"Kick ass" sounds brutal to the poor creatures. And it just sounds a funny way of saying it, like you've been watching too many American movies.

A shared language, but not a common one really. It'd be a drag if it was.

Getting back to the asterisks, it's the difference between a*s and a*se - or would it be a**e.

I like the idea of making innocuous words look naughty by substituting asterisks. "F**k singers are all s**ts" he said, remarking on the diversity of these a******s.