Originally posted by Allison D. Reid:
I thought this week I’d amuse you with some medieval insults. Some were used for good-natured ribbing, whereas others might be more defamatory in nature. Reputation was important in the medieval world, and slandering the wrong person meant you could find yourself in court. Men typically based their reputations on social status, whereas the reputations of women were more based on their virtue and the way they conducted themselves. Depending on where you live, some of these insults (or versions of them) might still be in use today. If this is the case, please know that no real offense is intended—this is all in good fun!
Bespawler: Someone who spits when they talk.
Bobolyne: A fool.
Churl: Coarse and peasant-like. Its origin is the Old English “ceorl” which meant “one level above a slave.”
Cox-comb: A vain, narcissistic person.
Cumberworld: A useless person.
Dalcop: A very stupid person.
Doxy: A promiscuous woman. Also literally the wife or lover of an outlaw who robbed people on the road.
Driggle-Draggle: A messy or untidy woman.
Fopdoodle: A stupid, idiotic person.
Fustilugs: A large, clumsy slob.
Glos Pautonnier: An Old French word for a gluttonous scoundrel.
Hedge-born: Of base birth, or illegitimate
Levereter: Corrupt (“Liver-eater”)
Mandrake Mymmerkin: Childlike. A puppet, or little man.
Muck-sprout: Someone who is overly talkative and curses a lot.
Mumblecrust: A toothless beggar.
Puterelle: A woman of ill-repute.
Raggabrash: A grubby, disorganized person.
Rakefire: A guest who has outstayed their welcome.
Ronyon: An old, mangy, scabby woman
Saddle-goose: A very stupid person.
Scobberlotcher: A lazy person who never works hard.
Skamelar: A scrounge, or parasite.
Snoutband: Someone who constantly interrupts a conversation to correct or contradict the speaker.
Sot: A drunkard.
Stampcrab: A clumsy person.
Trencherman: Someone who overeats and attends social events just for the food.
Wandought: A weak, ineffectual man.
Whiffle-whaffle: An indecisive person who wastes others’ time.
Yaldson: The son of a prostitute.
Use the Medieval Monday Index to discover more topics relating to daily life in the Middle Ages.
In the cold days of December, the fields were finally quiet, with the ground too frozen to work. Animals were taken care of, to ensure they would not only survive the harsh months to come, but that they would be healthy on spring’s arrival. After all, they would be needed to work. In bad weather, animals would need to be brought indoors and fed straw mixed with other nutrients such as corn stubble, or pea pods. Other outdoor work consisted of mostly repair and reconstruction. Timber was cut, and fences and walls mended. If autumn rains had eroded the banks of the mill pond, they would need to be fixed as well.
