Mom Outraged by Naughty Word in Countdown

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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Mom Outraged by Naughty Word in Countdown


A woman in the U.K. was none too pleased when the game of Countdown [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mindscape-Countdown-Wii/dp/B002G9TWWU] she was playing with her three-year-old son threw an anagram at them that unscrambled into "sh*theads."

Countdown is a long-running game show in the U.K. in which players attempt to create words out of randomly chosen letters, solve math puzzles and, in the final round, unscramble a nine-letter anagram. In 2009, Mindscape and Koch Media released a home version of the game for the Nintendo Wii, which is what Victoria Smith and her young son Oliver were playing when it asked them to unscramble the letters "SHAHSITED."

The solution was revealed to be "shitheads," an amusing answer if you happen to be playing a Countdown drinking game with your buddies but not so much when you're partnered with your preschooler child. "I couldn't believe my eyes as the word was slowly unveiled as an obscene insult," Smith said. "Oliver is a really bright kid and we play this game to help him build up his word bank."

"He was already asking what the word meant," she added. "My husband Daniel had to usher him out of the room."

I was a little curious, so I plugged the letters into a couple of anagram solvers on the internet and sure enough, the only solution is "shitheads." And although the whole tale may sound a wee bit dubious, this wouldn't be Countdown's first brush with naughty word scrambles. On more than one episode the word "wankers" was declared and last year players were asked to create a word using the letters "AUODFCKEG [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7511173/Countdown-contestants-asked-to-make-word-using-UDFCKE.html]." Fortunately, neither of the contestants went for it.

Koch Media, Nintendo and Channel 4, which broadcasts the original Countdown game show, all declined to comment on the situation.

Source: Caliostro [http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3402463/A-mum-was-outraged-when-PC-version-of-Countdown-spelled-out-shheads.html] for the tip.


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Eri

The Light of Dawn
Feb 21, 2009
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That's hilarious. I wonder if she thought to herself, "I can't believe those wankers left this in the game."
 

Chamale

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Sep 9, 2009
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Perhaps they imported a dictionary into the game without removing all the swears. I suppose the PEGI also missed it. What a kuufpc.
 

Direwolf750

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Apr 14, 2010
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Well, unfortunately, either the people who made the game used an automatic word generator, or they decided that people could use a bit more humor in their lives...Either way, I approve.
 

maddawg IAJI

I prefer the term "Zomguard"
Feb 12, 2009
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I can understand the mom's feelings over this. After all, I wouldn't want my child picking up a swear while learning either. Still, its a funny situation.
 

Formica Archonis

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Nov 13, 2009
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maddawg IAJI said:
I can understand the mom's feelings over this. After all, I wouldn't want my child picking up a swear while learning either. Still, its a funny situation.
Yeah, the little fuckers should learn 'em from the pricks at school and god-damned bloody angry parents like everyone else.
 

maddawg IAJI

I prefer the term "Zomguard"
Feb 12, 2009
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Formica Archonis said:
maddawg IAJI said:
I can understand the mom's feelings over this. After all, I wouldn't want my child picking up a swear while learning either. Still, its a funny situation.
Yeah, the little fuckers should learn 'em from school and angry parents like everyone else.
Damn fucking straight man! That's how I learned it. 3 years old is just a tad young to be calling people shitheads in my opinion. At least wait until he's 6 or something.
 

MasterChief892039

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Jun 28, 2010
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Eh, not that big of a deal. Sure, three years old is pretty young to learn swear words and a word scramble isn't exactly something you'd think would contain adult material, but on the list of dangerous things kids can be exposed to, "naughty" words are pretty far down. At worst he says it to annoy his parents for a couple days, then gets bored of it and moves on.
 

adderseal

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Nov 20, 2009
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Oh god that's funny. The woman's comments are hilarious too: we build up his 'word bank.' My husband had to rush him out of the room. I feel sorry for the kid, he's going to be so sheltered that real life will hit him pretty hard. Curse of the over-protective parents.
 

Lillowh

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Oct 22, 2007
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SHAHSITED Definitly can be unscrambled into Shadiest. Stupid Assuming parents.
 

