Sukkha is when the wheel is running smoothly.
Dukkha is when the wheel is not running smoothly.

Since rotary motion was first conceived and put into practice, the main problem was to get it running smoothly. Dukkha and Sukkha were important facts of life.

Dukkha and Sukkha were not just abstract concepts as they are today in Buddhism, they were related to practical things running smoothly. Words like this often get transfered into everyday language. Expressions like .. turn on (electricity) ... tune in (radio) ... get your head in gear (cars) ...

It would be understandable if Dukkha was used for anything which went wrong - in a practical or emotional context ... Sukkha for when it was going well. When food tasted good it was Sukkha, when the beans burnt it was Dukkha ... I could easily imagine Dukkha being used as a swear word.

And consider how this axle hub connection is actually a pole through a hole ... and Hindus had no great inhibitions about sexuality, we are in the land of the karma sutra ... so really - come on - who hadn't heard that famous chat up line: "How about a bit of Sukkha, honey" ... or thought to themselves one lonely night: "Dukkha is better than no Kha".

When this common practical word was used by Buddha, it took on completely new dimensions.

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