What?! You’ve never heard of Grawlix? That’s !%&$*@% crazy!  Also known as “obscenicon” or “symbol swearing”, grawlix refers to the use of typographical symbols in place of an obscenity. here’s just one problem with them: studies have suggested that grawlixes can sometimes have a stronger impact on readers than actual swear words. This is because they engage the reader's imagination, allowing them to fill in the blanks with whatever profanity they find most shocking or appropriate.

The term was coined by comic book writer and artist Mort Walker in the 1960s to describe the squiggly lines used by his  characters Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois, but grawlix have been around for much longer, appearing in early comics strips and even silent films.