Idiot
Subba Rao
Sometimes when I am driving, when I come across rude drivers I call them
"idiot". They don't here it ofcourse. Other times, when my computer is
doing something that I did not expect I call it "You idiot".
Is calling someone "Idiot" (not on the face) a swear word? Is the usage
of "Idiot" an offensive/swear word. If it is, then what would be a
gentler word that I can use on the rude drivers and my computers?
Thank you in advance.
--
SR
castellan...@SPAMBUSTER.yahoo.com
Please remove SPAMBUSTER to reply via email.
Alan OBrien
"Subba Rao" <castellan...@SPAMBUSTER.yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:Btednetgq7M...@adelphia.com...
> Hi,
>
> Sometimes when I am driving, when I come across rude drivers I call them
> "idiot". They don't here it ofcourse. Other times, when my computer is
> doing something that I did not expect I call it "You idiot".
>
> Is calling someone "Idiot" (not on the face) a swear word? Is the usage
> of "Idiot" an offensive/swear word. If it is, then what would be a
> gentler word that I can use on the rude drivers and my computers?
You should call them 'freaks'.
Alan
Carmen L. Abruzzi
> Hi,
>
> Sometimes when I am driving, when I come across rude drivers I call them
> "idiot". They don't here it ofcourse. Other times, when my computer is
> doing something that I did not expect I call it "You idiot".
>
> Is calling someone "Idiot" (not on the face) a swear word?
No, not at all.
> Is the usage
> of "Idiot" an offensive/swear word.
It is offensive.
If it is, then what would be a >
> gentler word that I can use on the rude drivers and my computers?
"Cerebrally challenged" or "Asynaptic".
>
> Thank you in advance.
joeta...@nospam.com
Subba Rao wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Sometimes when I am driving, when I come across rude drivers I call them
> "idiot". They don't here it ofcourse. Other times, when my computer is
> doing something that I did not expect I call it "You idiot".
>
> Is calling someone "Idiot" (not on the face) a swear word? Is the usage
> of "Idiot" an offensive/swear word. If it is, then what would be a
> gentler word that I can use on the rude drivers and my computers?
>
> Thank you in advance.
Idiot is not a swear word. It's not kind, but it's ok to say in front of
someone, just not to them. Its equal is to say, "hey, I thimk you have
no brain in your head." My 6 year old child isn't permitted to use the
word, but when someone cuts us off while driving, she does say, "hey
moron, you drive like my mother." But the window is closed.
JOE
No need to cross post, this board is pretty active
Steve Hayes
<castellan...@SPAMBUSTER.yahoo.com> wrote:
>Hi,
>
>Sometimes when I am driving, when I come across rude drivers I call them
>"idiot". They don't here it ofcourse. Other times, when my computer is
>doing something that I did not expect I call it "You idiot".
>
>Is calling someone "Idiot" (not on the face) a swear word? Is the usage
>of "Idiot" an offensive/swear word. If it is, then what would be a
>gentler word that I can use on the rude drivers and my computers?
Intellectually challenged.
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk
Keeper
<haye...@hotmail.com> writes
>On Tue, 28 Sep 2004 19:07:17 -0500, Subba Rao
><castellan...@SPAMBUSTER.yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>>Hi,
>>
>>Sometimes when I am driving, when I come across rude drivers I call them
>>"idiot". They don't here it ofcourse. Other times, when my computer is
>>doing something that I did not expect I call it "You idiot".
>>
>>Is calling someone "Idiot" (not on the face) a swear word? Is the usage
>>of "Idiot" an offensive/swear word. If it is, then what would be a
>>gentler word that I can use on the rude drivers and my computers?
>
>Intellectually challenged.
>
>
has thousands of insults which seek to cast doubt on the intelligence or
competence of somebody or something. Few of these are actually
considered 'swearwords' although many could earn you a punch on the nose
(especially if you are right!).
