Another vote for "loser". "Dirtball" is a favorite around here, too. (Well, and my daughter called her brother a parakeet the other day, but I still don't know what that was about.)
In need of a good insult!
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Also, a heavily-emphasized 'boy' works, especially if accompanied by a shove in the chest.
"You making fun of me, boy?"
(careful here if there are race considerations)
Or, in the spirit of 'Sparky' above, 'sport'.
"You making fun of me, boy?"
(careful here if there are race considerations)
Or, in the spirit of 'Sparky' above, 'sport'.
I'm starting to hear kids use the word 'creeper' in place of loser. Anyone else or is this just a local quirk?
I'm having trouble with Jackass. I was watching Pinocchio (with my daughter) the other day and Jiminy cricket says, jackass twice.
So, without much thought I threw it into my MC manuscript figuring if it's in Pinocchio it must be OK, now I'm having second thoughts.
I'm wondering if this one hasn't gotten more vulgar with time, if only because jackasses aren't commonplace anymore (well literal ones anyway)?
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Jackass won't fly in MG. It'll get cleaned up, I'm sure.
I have seen Damn in MG, but that's about as close to a genuine swear word that I've seen.
In Pinocchio, isn't jackass being used because the boys get turned into them? So not in the modern sense of a rude insult.
I have seen Damn in MG, but that's about as close to a genuine swear word that I've seen.
In Pinocchio, isn't jackass being used because the boys get turned into them? So not in the modern sense of a rude insult.
I agree with Judy. Unless your characters are donkeys, I wouldn't use the word "jackass".
Side note: Pinocchio scared me to death as a child. I never watched it again. Maybe I should?
Smish
I just realized this: I've heard older people (senior citizens) use the word "jackass" occasionally as a curse word, but no one younger than that.
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Johnny Knoxville brought "jackass" back pretty strong for kids. A jackass is someone who'll stand in a full port-o-potty and have it turned upside down by a garbage truck. And stuff.
Being a jackass currently means to have some earned scars.
I did some searching on the internet. It appears Jackass is now perceived to be more vulgar than it used to be.
Anyway, I'm taking it out. I really only wanted to use it if it sounded vulgar but wasn't.
It's a common insult where I live, actually. However, I'd agree that it's not a term children are likely to use. I've been known to use it, though, and I'm not a senior citizen.
I've definitely heard kids use it. But I doubt parents or librarians will buy MG books that use it.
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Scrote...not for MG.
Wuss...maybe. But probably not.
Pud? choad? I'll have to look those up!
Toecheese...has definite possiblities!
Wuss...maybe. But probably not.
Pud? choad? I'll have to look those up!
Toecheese...has definite possiblities!
I didn't write the hate crime leglslation, and I'm not going to debate my opinion of it, but yes, you can be arrested for calling someone a faggot.
That was my point
ETA: Unless the OP lives somewhere else. I hadn't considered that
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Please cite your source.
I definitely agree that "faggot" is not an appropriate insult to use in children's literature (and as someone who believes in equal rights for all, I don't appreciate its use in any negative way).
However, I don't believe that simply calling someone a faggot (or any insulting word) is a crime. That may be a factor in an arrest (for disorderly conduct, for example), and it can be a factor in determining if someone's behavior constitutes a hate crime. But we're allowed to insult people in the US.
Smish
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While we're on the subject...
I know a third-grader who called his teacher a douchebag last week.
He did get suspended for it...
I know a third-grader who called his teacher a douchebag last week.
He did get suspended for it...
Annabeth calls Percy Seaweed Brain. but she means it lovingly...
And I think that's the best example of a good insult. Because it's personal.
My ten-year-old is short and brainy. So Midget really hurts his feelings. Nerd he considers a compliment.
And I think that's the best example of a good insult. Because it's personal.
My ten-year-old is short and brainy. So Midget really hurts his feelings. Nerd he considers a compliment.
I was actually thinking Clarisse called Percy 'Barnacle Brain' at some point, but I could be wrong.
If you're looking for something authentic, it's going to be something it's going to go for the most sensitive spot the speaker can perceive.
Kids lack the filters of adult interaction. To the extent that they're aware it's wrong to say something racist or homophobic, this knowledge just makes such forbidden subjects better ammunition. No punches should be pulled. All the places you wouldn't go, that's where the bully will look to score points. All the stuff you politely pretend not to notice about people will be the first things this character will point out.
If the kid is fat, that's the insult. If the kid hasn't gone through puberty and the other kids have, that's the insult. If the kid has zits, that's the insult. If he has a speech impediment, it's that. If his parents are dead or divorced, he will mock that. If the victim has a strange habit or tic, the bully will draw attention to it.
If you are looking for a non-specific, one-word insult, it will probably be something vulgar. Something like "punk" or "jerk" or "doofus" sounds like the way adults pretend they think kids insult each other, when they've repressed their own playground memories. "Fag" or "cunt" have the most verisimilitude. If you want to shy away from the epithet, "ass-licker" or "ball-sniffer" might work. If you're uncomfortable with that, you could probably get away with something profane but vague, like "shitbag."
When I was in middle school fifteen years ago, we might have had "asshole" in the rotation. But you should assume that every single twelve year-old boy has viewed hard-core pornography on the internet, and they probably now have more advanced tools at their disposal.
Of course, then again, a book in which children talk the way children actually talk would probably be considered inappropriate for children to read.
Kids lack the filters of adult interaction. To the extent that they're aware it's wrong to say something racist or homophobic, this knowledge just makes such forbidden subjects better ammunition. No punches should be pulled. All the places you wouldn't go, that's where the bully will look to score points. All the stuff you politely pretend not to notice about people will be the first things this character will point out.
If the kid is fat, that's the insult. If the kid hasn't gone through puberty and the other kids have, that's the insult. If the kid has zits, that's the insult. If he has a speech impediment, it's that. If his parents are dead or divorced, he will mock that. If the victim has a strange habit or tic, the bully will draw attention to it.
If you are looking for a non-specific, one-word insult, it will probably be something vulgar. Something like "punk" or "jerk" or "doofus" sounds like the way adults pretend they think kids insult each other, when they've repressed their own playground memories. "Fag" or "cunt" have the most verisimilitude. If you want to shy away from the epithet, "ass-licker" or "ball-sniffer" might work. If you're uncomfortable with that, you could probably get away with something profane but vague, like "shitbag."
When I was in middle school fifteen years ago, we might have had "asshole" in the rotation. But you should assume that every single twelve year-old boy has viewed hard-core pornography on the internet, and they probably now have more advanced tools at their disposal.
Of course, then again, a book in which children talk the way children actually talk would probably be considered inappropriate for children to read.
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My favorite is, "Back-off Testostoboy!"
I only dreamed of saying it. It came to me 12 hours after the response would have been effective.
I only dreamed of saying it. It came to me 12 hours after the response would have been effective.