Nearly one-third of all U.S. men say the F-word at least a few times a week. And while 75 percent of women say foul language offends them, 23 percent of the ladies also drop the F-bomb every week. Among both genders, 64 percent say it's a part of their vocabulary--even if they don't say it every week--with 8 percent confessing they say it several times a day and 15 percent reserving the F-word, arguably the most formidable of all curse words, for use only a few times a year.

That's the finding from a new Associated Press-Ipsos poll of 1,001 adults that discovered a whopping 62 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds regularly swear in casual conversation at least a few times a week, compared with 39 percent of those 35 and older.

Call it the age of profanity. Fully 74 percent of those polled by AP-Ipsos acknowledged that they hear cuss words frequently or occasionally in public places, and 66 percent said they think people swear more today than they did 20 years ago. Perk up your ears, and you'll hear foul language just about everywhere--from offices to bars and television to schools.

What can you do about it? The Associated Press turned to an expert: Judith Martin. Better known as Miss Manners, she said the problem is that those who are truly offended by such language aren't objecting to it--at least out loud. "Everybody is pretending they aren't shocked," Martin told AP "and gradually people won't be shocked. And then those who want to be offensive will find another way."

Here are two interesting facts uncovered by AP:

• Among those who swear and those who don't, there is amazing agreement that no one likes it when people swear for no good reason.  
  
• Many who do swear think it's wrong.