Idiot
Moron
Cretin (a medical term I believe)
Drongo
Numpty (quite a new one to me)
Dummy
fool
pillock
Imbecile
stupid boy
gormless child
brainless ...
addle pated (old fashioned, your brain has gone sour or rotted,)
There are many, many more. I didn't even look in my thesaurus.
What words have you heard or used?
--
Keeper
Raymond S. Wise
news:Ej4KGlE$2lWB...@soloriens.co.uk...
"Mongoloid," meaning a person with Down syndrome, was formerly used as a
medical term but is now considered offensive and is used as a term of abuse
much like those you list above.
"Idiot," "moron," and "imbecile" are terms which were formerly used in
psychology, but are no longer so used, at least in the United States. *The
American Heritage Dictionary,* 4th ed., notes in the entry for these three
words, "The term belongs to a classification system no longer in use and is
now considered offensive."
--
Raymond S. Wise
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
E-mail: mplsray @ yahoo . com
Einde O'Callaghan
In Ireland teh word "eejit" is often used to refer to somebody who has
been folish or is a fool. It's not particularly offensive, indeed
according to the family legend my mother referred to my father using
this term after their first meeting. It derives from an idiosyncratic
pronunciation of "idiot".
Regards, Einde O'Callaghan
Keeper
<einde.oc...@planet-interkom.de> writes
Poltroon
Dolt
Dullard
Dunce
Dunderhead
Just thought of them whilst working on my new bathroom. I managed to
set fire to the wire wool whilst plumbing and used them on myself!
--
Keeper
Keeper
<kee...@freeuk.com> writes
Clot
Nincompoop
pea-brain
bird-brain
silly b********
Why do I know so many of theses words, Is it because people shout them
at me?
--
Keeper
Einde O'Callaghan
Regards, Einde O'Callaghan
Mike Lyle
> Hi,
>
> Sometimes when I am driving, when I come across rude drivers I call
> them "idiot". They don't here it ofcourse. Other times, when my
> computer is doing something that I did not expect I call it "You
> idiot".
>
> Is calling someone "Idiot" (not on the face) a swear word? Is the
> usage of "Idiot" an offensive/swear word. If it is, then what
would
> be a gentler word that I can use on the rude drivers and my
computers?
>
> Thank you in advance.
It's a good question, and like many good questions has no simple
answer; except in this case "Just keep your mouth shut and keep out
of trouble". To pick at random from the responses you've had so far,
"fool" is very offensive in some places and fairly trivial in others.
On the whole, there isn't one you can safely use when the person is
listening. Even raising your eyes to Heaven and clicking your tongue
quietly can get you a pair of black eyes in some situations.
You can call yourself or your computer anything you like, though.
Mike.
Jim Ward
> Sometimes when I am driving, when I come across rude drivers I call them
> "idiot". They don't here it ofcourse. Other times, when my computer is
> doing something that I did not expect I call it "You idiot".
I have two subclasses of Idiot:
1. People who drive too slow on the freeway: "Slowmos"
2. People who jaywalk against traffic: "Brupids" (both brave and stupid).
You are welcome to add them to your cursing repertoire.
Brian Wickham
wrote:
>In alt.usage.english Subba Rao <castellan...@spambuster.yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> Sometimes when I am driving, when I come across rude drivers I call them
>> "idiot". They don't here it ofcourse. Other times, when my computer is
>> doing something that I did not expect I call it "You idiot".
>
>I have two subclasses of Idiot:
>
>1. People who drive too slow on the freeway: "Slowmos"
>2. People who jaywalk against traffic: "Brupids" (both brave and stupid).
What do you identify as "against traffic"?
I'm from the jaywalking capital of the US, New York, and thought I had
seen everything until I got to Saigon. I saw people walk out into
traffic facing it at an oblique angle. When they got to the center
stripe they changed direction about ninety degrees right to face the
opposite oncoming traffic and then calmly threaded their way through
that. It was breathtakingly beautiful.
Brian Wickham
Jim Ward
> What do you identify as "against traffic"?
