tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post3664649014498102007..comments2024-03-16T00:21:43.240+00:00Comments on Separated by a Common Language: lefties and rightieslynneguisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-28342570015793896412022-07-17T10:44:44.975+01:002022-07-17T10:44:44.975+01:00Er, your bad - what?Er, your bad - what?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-39935227670573531222022-07-17T10:43:19.377+01:002022-07-17T10:43:19.377+01:00Hmm, think Paul McCartney, William Shakespeare and...Hmm, think Paul McCartney, William Shakespeare and Jimi Hendrix would be/have been surprised to hear that they were considered 'clumsy' by others!<br />That aside, stumbled upon this site when attempting to settle a point about spelling which is; when referring in (BrE) in - a derogatorial way re non right-wing morality/allegiance - is it 'leftie' or 'lefty'?<br />Well, anyone? 🤔Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-30936795015580179902010-02-13T01:22:03.670+00:002010-02-13T01:22:03.670+00:00Ok, I should have read more carefully. A few peopl...Ok, I should have read more carefully. A few people mentioned 'leftist'...my bad ;)Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06968011115791180655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-63815122895086966532010-02-13T01:21:07.892+00:002010-02-13T01:21:07.892+00:00I'm surprised no one from the US chimed in wit...I'm surprised no one from the US chimed in with the AmE word for a socialist: leftist.<br /><br />I frequently call myself a lefty when the subject comes up in conversation, so I'm never offended when someone refers to me that way.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06968011115791180655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-62163827294449132852007-09-13T21:49:00.000+01:002007-09-13T21:49:00.000+01:00gingeryellow - I'm pretty sure cack-handed = clums...gingeryellow - I'm pretty sure cack-handed = clumsy and cack-handed = left-handed are kinda closely related. Left-handed types are supposed to be more clumsy than right-handers (maybe because, like, <I>everything</I> is designed for right-handed people). I have a friend who is VERY rude about left-handedness, and she always calls me cack-handed, yet she is WAY clumsier than i am. (I have a left-handed sleeping bag, which i must admit is ridiculous.)<BR/><BR/>I'm British, and i don't like it when people ask me if i'm a lefty, because i get confused about whether they want a conversation about something important, or about which hand i write with. I don't think i've heard people use <I>righty</I> to refer to people of a right-wing political persuasion though.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-60054151068591633842007-09-05T11:02:00.000+01:002007-09-05T11:02:00.000+01:00Nice description of the transatlantic differences-...Nice description of the transatlantic differences--thanks, Straw.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-78484219676599303742007-09-05T10:54:00.000+01:002007-09-05T10:54:00.000+01:00Liberal featured as Chambers Dictionary's Word of ...<B>Liberal</B> featured as Chambers Dictionary's <A HREF="http://www.chambersharrap.co.uk/chambers/features/wotw/liberal.shtml" REL="nofollow">Word of the Week</A> early last year.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-15434049230551105852007-09-03T18:07:00.000+01:002007-09-03T18:07:00.000+01:00"cack handed" more often means "clumsy" in my circ..."cack handed" more often means "clumsy" in my circles. I'm not sure which meaning came first. That said, none of the derogatory terms in your linked list are familiar to me, so I'm not much use as a source.Ginger Yellowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06103410278129312943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-26754229258391925072007-09-03T17:51:00.000+01:002007-09-03T17:51:00.000+01:00The U.S. Democrats are STILL afraid of the "libera...The U.S. Democrats are STILL afraid of the "liberal" label, which means, as defined by the opposition, big govt, weak on defense.Roger Owen Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05298172138307632062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-88259052230681204032007-09-02T21:08:00.000+01:002007-09-02T21:08:00.000+01:00Sinistral is not BrE- or AmE-specific--it's just a...<I>Sinistral</I> is not BrE- or AmE-specific--it's just a rare, technical word.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-15176108518223208522007-09-02T20:35:00.000+01:002007-09-02T20:35:00.000+01:00Onelook.com reverse dictionary has "sinistral" as ...Onelook.com reverse dictionary has "sinistral" as number five for "left-handed" when sorted by relatedness. I don't recall ever seeing it before and as best I can tell it is not among the comments here.janes_kidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10421531808505881234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-26948313268153503262007-09-01T22:59:00.000+01:002007-09-01T22:59:00.000+01:00As far as 'left-footer' is concerned, I had to put...As far as 'left-footer' is concerned, I had to put up with being labelled as such in the City (London's financial district) in the 80s - where, despite the fact that most of the people working there believed in Mammon rather than any deity, the overarching and inherent English hatred of Catholics ever since the government fitted up Guy Fawkes was firmly entrenched in the secular establishment. So it's not just used in Glasgow and Northern Ireland!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-37104885943045866952007-09-01T12:40:00.000+01:002007-09-01T12:40:00.000+01:00As has been said above, ANY epithet can be used in...As has been said above, ANY epithet can be used in a pejorative way, given the right context/intention. That's a case in point. Associating it with a negative presupposition "Watch what you say or" and with more extreme and negative terms "radical, fanatical, criminal" makes it clear that it was intended as a pejorative there (kind of...of course the greater message in the song is that "they" are messed up in "their" ideas).lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-15441888749330249822007-09-01T01:18:00.000+01:002007-09-01T01:18:00.000+01:00If liberal first started taking a negative meaning...If liberal first started taking a negative meaning 20 years ago in America, how do we explain the following lines from Supertramp's <I>The Logical Song</I>?<BR/><BR/>"Now watch what you say or they´ll be calling you a radical, a liberal, oh fanatical, criminal."<BR/><BR/>Supertramp was a British band and the song was released in 1979.