to buy the effing candy.
1980		J. McClure Spike Island (1981) 150: He’ll want to take us back to ’is shop, and I’ll be dere fer effin’ hours!
1999		Indep. 27 Nov. 29: He called me an effing slut, and effing slag.
2000		Guardian 23 Feb. 5: It is the theatre which likes to call a spade an effing spade.
2006		D. Mitchell Black Swan Green 235: Where’s the effing gear this? Where’s the effing money that? [...] you effing old bitch.
2008		Financial Times 18 Dec. 4/5: Mr Khan hands over his mobile again so another business partner can tell Mr Hines he plans to ‘come down and punch your effing lights out’.
2012		P. Hensher Missing Ink 22: How the effing eff could they?
2016		N. Cummins Adventures of the Honey Badger [ebook] Head torch (effing bright).
2019		C. Crampton Way to the Sea 266: ‘Yeah, I’m by the water, usual place [...] It’s effing windy’.
2020		C. Hiaasen Squeeze Me 13: ‘No effin’ way’.
2020		G. Disher Consolation 230: ‘I touch the doorknob and it is effing hot’.
2023		R. Milward Man-Eating Typewriter 87: You’re disgusting! An effing poof! A pansy!