Was Serena Williams "Cursing"?

       Before finally winning the championship at Roland Garros, Serena Williams dropped the "F-Bomb" more than once.  The Associated Press in the L.A. Times had it this morning that "Williams was warned by the chair umpire for cursing loudly."  I don't think that was correct.

       The actual tennis rules that were applied here and presumably told to Williams were a warning for "audible obscenity."  That sounded exactly right to me.

       "Obscenity" comes from the Greek for "off scene," a stage term to indicate things like murder should not be shown on stage but only referred to, the act being "obscene."  Same holds true here--certain words that most of us may utter at one time or another best not be brought out for display before the public, in this case including millions of ears and eyes both attending the event and around the world.

       I think "cursing" and "profanity" have implications of their source in "taking the Lord's name in vain" from the Bible and probably should be reserved for that kind of "unholy," sacrilegious language.  "Profane" by root meaning is "before" or "in front of" (but not in) "the temple."