That's just one possible tic and it's actually fairly rare, according to what I've read.

Tamar, I hate to tell you this, but it's not "rare". It certainly doesn't happen in all cases, but it's also not rare.

Over the years, the definition and diagnosis has widened (not unlike autism). An argument can be made that public reports of Tourette's have tried to 'de-stigmatize' the condition.

I grew up watching my father literally smack my brother around in the face, because of my brother's symptoms. A nine-year old shouldn't have to pray every night that his father will leave his brother alone, but such was my life as a kid. And I went through family counseling sessions. So I lived it.

But if it truly offends you, fine, I won't use the term. My actual issue is people like Helland who childishly show off their ability to drop f-bombs, while JVP remains banned.