I was thinking of writing a post like this, but my preferences in invective are rather more fustian, and bodily. I also feel that the decline of compound terms of abuse is lamentable, with only "motherfucker" and "shithead" really being prominent anymore. Where's the originality?
Dumbass is still used pretty widely, and is my personal favorite, though I tend to use it more as a term of endearment than an actual insult. When I was much younger (like junior high or so), cocksucker was still fairly prominent, though far less so than in previous decades. I don't think anybody uses it anymore, not even rabid homophobes, for whom, presumably, the word might still carry rhetorical weight.
Turning to Beavis and Butthead briefly, I always found fartknocker to be a delightful slur.
I think that wishing death on others does not sting them enough. They know they won't die. It is important to hit upon something that they are worried about -- such as ogged put it, being ugly or stupid.
Shit-for-brains is good. As is shit-ugly. And ugly-assface.
It's all context driven. If it's in passing, something like "jackass" is fine. If you have more time, you can be more interesting. Generally speaking, it's best to go genetic, as race, gender, socioeconomic, and sexuality insults tend to be disfavored by everyone but ogged (cf. "blackie").
I'm completely with Ogged; insults just roll off (like so much water off a duck's back, right) if they aren't grounded in reality. The punch doesn't land if the target doesn't think you're at least partially right. Push comes to shove, I've generally found one-word insults (even of the gender, societal, etc. varieties) ineffectual. Yes, this makes it difficult for me to feel as though I've managed to actually connect with a stranger, but so it goes.
Lick my jovian testicles, you putrid bunch of butt-warts. Your putrescence is exceeded only by the banal mouth-farts passing for insults that I've read so far in this blog.
"I also feel that the decline of compound terms of abuse is lamentable, with only 'motherfucker' and 'shithead' really being prominent anymore. Where's the originality?"
Worse is the notion that mere epithets and expletives, orphaned, even in strings, are sufficient and suitable, rather than actual whole sentences, even paragraphs, conveying suggestions or observations perhaps not previously contemplated as possible by the recipient, and best, although still on the non-prolix side, a full narrative, whether minimalist or florid.
Also, children today do not respect their elders. Nor tradition.
"I think that wishing death on others does not sting them enough. They know they won't die. It is important to hit upon something that they are worried about -- such as ogged put it, being ugly or stupid."
This certainly describes the smattering few bits of Yiddish insult I've run across.
At the very site of you a stiffe and freezing horror sucks vp the riuers of my blood: my haire stands an ende with the panting of my braines: mine eye balls are ready to start out, being beaten with the billowes of my teares.
The best way I've found to insult people is to imply that they are lacking in some quality or virtue without going for vulgarity or rhetorical excess. The simple, "Why are you being such a jerk?" has been known to make people snap.
"The simple, 'Why are you being such a jerk?' has been known to make people snap."
Gee, is that why people get all offended when I ask? Who knew?
Incidentally, in a complete non-sequitur, save that this, too, is about me, me, me! -- well, not really, just something I noticed, but anyway -- I'd be quite curious what people think of the TPM Cafe TOS? (Bloggers welcome to blog, oddly enough.)
I like "arsewipe" [you have to imagine it in a Scottish accent].
"Fuckwit", is also good if we're seeking a nice one-word epithet.
Longer phrases make liberal use of the 'c' word which tends to offend Americans rather more than my compatriots (who use it like punctuation) so I won't post any examples :)
I always liked "lazy-eyed mouth-breather" as an insult. Or the Bill Hicks line, "ball-less, soul-less, spirit-less little corporate fucking puppet(s)"... (followed by "suckers of Satan's cock, each and every one.") It's a description, really... but I suppose you could turn it into a classic insult pretty easily.
My ear instinctively prefers compound words with internal assonance, not because they are more biting, but because they feel better rolling off the tongue. So, buttmonkey, turdburglar, assbandit, asshat, etc.
Hmm, there also seems to be a gravitational pull toward rectal references.
I agree that insults and epithets work best when they're grounded in some real property of the person being insulted. And yet, you can cram an unbelievable amount of anger into "fuckface." As crude and undescriptive as it is, I think it is effective on some occasions - or would be if I weren't uttering it under my breath.
How about coward? Could apply in traffic, I guess, but I was thinking about the closing shot to a particularly frustrating customer service impasse. Everyone is afraid that he's not brave enough.
You could throw in toe-sucking if you really need the compound.
