Possibly a nice grant.  The discussion inspired me to check my favorite
Russian dictionary:
 
�������������� (onanist - wanker), not to be confused with the verb 
"��������������"
(drochit').
 
 
 
 
Michael T. Scoles, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychology & Counseling
University of Central Arkansas
Conway, AR 72035
501-450-5418

>>> David Epstein <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 3/22/2007 9:46 AM >>>

On Thu, 22 Mar 2007, Allen Esterson went:

> Nowadays neither "tosser" nor "wanker" is, strictly speaking, "a
> term of abuse for a masturbator", as the words have taken on a life
> of their own. As you can imagine it is incredibly difficult to catch
> the precise tone for someone who is not used to hearing (reading)
> the words in context. The nearest I can get to one common use of the
> words is that they describe someone whose opinion is really not
> worth having (something like that). Or someone whose behaviour is
> socially pitiful (in a non-tragic sense).

The American term "jerkoff" seems to have made a similar journey,
though I think it connotes a more hostile individual than one who
would be called a "tosser" or a "wanker" in the UK.

There's a really bad dissertation project somewhere in all this. :)

--David Epstein
   [EMAIL PROTECTED]

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