Jake the Snake

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Mar 25, 2009
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I can see why as a parent you'd be a bit miffed. But damn it all if that isn't fucking hilarious.

....Shitheads! *Tee hee*
 

ProfessorLayton

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Nov 6, 2008
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This is definitely an int- wait a minute, this is from the Sun? The same website thing that posted an article about how the Tiger Woods game had a naked person in it that was quickly deemed fake? Yeah, let's wait to pass judgment on this one. I've got a feeling that there's going to be an update to this article soon...
 

Not G. Ivingname

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Nov 18, 2009
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Andy Chalk said:
While normally I find these complaints always that the parents were in the wrong (see the recent cases of "my son spent 1,000 pounds on Xbox Live) but this case I am siding with the parents. What is this game rated in Britian? It's the equivelent of an E rating right? In that case their is really no reason to have "shitheads" in the game now is there?
 

halfeclipse

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Nov 8, 2008
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Lillowh said:
SHAHSITED Definitly can be unscrambled into Shadiest. Stupid Assuming parents.

Unscrambling an anagram requires using ALL the letters >_>

Not G. Ivingname said:
Andy Chalk said:
While normally I find these complaints always that the parents were in the wrong (see the recent cases of "my son spent 1,000 pounds on Xbox Live) but this case I am siding with the parents. What is this game rated in Britian? It's the equivelent of an E rating right? In that case their is really no reason to have "shitheads" in the game now is there?

Lower, it's the equivalent of EC which is suitable for ages 3+.
 

Sovvolf

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Mar 23, 2009
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Jesus christ... wtf is it with these mothers... Shut up you over dramatic pillock. I'm pretty sure the three year old isn't going to be able to read the word shithead, understand it and be able to pronounce it after flashing on the screen once... If he can then he's a boy genius. Secondly, why not just explain to your kid that its a naughty word and not to be used, rather than pulling your kid out of the room as if your home made porno had just flashed on screen.

Hey, I live with a three year old, I and the rest of my family swear a lot. She doesn't swear, why? because we've explained to her that they are naughty words and not to be used by children. She hasn't swore once since we explained it to her. Its a little something called parenting, you two need to learn it big time.

Christ, over protective parents, this kids going to live a very sheltered life at this rate.

As for the word it self, yeah she does have a right to complain about that. However it still seems a little dramatic to take it to the papers. Look when they are that age... There going to learn swear words, whether it be in a game, on the school ground, on T.V or even from people who visit the house. Its inevitable. The best thing you can do is teach them not to do it, you can't just shelter them away from it, your not going to be there to protect them all the time. So you've just got to do your best to teach them not to do it. Simply sheltering them away from it won't work because they will learn it and use them freely because they haven't been taught not to, they've just been pulled away from them.

Also, given that these words are in the dictionary... Then, is it really something she can complain about?, I mean, if the kid is able to pick up words just like that then surely he'll learn it just as fast from there. That being said, its a The Sun article and I don't believe a word they write.
 

loremazd

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Dec 20, 2008
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Sovvolf said:
Jesus christ... wtf is it with these mothers... Shut up you over dramatic pillock. I'm pretty sure the three year old isn't going to be able to read the word shithead, understand it and be able to pronounce it after flashing on the screen once... If he can then he's a boy genius. Secondly, why not just explain to your kid that its a naughty word and not to be used, rather than pulling your kid out of the room as if your home made porno had just flashed on screen.

Hey, I live with a three year old, I and the rest of my family swear a lot. She doesn't swear, why? because we've explained to her that they are naughty words and not to be used by children. She hasn't swore once since we explained it to her. Its a little something called parenting, you two need to learn it big time.

Christ, over protective parents, this kids going to live a very sheltered life at this rate.
There's a difference between being overprotective and being miffed after buying a preschooler's toy that replaced the cow goes moo with the Turet's bum says !@#$@.
 

bushwhacker2k

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Jan 27, 2009
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Eri said:
That's hilarious. I wonder if she thought to herself, "I can't believe those wankers left this in the game."
Probably did :D

Still don't understand why humans made these words if it's bad to say them.