Tuesday night, while relishing the freshness of Cloris Leachman's comic performance on "Dancing with the Stars" - a show that's too likable and fun not to enjoy - I suddenly found myself squirming in my seat.

When judge Carrie Ann Inaba revealed her score for the unpredictable Oscar-winning actress and her partner Corky Ballas (a "6," entirely fair for the mambo delivered, and a clear indication of Inaba's respect for Cloris' comedic talent), Cloris responded, "Oh, you bitch." As in, "Oh no she didn't!" But it didn't strike me as funny. It jarred me.

Here's the segment; Cloris' reaction to the judges begins about 7 minutes in:

Her comment was almost inaudible. My husband hardly noticed. I think part of the live audience may have heard it, because there was a light round of laughter.

Interestingly, I see no mention of it on the blogosphere or news today, which suggests to me that I am now squarely among the minority of people who continue to be surprised by the use of, shall we say, "colorful" language on air or even in polite society.

Years ago, when I was an evening news producer for a CBS affiliate in the Northwest, you couldn't say "bitch" on the air - or, for that matter, a host of words that have since entered the non-cable-TV lexicon.

That has changed, of course. ... I don't keep a running tally, but I'm fairly sure that, in addition to "bitch," words like "ass," "penis," "boobs," "tits" (most recently heard on a cable news show, where a political pundit was discussing some aspect of either Hillary or Sarah's campaigns, ironically enough), and a few others are fair game. You can no doubt think of at least one word to add to that list. Please do.

Of course, plenty are still a no-go. George Carlin's "7 dirty words" remain intact, for the most part.

But you wouldn't know that walking in any mall or school these days. Young women have no problem dropping the "f" bomb while I'm standing in an elevator at the mall, for example; I doubt they are 13 years old, completely oblivious to me (the middle-aged invisible woman Kathy Bates once described in a movie).

Indeed, there's pretty much nowhere I can go where people of all ages don't speak exactly as they please, using colorful curse words to punctuate an increasingly conflicted, in-your-face American culture.

The words exist, and everyone has the right of free speech in private or public. I have the right not to listen or react, or to ignore them, of course.

I guess this morning, in the wake of DWTS, what surprises me is that I continue to be surprised by the increasingly cavalier use of such words in regular society.... And given my response last night to an off-hand comment by a gifted woman who's blessed us with much laughter, I'm guessing I always will be.