Mother insult

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Referring to person's mother through the use of phrases such as "your mom", "yer mum", or "yo mama" are frequently used to insult the target, by way of his or her mother. Used as an insult, "your mom..." preys on the fact that people commonly love and revere their mothers, making the insult particularly and globally offensive.[1] "Your mom" can be combined with most types of insults, although suggestions of promiscuity, obesity, or lack of intelligence are particularly common.[2] Compared to other types of insults, "your mom" insults are especially likely to incite violence.[3][1] Slang variants such as "yo momma" or "yer ma" are sometimes used, depending on the local dialect. Insults involving "Your mom" are commonly used when playing the dozens. Additionally, this phrase is frequently used in playful banter between friends. Although this may appear to be a recent phenomenon, one can trace its roots far back in history. Indeed, William Shakespeare appears to utilize such a device in Act I Scene 1 of Timon of Athens:

Painter: "Y'are a dog."
Apemantus: "Thy mother's of my generation. What's she, if I be a dog?"

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Although the phrase has a long history of including a description portion (such as the old, mostly harmless insult "your mama wears Army shoes"), the phrase "yo mama" by itself, without any qualifiers, has become commonly used as an all-purpose insult or an expression of defiance.

Contents

Use as a retort

"Your mom" is also sometimes used as a sarcastically immature retort to either a mild criticism or even an innocuous statement. The effect of this is usually to mock the person. It is occasionally used as a sexual innuendo as in the following example:

Q: What are you doing?
A: Your mom!

In popular culture

"Your mom" jokes became common in North American pop culture in the early nineties. The Pharcyde's 1992 track "Ya Mama" echoed it, [4] as did the film Napoleon Dynamite, in which one of the supporting characters utters the phrase "your mom goes to college." Mexican film Y Tu Mama Tambien's title is an equivalent usage in Spanish ("and your momma too"). There is also a television show Yo Momma featuring contestants "playing the dozens". The Australian hiphop outfit Butterfingers released a song called "Yo Mama" that made number 17 on the 2004 Triple J Hottest 100.[5]

Look up your mom in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Seale, J. Paul; Sylvia Shellenberger, Carlos Rodriguez, Josiah D. Seale, Manuel Alvarado (2002 November-December). "Alcohol Use and Cultural Change in an Indigenous Population: A Case Study from Venezuela". Alcohol and Alcoholism 37 (6): 603-608. Retrieved on 2007-01-05. 
  2. ^ Ayoub, Millicent R.; Barnett, Stephen A. (1965 October-December). "Ritualized Verbal Insult in White High School Culture". The Journal of American Folklore 78 (310): 337-344. Retrieved on 2007-01-05. 
  3. ^ The mother of all insults. The Guardian Unlimited (2006-06-12). Retrieved on December 6, 2006.
  4. ^ Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde, (1992), The Pharcyde, notes from: back cover. Delicious Vinyl, Los Angeles, California:
  5. ^ Katrina Lobley (2005-08-19). Degeneration Y. Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved on March 2, 2007.
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