Perpendicular to the direction my car is heading! :)
Keeper
<tomca...@NyOaShPoAoM.com> writes
>In alt.usage.english Brian Wickham <bwickham@no~spam.nyc.rr.com> wrote:
>
>> What do you identify as "against traffic"?
>
>Perpendicular to the direction my car is heading! :)
To me (and someone will tell me If I am wrong) against traffic means in
the opposite direction, " Against the flow of traffic". Perpendicular
to the traffic flow would be "crossing the traffic" or just crossing the
road.
--
Keeper
Will
[...]
> There are also some old words
>
> Poltroon
...is not synonymous with "idiot" - it means a coward.
Will.
Brian Wickham
Now I'm confused. "Jaywalking against traffic" is walking head on
into traffic? The original description was of someone "jaywalking
against traffic". If the purpose of jaywalking is to get across the
street while vehicular traffic still has the right of way then walking
head on into traffic doesn't qualify as jaywalking as it won't get
anyone anywhere except down the road. And no one needs to wade into
traffic to do what can be done on the side of the road.
Brian Wickham
Wood Avens
I had a perfectly clear picture initially, but now I'm getting
confuseder and confuseder. I visualised someone facing towards the
oncoming traffic and walking diagonally across the road, still looking
towards each lane of traffic as they cross it, then reaching the
central intersection, turning through 90 degrees, and repeating the
procedure as they cross the second carriageway. Am I wrong?
--
Katy Jennison
spamtrap: remove the first two letters after the @
Keeper
<bill...@hotmail.com> writes
I think that is right although I suspect that it is often used to cast
aspersions on the competence of the victim. As I said before, I didn't
look them up.
--
Klerikos
Ben
- Ignoramus
- Imbecile
- Halfwit
- Dunce
- Cretin
- Dimwit
- Nimrod
- Dolt
- Blockhead
- Airhead
- Simpleton
- Nincompoop
- Chowderhead
However, I wouldn't be concerned with offending people who can't hear you,
much less an inanimate object.
-Ben
"Subba Rao" <castellan...@SPAMBUSTER.yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:Btednetgq7M...@adelphia.com...
Keeper
<b...@neb.rr.com> writes
Nimrod?
--
Keeper
Keeper
posts and often offer the same answers or suggestions that have come
before.
It would appear that some people are not seeing all the posts.
I am tempted to say
"If you can't see this, please let me know."
but how much use would that be?
--
Keeper
Owain
| I am puzzled by posted replies to earlier messages that ignore
| later posts and often offer the same answers or suggestions
| that have come before.
| It would appear that some people are not seeing all the posts.
Many people still work Usenet offline and so may synchronise with the
servers only once or twice a day.
| I am tempted to say
| "If you can't see this, please let me know."
| but how much use would that be?
About as much use as
- a chocolate teapot
- a chocolate fireguard
- a politician in a crisis
- contraceptives in a nunnery
(Further suggestions are left as an exercise for the reader.)
Owain
Spehro Pefhany
<owain...@stirlingcity.co.uk> wrote:
>"Keeper" wrote
>| I am puzzled by posted replies to earlier messages that ignore
>| later posts and often offer the same answers or suggestions
>| that have come before.
>| It would appear that some people are not seeing all the posts.
>
>Many people still work Usenet offline and so may synchronise with the
>servers only once or twice a day.
Also, the way usenet messages are distributed, they do not necessarily
arrive in the order in which they were sent. Several people may fire
off replies before seeing the other replies just because of the
distribution time- usually at least minutes. Sometimes (perhaps a few
percent of the time) a given message won't arrive at all to a given
server.
>| I am tempted to say
>| "If you can't see this, please let me know."
>| but how much use would that be?
>
>About as much use as
>- a chocolate teapot
>- a chocolate fireguard
>- a politician in a crisis
>- contraceptives in a nunnery
>
>(Further suggestions are left as an exercise for the reader.)
