|
‘Fie, Fie! You
counterfeit, you puppet, you!’
Renaissance Dissing |
Reflecting Shakespeare’s more earth-bound
“ill-dispersing” creativity, this exercise encourages
the power of strong, descriptive language.
Activity: Work in pairs or groups to design a favorite
insult, then practice delivering it to the class.
Discuss choice of words, meaning and impact, which
combinations are the most humorous, imaginative,
insulting, fun.
Directions: Combineth one word from each columns below,
add "Thou" to the beginning, and thus shalt thou have a
perfect insult to fling at wretched fools.
Thou. . . |
| |
column A |
column B |
column C |
| |
|
|
|
| 1. |
bawling |
black-browed |
calamity |
| 2. |
blubbering |
cream-faced |
canker-blossom |
| 3. |
churlish |
eye-offending |
cutpurse |
| 4. |
distempered |
folly-fallen |
eggshell |
| 5. |
false |
green-sick |
fiddlestick |
| 6. |
grizzled |
grim-looked |
fish-monger |
| 7. |
heartless |
hard-hearted |
foot-licker |
| 8. |
homespun |
ill-beseeming |
hazel-nut |
| 9. |
ignorant |
ill-shaped |
hedgehog |
| 10. |
monstrous |
life-weary |
hobgoblin |
| 11. |
odious |
lily-livered |
logger-head |
| 12. |
overweening |
muddy-mettled |
loon |
| 13. |
peevish |
pale-hearted |
maggot-pie |
| 14. |
pernicious |
periwig-pated |
malignancy |
| 15. |
rascally |
pickle-herring |
minimus |
| 16. |
rebellious |
pigeon-livered |
noise-maker |
| 17. |
reeky |
proper-false |
rat-catcher |
| 18. |
saucy |
reeling-ripe |
relic |
| 19. |
scurvy |
rump-fed |
rudesby |
| 20. |
shrewish |
shag-eared |
scoundrel |
| 21. |
treacherous |
sour-eyed |
sheep-biter |
| 22. |
villainous |
tallow-faced |
toad |
| 23. |
waggish |
tempest-tossed |
waterfly |
| 24. |
wanton |
waspish-headed |
weasel |
| 25. |
yeasty |
whey-faced |
worm’s meat |
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