History Main / FloweryInsults

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[[quoteright:350:[[WebVideo/FrenchBaguetteIntelligence https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/french_baguette_intelligence_theres_no_legs_in_the_metaverse_fpjsxb4n61i_1620x1080_2m43s.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:A simple 'you're ugly' would have sufficed.]]

* ''Franchise/{{Tintin}}'''s Captain Haddock is the best known user of this in the [[FrenchBelgianComicBooks Bande Dessinee]] genre. See [[http://www.tintinologist.org/guides/lists/curses.html here]] for alphabetically-sorted examples. "Billions of bilious blue blistering barnacles!" ("Mille millions de mille milliards de mille sabords!") is probably the most iconic one.

'''Plankton:''' Someone should put you in ''[[ImpliedDeathThreat a box floating down the river]]'', '''''grandma!'''''

** The Emperor is a godlike being who spends a huge of his dialogue insulting others because he's in constant agony because his sole is shattered and he's only being kept alive by constant sacrifices of people with psychic powers. Thus, it's unsurprising he sometimes gets rather elaborate in his insults too, though he's generally not subtle.

--> [[AC: Stop using your mouth to say stupid words, you giant mving pineapple.]]

** Rogal Dorn, [[LiteralMinded of all people]], gets in such a good insult back at the Emperor that even the Emperor is impressed.

* ''Film/Spy'' is full of this.

* UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill [[BeamMeUpScotty sadly never said of]] UsefulNotes/ClementAttlee: "An empty taxi pulled up and the Prime Minister got out", as he thought very highly of Attlee, but Churchill was the source of many other flowery insults.

* Video game critic Creator/BenCroshaw is arguably even more well-known for his creatively caustic vernacular.

** A man wants to insult Cyrano, but all he can say is: "Sir, your nose is... hmm... it is... very big!" Cyrano berates him for being unimaginative, and gives examples of better insults in many different styles.

* When the {{Spoonerism}} had first become popularized, a politician in the British parliament used the opportunity to [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar get some crap past the radar]] against his opponent, saying, "Sir, you are a shining wit. I am sorry, that was a spoonerism."

* ''Film/BigFatLiar:'' Averted. Marty Wolf's insults are simple, blunt... and when not {{stealth|insult}}y, usually very loud.
* [[Film/TheThreeStooges Moe]] was never one to miss the opportunity to call Larry, Curly or anyone else names.

-->'''Gunnery Sgt Hartman:''' What's your excuse?\\
'''Pvt Cowboy:''' Sir, excuse for what, sir?\\
'''Hartman:''' I'm asking the fucking questions here private do you understand?\\
'''Pvt Cowboy:''' Sir yes sir!\\
'''Hartman:''' Well thank you very much, can I be in charge for a while?\\
'''Pvt Cowboy:''' Sir yes sir!\\
'''Hartman:''' Are you shook up, are you nervous?\\
'''Pvt Cowboy:''' Sir, I am, sir.\\
'''Hartman:''' Do I make you nervous?\\
'''Pvt Cowboy:''' Sir?\\
'''Hartman:''' Sir what? Were you about to call me an asshole?\\
'''Pvt Cowboy:''' Sir no sir!\\
'''Hartman:''' How tall are you private?\\

* The 2015 movie Spy is full of this, and they are all very creative and funny.

* In the book ''[[Literature/CouncilWars There Will Be Dragons]]'', the BigBad is given a magnificent dressing down in the middle of a battle, his opponent almost singing a long and eloquent combination of flowery insult and TheReasonYouSuckSpeech (it's a full page in the book) that literally leaves the guy crying before he finally gets put down.

* In ''Literature/StarshipTroopers'', Rico notes with ''admiration'' that [[DrillSergeantNasty Zim]]'s insult are magnificent, being extremely offensive while at the same time being extremely articulated, rarely repeated, and usually containing no prophanity. And if they included swearwords, it meant you had done something ''really'' stupid.[[note]]Rico at one point ''was'' insulted with swearwords during a training exercise, his sin being firing a simulated nuke and deciding the trajectory by "eyeballing" it rather than using computer targeting. The offense was serious enough that Rico should have been drummed out, and only escaped it with ''flogging'' because Zim deemed him redeemable and Rico was smart enough not to ask for a court martial when offered.[[/note]]

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* UsefulNotes/BorisJohnson once called his political opponents "great supine protoplasmic invertebrate jellies".

'''Plankton:''' Someone should put you in ''a box floating down the river, '''grandma!'''''