Synopses & Reviews
The stupid person's idea of a clever person.--Elizabeth Bowen on Aldous Huxley
That insolent little ruffian, that crapulous lout. When he quitted a sofa, he left behind him a smear.--Norman Cameron on Dylan Thomas
An insult can be bad-mannered, offensive, and infuriating, but every one of us has surely had one of those moments when we just wish we had thought of a good one. Unlike most of us, however, there are those who always seem to have the perfect comeback. 1001 Insults, Put-Downs, and Comebacks gathers together the very sharpest of these barbs from a wide variety of sources, with some of the wickedest put-downs from the literary, political, and entertainment worlds, along with many others, including:
-A large shaggy dog unchained scouring the beaches of the world and baying at the moon.--Robert Louis Stevenson on Walt Whitman
-The triumph of sugar over diabetes.--George Nathan on J. M. Barrie
-He was another one that was a complete fizzle . . . Pierce didn't know what was going on, and even if he had, he wouldn't have known what to do about it.--Harry Truman on Franklin Pierce
-He is such an infernal liar.--Ulysses Grant on Andrew Johnson
-Just the omission of Jane Austen's books alone would make a fairly good library out of a library that hadn't a book in it.--Mark Twain
-I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it.--Groucho Marx
-Every time I look at you I get a fierce desire to be lonesome.--Oscar Levant
Review
"Devilishly funny..."
--Journal InquirerSynopsis
"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it."--Groucho MarxAn insult can be offensive and infuriating, but it means nothing if you have a better comeback. 1001 Insults, Put-Downs, and Comebacks gathers together the very sharpest of these barbs from a wide variety of sources, with some of the wickedest put-downs from the literary, political, and entertainment worlds, along with many others.
Synopsis
“I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn’t it.”—Groucho Marx
An insult can be offensive and infuriating, but it means nothing if you have a better comeback. 1001 Insults, Put-Downs, and Comebacks gathers together the very sharpest of these barbs from a wide variety of sources, with some of the wickedest put-downs from the literary, political, and entertainment worlds, along with many others.
Synopsis
A collection of often impolite but always witty taunts from the world's masters of the studied insult.
An insult can be bad-mannered, offensive, and infuriating, but everyone has surely had one of those moments when we just wish we had thought of a good one. Unlike most of us however, there are those who always seem to have the perfect comeback. 1001 Insults, Put-Downs, and Comebacks gathers together the very sharpest of these barbs from a wide variety of sources with some of the wickedest put-downs from the literary, political, and entertainment worlds, along with many others, including:
"He had a mind so fine that no idea could violate it."--T. S. Eliot on Henry James
"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it."--Groucho Marx
"A car is useless in New York, essential everywhere else. The same with good manners."
--Mignon McLaughlin
"Although golf was originally restricted to wealthy, overweight Protestants, today it's open to anybody who owns hideous clothing."--Dave Barry
"George Steinbrenner is the center of evil in the universe."--Ben Affleck on the New York Yankees owner
Synopsis
A collection of often impolite, but always witty taunts from the world's masters of the studied insult.
Synopsis
An insult can be offensive and infuriating, but weve all had those moments where we just wish we had come up with a good one. Even better, having the
perfect comeback to one of these rude remarks brings us all the personal
satisfaction in the world. 1001 Insults, Put-downs, & Comebacks gathers together the very sharpest of these barbs from a wide variety of sources with some of the wickedest put-downs from the literary, political, and entertainment worlds, along with many others, including:
He has become the oldest living cute boy in the world.”
Anna Quindlen on Paul McCartney
Ive had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasnt it.”Groucho Marx
When you go to the mind reader, do you get half price?”David Letterman
Clare Booth Luce stood aside and gestured Dorothy Parker to precede her through a door, saying Age before beauty.” Parker swept on, saying only
Pearls before swine.”
George Steinbrenner is the center of evil in the universe.”
Ben Affleck on the New York Yankees owner
About the Author
Steven D. Price, a consulting editor of The Lyons Press, is the author or editor of thirty books, including
1001 Smartest Things Ever Said, 1001 Dumbest Smartest Things Ever Said, and
1001 Funniest Things Ever Said. He lives in New York City, where cutting insults, clever put-downs, and snappy comebacks are a way of life.