Education: International Insults

¶ Non-Greeks, to Greek ears, sounded like stammerers. From a root of this meaning they derived "barbaros," "barbarian."

¶ The Carthaginians, in the Roman view, were treacherous fellows. "Punica fides" ("Punic faith") became Latin for double-dealing.

¶ The Swedes, to Danes, were models of drunkenness. "Full som Svensker" "Drunk as a Swede," is the Danish phrase.

¶ The Irish, in Manx estimation, were scapegoats pure: "Hit him again; he's Irish."

When Dr. Johnson, in his English dictionary, defined oats as "a grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people," he was insulting his neighbors to the...

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