grawlixes: typographic symbols used in place of swearing in comic books

There are several terms for these magical, universally-recognized symbols that appear in comics but also seep out into other mediums as well, giving writers the chance to write what publishers won't print.

These terms include nittle, jarn, and obscenicon.

But grawlix is the one that's most widely used and accepted. It was so named by the creator of Beetle Bailey, Mort Walker, and eventually released as part of an entire collection of comic book art-related terms he created, called The Lexicon of Comicana.

Walker gave names to just about everything in comic art you can imagine, from flying sweat droplets representing someone feeling anxious (plewds) to those stars spinning in circles that indicate drunkenness or dizziness (squeans). You know how a character will take off running so fast that they leave behind a cloud of dust that matches their shape? That's a briffit. The book's got loads.

Hey! Don't you &$#@ing leave yet! You'll miss the punchline--and this story's got a doozy.

Walker's terms have come to be standards used throughout the comic, animation, and art industries. They're even taught in art classes. But Walker stated in a later work that he never intended for The Lexicon of Comicana to become a textbook.

He wrote the entire thing as a work of satire.

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