The English language boasts a rich history of colorful insults, with a notable imbalance between terms of derision and praise, according to lexicographer Susie Dent.
In the early 2000s, editors at the Oxford Dictionary of English observed that their upcoming second edition contained over 350 ways to mock someone, compared to a mere 40 terms of compliment. This led to the conclusion that human nature has a particular fondness for playful put-downs.
This penchant for insult is not a recent development. Historically, the art of the playful insult has been a consistent feature of the language. For instance, the term 'toady' has roots in 'toadeater,' the assistant to a 19th-century charlatan who would feign eating a poisonous toad before being 'cured' by the performer's fake remedy.
Politics, in particular, has long been a source of colorful lampoons. The 19th century offered 'snollygoster' for a shrewd but unprincipled politician. Similarly, 'quockerwodger' originally referred to a wooden puppet whose movements were controlled by strings, a term later applied to subservient politicians. The 'throttlebottom,' a term for a bumbling and inept public servant, originates from a character in a 20th-century musical.
Other historical insults include 'stiffrump' for someone desperate to maintain power, 'bayard' for someone speaking with ignorant confidence, and 'popinjay' or 'pavoniser' for those exhibiting ostentatious behavior, likened to parrots and peacocks.
Competitions for crafting insults have a long history, such as the 16th-century Scottish tradition of 'flyting,' where participants would exchange elaborate tirades. William Shakespeare also masterfully employed insults, as seen in his line from Henry IV, Part II: 'Away, you scullion! You rampallion! You fustilarian! I’ll tickle your catastrophe!' Here, 'catastrophe' was used to mean the backside.
In the 18th century, Francis Grose's The Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue documented language used by various social strata, including insults related to anatomy and drunkenness. Examples include 'admiral of the narrow seas' for someone who vomits into a companion's lap due to drunkenness, and a variation for a drunkard urinating under the table.
More recent decades have contributed widely used, often affectionately used, insults like 'numpty,' 'muppet,' 'doofus,' 'clot,' and 'tosspot.' The word 'wally' is thought to have originated from a lost individual at a 1960s pop festival whose name was repeatedly announced over the Tannoy system.
Dent notes that while many historical insults are colorful, modern usage often softens them, with terms like 'spanner,' 'muppet,' 'doofus,' and 'herbert' frequently used with a smile. Research also suggests that increased use of positive language can improve one's own well-being, possibly contributing to the enduring affection for milder forms of insult.