Dumb things

[zehydra]

Stupid means unintelligent
Dumb means unable to speak
Lame means unable to walk
Gay means homosexual.
Retarded means slow (and more often as mentally handicapped)

All of these words are used by people to describe things that are undesirable to them, often used similarly as expletives. That's _____.

I've been wondering if there exists a word that alone means what people use these words as, and nothing else. If such a word does not exist, then perhaps we ought to make one.

 

[delet]

Eh...?

Surprise surprise, the meaning of words change over time. You failed to mention that 'Fag' means anything from a pile of sticks to a cigarette.

It's simple idiocy, most of it, so you just kind of learn to ignore it and get over it.

 

[arsenicCatnip]

It's what we call language shift, and there simply ISN'T a word to encompass the idea you're looking at. Everything you've listed is or can be perceived as negative (and for the record, 'gay' originally meant 'happy').

Make up a word and see if it catches on.

 

[SomeLameStuff]

Gay doesn't mean homosexual, gay means happy!

"The term gay was originally used to refer to feelings of being "carefree", "happy", or "bright and showy"

 

[DeadMix]

I guess "bad" doesn't sound bad enough.

 

[Frozen Donkey Wheel2]

Uh...."Stupid" and "unintelligent" mean the exact same thing, unlike your other pairs of examples.

So....the word your looking for is "stupid".

Not really sure what you're getting at here.

 

[PurpleSky]

Gay doesn't mean homosexual, gay means happy!

"The term gay was originally used to refer to feelings of being "carefree", "happy", or "bright and showy"

On the same note,the latin word for Sucker means Freeman.

 

[Lust]

Weird.

It's only one I know of.

 

[Choppaduel]

English is not a context free language.

think about that for a while... it is relevant here.

 

[cocoadog]

kerplacken.

 

[DeadMix]

It's what we call language shift, and there simply ISN'T a word to encompass the idea you're looking at. Everything you've listed is or can be perceived as negative (and for the record, 'gay' originally meant 'happy').

Make up a word and see if it catches on.

Gay doesn't mean homosexual, gay means happy!

"The term gay was originally used to refer to feelings of being "carefree", "happy", or "bright and showy"

Daw man, you got ninja'd. But yeah, things change a whole lot. Did you know what the scene in Hamlet, right before the play, when Hamlet is asking Ophelia if he can lay his head in her lap? That's actually a bunch of old-timey puns about cunnilingus.

Also, a couple of these (numbers 3 and 2): http://www.cracked.com/article_16576_the-disturbing-origins-5-common-nursery-rhymes.html

 

[zehydra]

kerplacken.

I like this one, lol.