End the word (was: a word from "Huck Finn")

[Victor Steinbok]

Are you sure people using those two pairs were from the same planet?
Because they certainly would not be today--they are separated by several
degrees of magnitude on the insultability scale. It's like a difference
between "snotnose" and "motherfucker".

     VS-)

On 3/3/2012 8:23 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> When I was in 7th grade in NYC (1959-1960) _spaz_ (n.) and _spastic_ (n.&  adj.) were the dismissive male insults of choice, with_fag_ and _faggot_ tied for fourth.
>
> I hadn't heard any of them before. But I hadn't heard "motherfucker" before
> either, which was also up there in popularity.
>
> JL

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