Quibble #10001 Cursing? Breath?

I present another one of these inconsequential tidbits about writing for your perusal. I'd love to hear about your writing and reading pet peeves or observations, if you have any you'd like to share.
When I read, "He cursed under his breath," it screeches like a car in need of new brake shoes.
Can he curse OVER his breath? It's just one of those things that has appeared in fiction forever, and almost everybody does it. I think if you've done your job as a writer and the reader is fully engaged with the character, it might work better if you just let him say what YOU hear him saying. For example, how about just writing this: "Fuck."
And if he is alone, I don't even think a speech attribution is needed.
Oh, yeah, and speech attributions...well, that is a completely deep subject. If you stare too long into the abyss and all that.

Here's wishing you a great week of reading and writing and everything else you do.