I've mentioned the random nature of Samoan names before, right? I knew a kid there named 'Airbase' (prn. Air-bay-see), and couldn't help picturing the mother thinking "I'm not sure who the father is, but I know where I was that weekend..."
(This is, of course, not a likely explanation -- the weird names were random choices of a word that sounded interesting rather than meaning anything.)
Tripp -- there's some line in some lame Terrence McNally play (I know that really narrows it down), said by one gay man to another, that goes "I hope you die of AIDS."
That's pretty horrible.
I don't think I could ever call any woman fat, no matter how much I hated her. It's just too below-the-belt.
But only if you're interested in escalating the confrontation to the level of physical violence. Because I would totally deck a man who called me "fat ass".
So, to sum up: stupid, ugly, fat-ass cunt is the most insulting of all possible insults in American English. I know I would immediately resort to physical violence if anybody used that phrase on any of my female friends or relatives.
if anybody used that phrase on any of my female friends or relatives
Yeah, but that's cheating; you have to throw down for the ladies for far less hysterical insults. If someone said that to you in the heat of battle, you'd probably stop and say, "That's a little over the top, don't you think?'
I don't know what kind of punk circles y'all run/ran in, but ##52,53 are completely wrong. You might get in a fight if (a) you didn't think he could and might be willing to kill or badly hurt you, or (b) the social circumstances were such that he would be prevented from killing or badly hurting you. In other cases, absent a fear of actual harm to your female friend, you'd (rightly) pretend to be engaged elsewhere and claim not to have noticed what was going on.
I was thinking of writing a post like this, but my preferences in invective are rather more fustian, and bodily. I also feel that the decline of compound terms of abuse is lamentable, with only "motherfucker" and "shithead" really being prominent anymore. Where's the originality?
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 08- 9-05 6:02 PM
Dumbass is still used pretty widely, and is my personal favorite, though I tend to use it more as a term of endearment than an actual insult. When I was much younger (like junior high or so), cocksucker was still fairly prominent, though far less so than in previous decades. I don't think anybody uses it anymore, not even rabid homophobes, for whom, presumably, the word might still carry rhetorical weight.
Turning to Beavis and Butthead briefly, I always found fartknocker to be a delightful slur.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 08- 9-05 6:10 PM
In daycare centers "dummy" is the worst thing you can say. Real fighting words. Worse than "stinkerbutt".
During my low-rent period one of my neighbors actually pulled a knife on a different neighbor who called her "dummy".
Yeah, she was dumb all right.
Posted by John Emerson | Link to this comment | 08- 9-05 6:15 PM
ignorant
Posted by eb | Link to this comment | 08- 9-05 6:16 PM
I tend to favor the blunt, "I wish you were dead," said as matter of factly as possible. Also, "Die badly."
Posted by washerdreyer | Link to this comment | 08- 9-05 6:20 PM
OK, dumm, as Nietzsche would say.
Posted by John Emerson | Link to this comment | 08- 9-05 6:29 PM
I've always been a fan of "You fat fuck." Especially when I'm dealing with thin people.
Posted by Garcia | Link to this comment | 08- 9-05 6:37 PM
I think that wishing death on others does not sting them enough. They know they won't die. It is important to hit upon something that they are worried about -- such as ogged put it, being ugly or stupid.
Shit-for-brains is good. As is shit-ugly. And ugly-assface.
Posted by text | Link to this comment | 08- 9-05 6:40 PM
I have a friend who wished death on two people and they both died. That's what she told me, anyway.
Posted by John Emerson | Link to this comment | 08- 9-05 6:45 PM
It's all context driven. If it's in passing, something like "jackass" is fine. If you have more time, you can be more interesting. Generally speaking, it's best to go genetic, as race, gender, socioeconomic, and sexuality insults tend to be disfavored by everyone but ogged (cf. "blackie").
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 08- 9-05 6:45 PM
How about "pathetically unread blogger"?
(Note: this does not refer to anyone in particular.)
Posted by eb | Link to this comment | 08- 9-05 6:52 PM
fuck off and die
Posted by tweedledopey | Link to this comment | 08- 9-05 7:22 PM
I'm completely with Ogged; insults just roll off (like so much water off a duck's back, right) if they aren't grounded in reality. The punch doesn't land if the target doesn't think you're at least partially right. Push comes to shove, I've generally found one-word insults (even of the gender, societal, etc. varieties) ineffectual. Yes, this makes it difficult for me to feel as though I've managed to actually connect with a stranger, but so it goes.
