A Mild Misunderstanding

Posted by ESC on November 22, 1999

In Reply to: Judgemental Phrases: a Mild Misunderstanding posted by Hopefully Helpfull on November 21, 1999

: : Iposted before, asking for a reference book or Web site pertaining to reasonably artful phrases of fault-finding, disparagement, low appraisal, and so forth. But I really do wish to avoid the purely boorish or vulgar.

: : Thank you for the responses offered, but there seemed to be a misunderstanding that I was looking for the truly nasty -- which I am not. I'm actually looking for something reasonably witty, possibly wry or dry humor. Less the verbal blow torch than the well-considered judgement.

: : Any suggestions? Thank you. Chester

: Do you mean phrases/sayings like. 'My wife is beautiful, her teeth are like stars - they come out each night'. - made up by me today, very true but certainly not very good

: Or the put down ' It is a good thing for an uneducated man to read books of quotations' - Winston Churchill 1874 -1967

: Or the more subtle ' Who can refute a sneer' - William Paley 1743 -1805

: Or the slightly risqué ' If all the girls attending it (the Yale Prom) were laid end to end , I wouldn't be at all surprised' - Dorothy Parker 1893-1967

: Or the definitely cruel ' Certain women should be struck regularly, like gongs' - Noel Coward 1899 -1973

The book I suggested wasn't "boorish or vulgar." I don't have anything like that in my library.