I don't buy "cacafuego" as a real name any empire would give its ships. HMS Spitfire was real enough, but who'd ever take seriously HMS Sh...
Cacafuego is the name of a much bigger ship that Jack Aubrey captures.
Of course, that's fiction, and the speculation is that POB chose that name as a sort of inside joke.
a 120-ton Spanish galleon that sailed the Peru–Panama trading route during the 16th century. This ship has earned a place in maritime history not only by virtue of being Sir Francis Drake's most famous prize, but also because of her colourful nickname, Cagafuego ("fireshitter")
> but who'd ever take seriously
a vehicle officially named Pajero ?
Certainly it makes a lot more sense as a nickname! Those have vastly broader range than commissioned names typically do. In any case, I appreciate your effort in finding a more reliable reference, especially one that adds such color and provenance to a swear I grew up around and have favored since earliest childhood.
It was a close call for the RRS Sir David Attenborough although at least the world now has the ALR Boaty McBoatface.
Huh huh.
Don’t have any Korean or French heritage myself
It's not a universal word. It's derived from the Greek word for "bad".