How King George IV, Beau Brummel and some 20th century street life led to a decades-long quest to collect the funniest insult quotes ever.
Why collect insult quotes?
These insult quotes bring pleasure and practical benefits.
Most importantly, they make you laugh. And anyone who doesn’t feel that laughter is one of life’s great pleasures is probably in the wrong place.
Some of the insults may tickle your sense of justice. You may enjoy seeing the puffed up get deflated, smartarses get outsmarted or personal bêtes noire get what’s coming to them.
At the same time you will get to experience the great debates of human history played out one wisecrack at a time, all the while enjoying the dazzling company of the greatest wits, safe in the knowledge that their withering scorn is unlikely to ever be directed at you.
For the more reticent amongst us, browsing a collection of insult quotes can also be therapeutic. It’s fun to read people saying things we’d never have the nerve to say, even if we had the nous to come up with them in the first place.
Those with fewer inhibitions will find the site a master-class in the art of the insult.
The genesis of this insults quote collection
While the situations that prompted these insults may seem too specific to be of use, you might be surprised which insult quotes can come in handy.
So I discovered, fatefully, a number of years ago. The insult in question was “Who’s your fat friend?” It may not be the wittiest in history, but the fact that the fat friend referred to was the future King of England adds to the kudos due 17th century English dandy George “Beau” Brummel.
Only one of the three young men blocking my path could have been considered fat, though all were bigger than me (when I was 14 most people were bigger than me). They were all certainly tougher than me since, at 14, absolutely everyone was tougher than me. Ignoring their initial conversational sally (“What are you looking at?”) I turned to the toughest-looking of the three and, eyes level with the picture of Bob Marley on his t-shirt, heard myself utter Brummel’s immortal words.
I cannot say I was surprised by the result because that would imply a degree of deliberation. I had just devoured The Book of Insults by Nancy McPhee and this included Beau’s belligerent query among many other gems. I was facing a trio of friends. One of them was fat. Sometimes we can but embrace our destiny.
All three burst into laughter, the fat friend with a cheerful shrug of acknowledgement. The incident had two main consequences: the four of us became good mates and since that day I have been an avid collector of funny insult quotes, the cream of which I am very pleased to be able to share with you. Enjoy.
Sharing insult quotes with the interwebs
One of the nice things about having this site is it gives the team ready-made material to share with people.
One of the nice things about having this site is it gives the team ready-made material to share with people.
Here are some of the questions we’ve answered on Quora:
What are the sickest burns/best insults/etc. that you’ve heard
What are your favorite insults?
Clive James has died. What of his output have you enjoyed?
What are good quotes about politics?
What was the best political insult in history?
Why can talk show hosts mock Trump, but Republican commentators can’t mock Democrats?
And here are some posts we’ve responded to on forums:
The Many Uses of Humour — Res Historica
The Village Idiot — Res Historica
Best Famous History Quotes — City Data History Forum
Does It Seem Bitter to Insult Someone Who Ghosts You?— City Data Relationships Forum