In honor of Mark Halperin’s use of the word "pussy" to refer to weakness and cowardice and Elise’s masterful diary on it last night, I’ve decided some Kossacks must have slept through their high school English classes, because otherwise I am sure they’d find a better word that doesn’t offend every woman here on DKos and quite a few men, when vilifying an opponent as a coward. Like the former college English teacher I am, I decided it was time for a vocabulary lesson.
There are many insulting words to impugn someone’s strength of character or bravery. Here are a few:
craven
yellowbelly
pusillanimous
Chicken
nebbish
poltroon
wimp
weak-kneed
wuss*
lily-livered
dastardly
scared
terrified
gutless
deserter
fraidy-cat
scaredy-cat
mollycoddle
milquetoast
sissy *
pantywaist*
caitiff
spineless
wishy-washy
You can also combine them in interesting ways.
"Dastardly caitiff" has a nice medieval ring to, appropriate to Bush, the Man Who Would Be King.
"Spineless nebbish" works for any of Bush’s press spokesman. "Gutless wonder" is good for any of his attorneys General.
I do have some favorite combinations:
Weak-kneed poltroon ( sounds like someone with too much money and too little spine—could be used to the Dem leaders in Congress and the Senate)
Craven deserter (perfect for Joe Lieberman)
Wishy-washy pantywaist
And, my personal favorite
Gutless pusillanimous mollycoddledlily-livered yellowbelly (which sounds like someone suffering from an STD or perhaps a cowardly bird on the endangered species list).
The permutations are many. So, guys, from now on, can you lay off the P Word and use your imaginations instead? The women at DKos (and quite a few men) will be pleased if you do, and you can show off your impressive vocabulary, prove yourself one of the "intellectual elite" so loathed by Republicans,win friends, and influence voters!
The next one to use That Word for my genitalia (of which I and my husband are quite fond) in an insulting manner will only prove s/he is a dastardly craven vocabulary-challenged milquetoast.
UPDATE: * May offend gays because it refers to homosexuality in an offensive way. Sadly, many of these words imply that being homosexuality makes cowardly or weak--tell that to the many gay vets and Baron von Steuben who trained soldiers for Washington.