Posted by Tarrou | Link to this comment | 08- 9-05 7:29 PM
Lick my jovian testicles, you putrid bunch of butt-warts. Your putrescence is exceeded only by the banal mouth-farts passing for insults that I've read so far in this blog.
*thoomp thoomp* Oh my god was this thing ON??
Posted by zogtheobvious | Link to this comment | 08- 9-05 7:43 PM
I'm a big fan of "shit for brains."
As in, "hey, shit for brains, move your fucking car."
Posted by Peter | Link to this comment | 08- 9-05 7:52 PM
[redacted]
Posted by [redacted] | Link to this comment | 08- 9-05 8:56 PM
no-talent assclown
Posted by Anonymous | Link to this comment | 08- 9-05 8:57 PM
"I also feel that the decline of compound terms of abuse is lamentable, with only 'motherfucker' and 'shithead' really being prominent anymore. Where's the originality?"
Worse is the notion that mere epithets and expletives, orphaned, even in strings, are sufficient and suitable, rather than actual whole sentences, even paragraphs, conveying suggestions or observations perhaps not previously contemplated as possible by the recipient, and best, although still on the non-prolix side, a full narrative, whether minimalist or florid.
Also, children today do not respect their elders. Nor tradition.
Posted by Gary Farber | Link to this comment | 08- 9-05 9:45 PM
"I think that wishing death on others does not sting them enough. They know they won't die. It is important to hit upon something that they are worried about -- such as ogged put it, being ugly or stupid."
This certainly describes the smattering few bits of Yiddish insult I've run across.
Posted by Gary Farber | Link to this comment | 08- 9-05 9:46 PM
Purulent buboes, all of you.
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 08- 9-05 9:59 PM
At the very site of you a stiffe and freezing horror sucks vp the riuers of my blood: my haire stands an ende with the panting of my braines: mine eye balls are ready to start out, being beaten with the billowes of my teares.
Posted by eb | Link to this comment | 08- 9-05 10:24 PM
um, that would be sight
Posted by eb | Link to this comment | 08- 9-05 10:24 PM
The best way I've found to insult people is to imply that they are lacking in some quality or virtue without going for vulgarity or rhetorical excess. The simple, "Why are you being such a jerk?" has been known to make people snap.
Posted by Michael | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 12:11 AM
I like "tragic waste of oxygen", but "no-talent assclown" is also very nice.
Posted by mcmc | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 12:14 AM
"The simple, 'Why are you being such a jerk?' has been known to make people snap."
Gee, is that why people get all offended when I ask? Who knew?
Incidentally, in a complete non-sequitur, save that this, too, is about me, me, me! -- well, not really, just something I noticed, but anyway -- I'd be quite curious what people think of the TPM Cafe TOS? (Bloggers welcome to blog, oddly enough.)
Posted by Gary Farber | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 12:24 AM
I like "arsewipe" [you have to imagine it in a Scottish accent].
"Fuckwit", is also good if we're seeking a nice one-word epithet.
Longer phrases make liberal use of the 'c' word which tends to offend Americans rather more than my compatriots (who use it like punctuation) so I won't post any examples :)
Posted by Matt McGrattan | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 12:53 AM
If you had a few more brains you'd be a halfwit.
Posted by chris | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 4:26 AM
"tragic waste of oxygen"
I've always heard this as a waste of skin.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 5:37 AM
I always liked "lazy-eyed mouth-breather" as an insult. Or the Bill Hicks line, "ball-less, soul-less, spirit-less little corporate fucking puppet(s)"... (followed by "suckers of Satan's cock, each and every one.") It's a description, really... but I suppose you could turn it into a classic insult pretty easily.
Posted by foo | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 6:26 AM
New Critic.
Posted by Armsmasher | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 6:30 AM
You've got to show the editorial page some backbone.
This has been known to make people snap.
Posted by tweedledopey | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 7:21 AM
My ear instinctively prefers compound words with internal assonance, not because they are more biting, but because they feel better rolling off the tongue. So, buttmonkey, turdburglar, assbandit, asshat, etc.
Hmm, there also seems to be a gravitational pull toward rectal references.
Posted by apostropher | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 7:23 AM
living proof against Intelligent Design , which works better as an insulting description rather than a true insult.
Posted by Cala | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 7:29 AM
I've always heard this as a waste of skin.
