In Manchester, an F-Bomb Could Cost You $1,400

Visitors to Manchester, England, might want to think carefully before they drop an F-bomb in public. In a bid to stop offenses against the public’s ears around the city’s Salford Quays area, the Manchester City Council has started threatening hefty fines for “using foul and abusive language.” Penalties for using any terms that scandalize public decency could range from an on-the-spot fine of £90 ($127) to as much as £1000 ($1,409) if the case goes to court.

In Britain, a move like this is pretty jaw-dropping, a novel cultural shock that goes beyond losing some cash. The average British person wouldn’t be surprised to see this type of ban crop up in the United States—most of us have seen Footloose, so they’re kind of what we expect. But in the U.K., there aren’t any real official bans on public cursing—not least because, in British usage, “cursing” still describes what a witch does when she turns you into a newt.