Ol’ Martin Luther had a penchant for the odd scatological retort, reserving some of his best cuss-words for his chief enemies (the reformers’ axis of evil): the world, the Pope and the Devil. No other words would aptly capture his distain towards papal abuse, worldly corruption and the foul work of the devil. Unholy words for unholy enemies it seems.
I always like the Shakepearean insults: "You starvelling, you eel-skin, you dried neat's-tongue, you bull's-pizzle, you stock-fish--O for breath to utter what is like thee!-you tailor's-yard, you sheath, you bow-case, you vile standing tuck!" Henry IV Part 1
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Ol’ Martin Luther had a penchant for the odd scatological retort, reserving some of his best cuss-words for his chief enemies (the reformers’ axis of evil): the world, the Pope and the Devil. No other words would aptly capture his distain towards papal abuse, worldly corruption and the foul work of the devil. Unholy words for unholy enemies it seems.
I always like the Shakepearean insults:
"You starvelling, you eel-skin, you dried neat's-tongue, you bull's-pizzle, you stock-fish--O for breath to utter what is like thee!-you tailor's-yard, you sheath, you bow-case, you vile standing tuck!"
Henry IV Part 1
Cankerblossom!
I think "Avast ye landlubbers" is more likely to be an invention of 19th Century English novelists or 20th Century Fox.
16th Century expletives were probably mostly religious. Like "Damn" or "Hellfire" perhaps. Or taking God's name in vain.
The ones listed in the above comments, whilst interesting, are not so much expletives as insults or pejoratives.
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