50 Old-Fashioned Put-Downs
As Lesley M. M. Blume observes in Let’s Bring Back: The Lost Language Edition, while clothing fashions have a way of cycling in and out of popularity, when the sun sets on popular slang, it tends to remain buried forever. This isn’t always a bad thing — no one is jonesing for “Tubular!” and “Groovy!” to resurrect from the 1980s and 60s, respectively.
In some cases, however, where words have died, no equally worthy substitutes have risen in their places. This is particularly the case when it comes to our modern stock of insults and put-downs. If someone we meet or are apprised of in the news conducts themselves in an objectionable way, what words do we have at our disposable to call them? Jerk? Knucklehead? Perhaps we just resort to a set of tiresome, overused, meaningless expletives. Where’s the fun in that?
20. Go By the Ground
A short person, man or woman.
21. Gollumpus
Large, clumsy fellow.
22. Greedy Guts
A covetous or gluttonous person.
23. Grumbletonian
A discontented person; one who is always railing at the times.
24. Heathen Philosopher
One whose buttocks may be seen through his pocket-hole; this saying arose from the old philosophers, many of whom despised the vanity of dress to such a point as often to fall into the opposite extreme.
25. Milksop
A piece of bread soaked in milk; a soft, effeminate, girlish man; one who is devoid of manliness.
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