>Owain
Tits on a bull.
http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/001332.html
Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
sp...@interlog.com Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com
Mike Lyle
> In message <bRr7d.53322$B51....@twister.rdc-kc.rr.com>, Ben
> <b...@neb.rr.com> writes
>> - Nimrod
[...]
> Nimrod?
Yes, strange, isn't it? It's now a quite ordinary insult among
British yoof. I imagine it's because most youngsters don't hear or
read the Bible, so when somebody _did_ hear it (probably as the name
of a type of AWACS aircraft) the way was open for its adoption
because it actually _does_ sound insulting. "Nim" sounds sort of
feeble (we have "niminy-piminy"), and "rod" suggests the penis.
Compare, perhaps, "dipstick", which is also now a British insult.
Mike.
meirman
<wood...@askjennison.com> posted:
>I had a perfectly clear picture initially, but now I'm getting
>confuseder and confuseder. I visualised someone facing towards the
>oncoming traffic and walking diagonally across the road, still looking
>towards each lane of traffic as they cross it, then reaching the
>central intersection, turning through 90 degrees, and repeating the
>procedure as they cross the second carriageway. Am I wrong?
I think you're clever. I would have never thought to do it that way.
I go straight across, constantly turning to the side to see if I'm
about to be run over. Maybe if I had thought of your method, I
wouldn't have gotten two broken legs and a cracked skull 10 years ago.
(just kidding)
s/ meirman If you are emailing me please
say if you are posting the same response.
Born west of Pittsburgh Pa. 10 years
Indianapolis, 7 years
Chicago, 6 years
Brooklyn NY 12 years
Baltimore 20 years
meirman
<bwickham@NO~SPAM.nyc.rr.com> posted:
>On Thu, 30 Sep 2004 19:12:39 +0100, Keeper <kee...@freeuk.com> wrote:
>
>>In message <cjh46b$7t5$1...@news1.radix.net>, Jim Ward
>><tomca...@NyOaShPoAoM.com> writes
>>>In alt.usage.english Brian Wickham <bwickham@no~spam.nyc.rr.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> What do you identify as "against traffic"?
>>>
>>>Perpendicular to the direction my car is heading! :)
>>
>>To me (and someone will tell me If I am wrong) against traffic means in
>>the opposite direction, " Against the flow of traffic". Perpendicular
>>to the traffic flow would be "crossing the traffic" or just crossing the
>>road.
>
>Now I'm confused. "Jaywalking against traffic" is walking head on
>into traffic? The original description was of someone "jaywalking
>against traffic".
I've never heard of jaywalking against traffic. Jaywalking in traffic
or when there is a lot of traffic I have heard of.
"Against traffic" means to me, for example, driving south in the
north-bound lanes.
OR driving opposite to the direction of most of the traffic, for
example driving into town in the evening when most of the rush hour
traffic is driving out of town. So if someone who lives downtown gets
a job in the suburbs, he might say, "At least I'm commuting against
traffic, or against the traffic." I think it's used that way.
> If the purpose of jaywalking is to get across the
>street while vehicular traffic still has the right of way then walking
>head on into traffic doesn't qualify as jaywalking as it won't get
>anyone anywhere except down the road. And no one needs to wade into
>traffic to do what can be done on the side of the road.
>
>Brian Wickham
Odysseus
>
> "Against traffic" means to me, for example, driving south in the
> north-bound lanes.
>
> OR driving opposite to the direction of most of the traffic, for
> example driving into town in the evening when most of the rush hour
> traffic is driving out of town. So if someone who lives downtown gets
> a job in the suburbs, he might say, "At least I'm commuting against
> traffic, or against the traffic." I think it's used that way.
>
reason[1] I've never used the word "commute" concerning my own drive
to work.
[1] Probably that it's only 12 km now, and hasn't been longer for at
least twenty years.
--
Odysseus
Andrea Gombás
berlin.de:
Nimrod means 'hunter', as far as I know! :-)
Andrea
zenith
I think the word " Idiot" per se doesnt carry any connotation of rudeness.