I was raised to call people a waste of carbon.
Posted by mike d | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 7:36 AM
I agree that insults and epithets work best when they're grounded in some real property of the person being insulted. And yet, you can cram an unbelievable amount of anger into "fuckface." As crude and undescriptive as it is, I think it is effective on some occasions - or would be if I weren't uttering it under my breath.
Posted by Chris | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 7:45 AM
How about coward? Could apply in traffic, I guess, but I was thinking about the closing shot to a particularly frustrating customer service impasse. Everyone is afraid that he's not brave enough.
You could throw in toe-sucking if you really need the compound.
Posted by Armsmasher | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 7:49 AM
I've always heard this as a waste of skin.
I was raised to call people a waste of carbon.
"Waste of space" here.
Posted by LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 7:52 AM
Fat. To a woman - fat ass. That'll cut right back to the worst of middle school.
We forget that in the olden days curses had power because they threatened real harm - "Damn you," for instance.
The modern day equivalents are too strong so we don't use them:
I hope you get breast cancer.
Someone needs to rape your children.
Posted by Tripp | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 8:07 AM
Go after the person's mother. Everyone feels protective of their mother, don't they? "Byblow of your mother's busy Fleet Week," etc.
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 8:47 AM
I've mentioned the random nature of Samoan names before, right? I knew a kid there named 'Airbase' (prn. Air-bay-see), and couldn't help picturing the mother thinking "I'm not sure who the father is, but I know where I was that weekend..."
(This is, of course, not a likely explanation -- the weird names were random choices of a word that sounded interesting rather than meaning anything.)
Posted by LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 8:50 AM
Tripp -- there's some line in some lame Terrence McNally play (I know that really narrows it down), said by one gay man to another, that goes "I hope you die of AIDS."
That's pretty horrible.
I don't think I could ever call any woman fat, no matter how much I hated her. It's just too below-the-belt.
Posted by Joe Drymala | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 8:51 AM
Even if it were your girlfriend, and she'd put on a couple of pounds over the holidays?
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 8:53 AM
It's stunning that you haven't been laid in nearly a year, Ogged.
Posted by Joe Drymala | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 8:59 AM
Couldn't agree more, dumb shit.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 9:01 AM
(Actually, I think we're to day 540 or some such.)
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 9:02 AM
But who's counting?
Posted by Joe Drymala | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 9:04 AM
My Tivo.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 9:06 AM
fat. to a woman--fat ass
But only if you're interested in escalating the confrontation to the level of physical violence. Because I would totally deck a man who called me "fat ass".
Posted by mcmc | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 9:20 AM
mcmc,
Yeah, I was pretty much pulling out the nuclear weapons of insults.
If you really want to zing someone you have to refer to their innermost fears, otherwise you're just throwing words around.
I hope people know I've never used any of these myself. Honestly.
Posted by Tripp | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 9:34 AM
Tripp,
I just think it's important that potential insulters understand the rules of engagement.
Posted by mcmc | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 11:42 AM
mcmc,
I totally agree. Personally I think it is okay to have a nuclear arsenal but I would never want to use it.
The best place for insults is at a Roast.
Posted by Tripp | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 11:47 AM
So, to sum up: stupid, ugly, fat-ass cunt is the most insulting of all possible insults in American English. I know I would immediately resort to physical violence if anybody used that phrase on any of my female friends or relatives.
Posted by Chopper | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 4:14 PM
if anybody used that phrase on any of my female friends or relatives
Yeah, but that's cheating; you have to throw down for the ladies for far less hysterical insults. If someone said that to you in the heat of battle, you'd probably stop and say, "That's a little over the top, don't you think?'
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 4:17 PM
I don't know what kind of punk circles y'all run/ran in, but ##52,53 are completely wrong. You might get in a fight if (a) you didn't think he could and might be willing to kill or badly hurt you, or (b) the social circumstances were such that he would be prevented from killing or badly hurting you. In other cases, absent a fear of actual harm to your female friend, you'd (rightly) pretend to be engaged elsewhere and claim not to have noticed what was going on.
Welcome to the real world, boys.
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 4:26 PM
In one stupid moment when I was 15 I got into a fight with someone because they said my name to me as if it was an insult.
All in the tone of voice and delivery.
[it was still a *dumb* thing to get in a fight about...]
Posted by Matt McGrattan | Link to this comment | 08-10-05 6:54 PM