Product Description

Whether borne out of surprise, anger, passion or humour, curses and insults make up some of the most colourful and profound phrases in a language, offering insight into cultural mores and a greater understanding of the most fundamental social and personal taboos.

Organized by language for an overview of each culture's favoured profanities, this beautifully illustrated volume - put together by language experts from around the world - is an essential reference to the brilliantly inventive, funny, scorchingly insulting words you won't learn in a language class...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #179092 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-21
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 128 pages

The Bookseller, 27 July 2007
"Should do as well, if not even better than, Adam Jacot de
Boinod's The Meaning of Tingo."

Good Book Guide
'...hugely entertaining book that will enable you to put down your rivals and enemies with creative insults known to man'

From the Inside Flap
Whether borne out of surprise, anger, passion or humour,
curses, put-downs and insults make up some of the most colourful and
profound phrases in a language. For Uglier Than a Monkey's Armpit
word expert Dr Vanderplank has scoured the world looking for the most
interesting, insightful and expressive invective from over forty languages.
These are the words you won't learn in a language class, the words of the
everyday local. From the common German expletive Verdammt! (meaning
simply 'Damned') to the more vulgar Great Hungarian Curse lofasz a
seggedbe! (see page 66), there is a phrase or word here to capture any
hot-tempered mood. Arranged by language, containing pointers on gestures
and beautifully illustrated throughout, Uglier Than a Monkey's
Armpit. (a Spanish phrase to avoid) will equip you with the vocabulary
to amuse, shock, offend and let off steam, wherever you happen to be.

Customer Reviews

Funny and surprisingly informative
I was expecting this to be just a list of funny words in different languages. It is that, but Vanderplank's text also manages to make some telling observations about national characters and cultures from the insults he documents.

The insults themselves vary from lyrical (Turkey and Russia) to downright revolting (Dutch and Afrikaans) and just plain funny - Spain and Iceland are two of my favourites.

Very funny, surprisingly informative and definitely recommended.

a great find!
I love the way different languages can say the same thing in such different ways, and this book is a great example of it. The insults themselves are hilarious - you'll laugh out loud - but they also tell a lot about the culture that they come from and what that culture values. Like, did you know that the worst insult in Finnish is to call someone 'unreliable'? I really enjoyed this book and recommend it. If you know anyone who enjoys languages or travel or just clever turns of phrase, this would make a great present.

good old-fashioned humour with a sprinkling of general knowledge
What fun! There's something tirelessly amusing about bad language that you don't grow out of in adulthood, though you might become better at hiding your sniggers. I'd challenge anyone not to enjoy this rollocking guide to insults through the ages, or to not be tempted to try them out on unsuspecting audiences of various cultures ... It's also beautifully produced and illustrated, with an entertainingly informative introduction to each language section. Classic.