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-85788114526492300372007-08-31T18:38:00.000+01:002007-08-31T18:38:00.000+01:00I've heard "leftist" used pejoratively here, too, ...I've heard "leftist" used pejoratively here, too, presumably the "ist" is to signal the association with socialism. And "rightist" does not work.Erinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11102524397278597786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-42203834235044934062007-08-31T16:49:00.000+01:002007-08-31T16:49:00.000+01:00Yes, that is true...Kerry's labeling as Liberal di...Yes, that is true...Kerry's labeling as Liberal did hurt him...but mainly with the Conservative crowd, which came out in droves to vote becasue of it. Liberal is considered dangerous by conservatives...but is not shunned by the leftist groups, the only reason to hide from the moniker is to avoid hurting your chances with conservative voters, and that lies purely within the realm of "Politics" as opposed to everyday life. In fact, after more years of Bush's white house, I would wager that "liberal" is making a comeback in direct opposition. The fact that a formidable presidential ticket made up of a woman and a black man is a very real possibility shows this. I doubt that Kerry/Edwards will look like the most liberal ticket for much longer.<BR/>The problem is that noone wants to be called "A Liberal" because that hints at the more extreme side of things. Just like noone wants to be called "A Conservative". However if you ask someone about their political views, I feel that the general one-word answer would either be "Liberal" or "Conservative"<BR/>I think it falls into your assertion that all epithets can be used in a negative, not in a negative association with the word itself. I was only 12 when Reagan left office of course so I don't know how it was...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-16636387010853035312007-08-31T16:46:00.000+01:002007-08-31T16:46:00.000+01:00As per Cameron, "lefty" is now a usually-facetious...As per Cameron, "lefty" is now a usually-facetious pejorative for "Protestant" used by Catholics in the Republic of Ireland. I don't know whether this is usable in polite company in Northern Ireland, or whether something like "righty" would be understood in the opposite sense. Spades in nineteenth-century Ireland were usually asymmetric, with the handle usually fixed to the right side of the blade in the (mainly Protestant) north, causing diggers to press down with the left foot; conversely in the Catholic south.<BR/><BR/>In Europe generally, liberal refers to the kind of political view or party called "libertarian" in America, or "neo-liberal" by socialist opponents. In Britain the Liberal Party started out like this, but drifted leftwards as its commercial base jumped over to the Conservative party. It is now called the Liberal Democratic Party. <BR/><BR/>Further left, the distinctions between "social democrat", "socialist" and "communist" have never been widely appreciated in America; but are now less relevant in Europe than in the Cold War.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-22739202166541781342007-08-31T16:18:00.000+01:002007-08-31T16:18:00.000+01:00The Reagan-era effects of the 'liberal' label may ...The Reagan-era effects of the 'liberal' label may be wearing off, but if you click on the link "a label of shame or an accusation" in the entry, you'll be taken to a Washington Post discussion of the issue.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-36699275051165285802007-08-31T16:01:00.000+01:002007-08-31T16:01:00.000+01:00Actually I am surprised that people consider liber...Actually I am surprised that people consider liberal a negative. I, and my friends and most everyone I know, accept Liberal as a fact indicating "leftist" politics. Conservatives seem to be the only ones that use it as a negative.<BR/>Go to any social networking site like Facebook or Myspace and any question indicating political views usually ask "Liberal or Conservative?"<BR/>In fact, this site is the first and only place I have seen the indication that Liberal is not embraced, partially if not fully...and I work in Washington DC.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-3083500601293853352007-08-31T12:55:00.000+01:002007-08-31T12:55:00.000+01:00Cack-handed and others that have been mentioned ar...<I>Cack-handed</I> and others that have been mentioned are listed, with regional origins, at the site that I link to in the entry (where it says 'some of those listed for BrE here).lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-38168799964348554402007-08-31T12:50:00.000+01:002007-08-31T12:50:00.000+01:00My grandfather - a Yorkshireman through and throug...My grandfather - a Yorkshireman through and through - always called me 'cack-handed' and 'southpaw' - southpaw because of the boxing connotations - he was an ex boxer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-13163482209912560042007-08-31T09:25:00.000+01:002007-08-31T09:25:00.000+01:00I myself, in Glasgow, western Scotland, am proud t...I myself, in Glasgow, western Scotland, am proud to be corrie fisted, indeed to be a corrie fister. I have never heard this used in any way other than affectionately, but in ways which I think made it clear that it was a word which once was a serious insult. Up here, though, we also have left footers. A left footer is a Catholic, supposedly from the "fact" that Irish potato diggers used their left foot to push their shovels into the ground whereas any decent person would naturally use their right foot. It is still occasionally said here that some person or other "kicks with the wrong foot," meaning to be of the wrong religious persuasion (vis a vis Protestant or Catholic), which seems to come from the religious rivalry (now thankfully diminishing) between Rangers and Celtic football clubs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-32574719144974076402007-08-31T08:22:00.000+01:002007-08-31T08:22:00.000+01:00The usual word for somebody who is left handed is-...The usual word for somebody who is left handed is-wait for it-“left-handed”. However there are many dialect words and my grandfather,a Norfolkman used to call me “cack-handed”. It was only now after looking it up on the web I realised the origin, so I hope my grandfather was unaware!<BR/>http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-cac1.htmPeterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13478343480167882044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-67983575605116768022007-08-31T08:21:00.000+01:002007-08-31T08:21:00.000+01:00This comment has been removed by the author.Peterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13478343480167882044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-84204381441882236222007-08-31T07:49:00.000+01:002007-08-31T07:49:00.000+01:00In the Reagan and first-Bush eras, the use of "lib...In the Reagan and first-Bush eras, the use of "liberal" as a perjorative was quite deliberately engineered by conservatives. I have no idea why the liberals rolled over and accepted this.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com