I agree, which is why I along with the rest of the public were so confused when that advertising campaign was banned in the UK and the US!

"Twat" is definitely considered a swear in the US, at least where I grew up (on the east coast no less).

Oh yes "cuss" is a hilarious word. It's redneck for "curse" I guess.

Wow, I've never heard anyone say it over here. Guess I've just led a sheltered life :p:

I don't think I've ever heard twat used as a "swear word", and I'm the US east coast too.

Also cuss is quite the amusing word. but I think its more what younger kids say then rednecks. A lot of my relatives would fit under that category, and I don't think they say things like that.

...the way society come to a consensus about any sounds meaning any ideas was pretty random in the first place....but in order for language to effectively communicate ideas...different words have to have a different impact and have different values placed on them. You'll agree that "to fuck" gives a different impression than "to make love". "****" seems more violent, and makes people more uncomfortable. Language would be far less colorful if we just used a single word for each concept "sex, feces,etc.".

If we keep certain words taboo, they're more effective in getting a point across in extraordinary circumstances.("I'm really ****ing pissed" says more than "I'm angry")

Weird. What part of the east coast are you from? And how have you heard it used, if not as a swear?

Younger kids? That's interesting. When I lived in the midwest I found that it was rural redneck-types (of all ages) who used the term.

I'm from Connecticut and I honestly can't say I've ever heard someone say twat seriously. Usually it's just a joke; same with wanker and bloody hell

I grew up in Mass. so not too far off. Maybe it has to do with when we grew up? I'm 32, not sure if that's far off from your age or not. Growing up, I never associated it Britishisms like it sounds like you did, it was just a word roughly equivalent to "cunt" in the sense that it could be used as either a crude anatomical reference or an insult.

Growing up in Iowa twat and wank-stain were common, wanker and wank weren't.