Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
The other obscure insults Boris could have used...
Boris Johnson got the nation Googling and reaching for dictionaries when he called Jeremy Corbyn “a mutton-headed old mugwump”. The Eton-educated Foreign Secretary loves to show off his classical knowledge and is known for using bizarre and archaic language. A “mugwump” is a political turncoat. But fans of Harry Potter will know it as one of Professor Dumbledore’s titles of Supreme Mugwump – and it is also the name of an alien species in William Burroughs’ Naked Lunch. Backtracking Boris later claimed he learned it from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, except author Roald Dahl actually used it in The Twits – for a monkey. We’ve got another six weeks of bonkers Boris outbursts. So here are some obscure, archaic insults we might hear him trotting out... Foozle An old fogey or someone who is behind the times Vanity Fair novelist William Makepeace Thackeray is thought to have used it first. It derives from “foozle”, meaning waste one’s time. Carpetbagger An outsider who meddles in politics Used at the end of the American Civil War to describe Northerners who moved South to avail themselves of political opportunities in the defeated states. Shot-clog A bore you keep close because he has money Poet and playwright Ben Jonson used the phrase in the 17th century to mean an unwelcome companion tolerated because he pays the “shot” (the bill). Highbinder A corrupt or scheming politician In 19th century English, a highbinder was a ruffian or gang member. In America it was used to describe gangs and secret societies and, by 1890, had come to mean an unscrupulous or lying politician. Dorbel A nincompoop It sounds like the thing Cabinet ministers ring to get in to No10. Dorbel is derived from the name of a 13th century scholar named Nicolas d’orbellis. He was a supporter of the much-derided philosopher John Duns Scotus, whose followers were the original “dunces”. Gammerstang A tall, ungainly or awkward person Emerged in the late 16th century from Scottish and northern English dialects. The insult is usually applied to a woman – from gammer, short for grandmother, and stang meaning “pole or stake”. Ultracrepidarian Someone offering advice or opinions beyond their sphere of knowledge In ancient myth an artist called Apelles heard a shoemaker criticising the way he’d painted a foot. Apelles made a cutting retort that the craftsman should only judge things he knew about and shouldn’t go “beyond the sole”, which is “ultra crepidam” in Latin. Scobberlotcher Skiver Probably derived from scopperloit, an old English dialect word for a vacation or a break from work, a scobberlotcher is someone who never works hard. Fustilarian A low fellow or scoundrel One of Shakespeare’s best putdowns, coined in Henry IV, Part 2. “Away, you scullion! You rampallion! You fustilarian!” Falstaff exclaims. Describes someone who wastes time on worthless things. Gnashgab Whinger An 18th century northern English word for someone who is always complaining. Knuckylbonyard A clumsy fellow Another obsolete term from the 16th century, derived from knuckle-bone – also the root of the term knucklehead. Grobian A clownish, slovenly person Came into English usage from 15th century German, as grob means rough, coarse or vulgar. Lotterel Rogue or scoundrel A 15th century insult which could come from the Middle English lodder, meaning beggar. Mafflard A stammering or blundering fool The noun derives from the verb maffle, a regional term in Scotland and England meaning “to stammer, to speak indistinctly or mumble”. Mumblecrust A toothless beggar Derived from the name of a stock character in medieval theatrical farces. Cockalorum A boastful and self-important person If cockalorum suggests a crowing cock, that’s because it probably comes from kockeloeren – an obsolete Dutch dialect verb meaning “to crow”. Mandrake mymmerkin Little man A mandrake is a plant said to resemble a tiny person and mymmerkin is a derivation of the ancient word mannikin and means a small man.