The given definition in the dictionary says: "a silly or foolish person."
I think it is the way "Idiot" is uttered, the tone & manner that accompany
the word being spew out.
If you try saying the word out in a meek & reserved manner, will you still
sound rude?
You will sound amusing instead.
So a gentler substitute? Why not, "You silly fellow"
what say you Rao?
Mark Barratt
> I think the word " Idiot" per se doesnt carry any connotation
> of rudeness. The given definition in the dictionary says: "a
> silly or foolish person."
I'm afraid it does. If you were speaking technically of people of
low intelligence, you would use a technical term. There are no
professionals whose job is to deal with 'idiots'. They may deal
with 'retarded' people, or 'people with learning difficulties'.
In non-technical language, you might say "X isn't very bright".
'Idiot' can only be an insult.
> I think it is the way "Idiot" is uttered, the tone & manner
> that accompany the word being spew out.
>
> If you try saying the word out in a meek & reserved manner,
> will you still sound rude?
Yes. Of course, rudeness between friends may only be humorous
banter, but it's still rudeness - otherwise it wouldn't be funny.
--
Mark Barratt
Budapest
the Omrud
> zenith wrote:
>
> > I think the word " Idiot" per se doesnt carry any connotation
> > of rudeness. The given definition in the dictionary says: "a
> > silly or foolish person."
>
> I'm afraid it does. If you were speaking technically of people of
> low intelligence, you would use a technical term. There are no
> professionals whose job is to deal with 'idiots'.
You've never worked on a computer helpdesk then.
--
David
=====
replace the first component of address
with the definite article.
Don Phillipson
> >
> > > I think the word " Idiot" per se doesnt carry any connotation
> > > of rudeness. The given definition in the dictionary says: "a
> > > silly or foolish person."
Zenith is twice mistaken:
1. The English words idiot and moron were coined
by early psychologists seeking technical descriptions
of mental disability that were not contaminated
beforehand by popular use: but both words rapidly
became terms of abuse.
2. Rudeness can be in the mind of either the
speaker or the hearer, and natural paradoxes
occur. When speaking English, French Canadians
use "bloke" as a mild insult, cognate with "tete
caree", obviously not knowing this word lacks
in the source language any such connotation.
Americans used to insult Britons by callng
them Limeys (earlier Like-Juicers): this habit
seemed to die out when Britons declined to
take offence (knowing the folkloric history of
Captain Cook and the anti-scorbutic.)
--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)
John Mazor
news:xn0dos24t...@news.individual.net...
> zenith wrote:
>
> > I think the word " Idiot" per se doesnt carry any connotation
> > of rudeness. The given definition in the dictionary says: "a
> > silly or foolish person."
>
> I'm afraid it does. If you were speaking technically of people of
> low intelligence, you would use a technical term. There are no
> professionals whose job is to deal with 'idiots'. They may deal
> with 'retarded' people, or 'people with learning difficulties'.
> In non-technical language, you might say "X isn't very bright".
> 'Idiot' can only be an insult.
Idiot, imbecile, and moron were once technical terms. See
http://www.fact-index.com/m/me/mental_deficiency.html
> > I think it is the way "Idiot" is uttered, the tone & manner
> > that accompany the word being spew out.
> >
> > If you try saying the word out in a meek & reserved manner,
> > will you still sound rude?
>
> Yes. Of course, rudeness between friends may only be humorous
> banter, but it's still rudeness - otherwise it wouldn't be funny.
In most cases that's absolutely true. Terms such as "silly boy" and
"doofus" are virtually inoffensive under most conditions, whereas in less
polite newsgroups, it's common to see "Idiot!" flung about as a deadly
insult.
On the other hand, in company where rough language is almost obligatory,
exclamations such as "You asshole!" or "Harry, you old son of a bitch, how
are you?" might be greeted with a smile.
-- John Mazor
"The search for wisdom is asymptotic."
"Except for Internet newsgroups, where it is divergent..."
-- R J Carpenter