[Assam] From NYT--On Insults

[Chan Mahanta]

Those are some good ones Alpana , but lack real 
zing and zest . There must be more lethal ones, 
again leaving the profane aside.  Let us hear 
some more folks.  I heard Goalparias are rich in 
these insult laden phrases and epithets. Is it 
true?








At 2:34 PM -0600 12/17/08, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote:
>  > What would be the ultimate Oxomiya insult?> > 
>cm> ( No need to describe with profanity of 
>course)
>
>In a 'decent world', it could be one of these 
>which practically mean 'low-life':
>
>'Paaxondo'
>'Dhurondhor'
>'Omukar Suwa-Khowa'
>'Tomukar pitek' (also Kukur-powali, 
>Gahori-Powali, etc., though I think referring to 
>any scum-bag as an innocent animal is nothing 
>but an insult to the animal only )
>'Odhom'
>?? That's all I can think of now.
>Pardon me, Gentle Readers.
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>"In order to make spiritual progress you must be 
>patient like a tree and humble like a blade of 
>grass."
>
>  > Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:35:18 -0600> To: 
>assam at assamnet.org> From: cmahanta at charter.net> 
>Subject: [Assam] From NYT--On Insults> > What 
>would be the ultimate Oxomiya insult?> > cm> ( 
>No need to describe with profanity of course)> > 
>***********************************************************************************************************> > > 
>OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR> The Shoe Heard Round the 
>World> > > By JOHN KENNEY> Published: December 
>16, 2008> Hitting someone with a shoe is 
>considered the > supreme insult in Iraq. It 
>means that the target > is even lower than the 
>shoe, which is always on > the ground and 
>dirty.> - The Times, Dec. 15> > IN France, of 
>course, it's a waffle. Throw a > waffle at 
>someone and you have said, in essence: > "I 
>loathe you. You are scum. Your people are > 
>donkey traders." It suggests that the target 
>is > even lower than a waffle, which is 
>sometimes on > the ground if it happens to fall 
>off a plate, and > the ground could be dirty, 
>depending upon the > ground.> Who's to say why, 
>exactly? Some say the waffle's > association 
>with Belgium is enough to disgust any > 
>Frenchman. Others suggest it is its annoyingly > 
>spongy consistency. Still others say it's the > 
>derivation of the word - "le waffle" in 
>French, > from the Flemish "wafflintis" and 
>originally the > Latin "wafflibus," all of which 
>translate, > loosely, to "waffle."> For scholars 
>of insults, what comes to mind > almost 
>immediately after a high-profile insulting > 
>incident is the central African nation of 
>Chad, > where hitting someone with a pair of 
>pants is the > highest form of insult. It means 
>that the target > is lower than pants, the hem 
>of which, while not > on the ground, is often 
>near the ground and, > again, unclean. The only 
>problem with this form > of insult is that the 
>thrower then has to > retrieve the pants, as he 
>or she had been wearing > them.> For many years 
>people threw shorts, but almost no > one was 
>offended, as the hem of shorts is a great > 
>distance from the ground. "We're working on 
>new > forms of insult, as well as changing our > 
>country's name, which, strangely, is a common > 
>first name in California," said a Chadian > 
>cultural attaché. "We need to be taken more > 
>seriously."> In the former Soviet Union it is 
>not uncommon, > especially among the savage 
>Russian mafia, to > throw a 68-ton American-made 
>Abrams M1A1 tank. It > means that the target is 
>even lower than a tank, > whose treads are 
>always on the ground, unless > they're not for 
>some reason - say, repairs or > what-have-you. 
>In fairness, though, the throwing > of tanks 
>appears to be happening with less > frequency, 
>due to the near impossibility of > surprise, 
>especially at indoor events.> In Peru, 
>meanwhile, people throw their voices as > a form 
>of insult. While not technically near the > 
>ground, a voice suggests "sound" and "sound" > 
>rhymes with "ground," the ground being low and > 
>possibly unclean, depending upon where, 
>exactly, > you're standing.> Peruvians say that 
>throwing your voice is the > ultimate insult 
>because the intended victim > doesn't know where 
>it came from. It is not > uncommon to hear 
>someone say, "Who said that?!" > on the streets 
>of Lima after a particularly > cutting remark. 
>The danger, of course, is > insulting someone by 
>trying to throw your voice, > but doing it 
>poorly and instead moving your lips. > The 
>intended victim knows immediately where it > 
>came from.> And what of tiny Bhutan, snug 
>between Tibet in > the north and India to the 
>south? In this > mysterious Buddhist country, 
>perhaps the only one > in the world that 
>measures its Gross National > Happiness, people 
>throw brightly colored tissue > paper, so as not 
>to hurt anyone. The paper falls > harmlessly to 
>the ground - a symbol of both > lowness and dirt 
>- and the thrower quickly picks > it up, 
>disposes of it, and then apologizes > 
>profusely.> John Kenney is a writer.> > 
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