Insults for greetings

This is something that is common enough where I live but I was wondering if this happens outside of Northern Ireland. I don't mean between strangers or people that you barely know but close friends, particularly between men.

 

Other than black men greeting each other with the 'N' word, I've not heard anything like it on this side of the pond. Got any examples?

 

It certainly happens here in Scotland. One untranslatable one springs to mind: Ya Bam! (Presumably short for Bampot, if that's any help...)

 

[MENTION=53143]GingerCoffee[/MENTION] None that I can say without swearing. The closest to an example I can get is my best mate and I. We always great each other with an insult. He's a big guy so mine is usually "Fat (Insert swear word)" among other things.
[MENTION=53222]jannert[/MENTION] That's one I've never heard but I've only been to Scotland once and that was to the theme park near Glasgow. I forget the name of it.

 

I've never heard of or experienced this. Maybe it's a cultural thing.

How is that an insult?

 

I think that one depends on who says it. If I said it to a black man he might take it as an insult and it was originally created as an insult.

 

A Theme Park? You have me intrigued... I can't think of one off the top of my head. What was the theme?

 

Yes, but one black person saying it to another? That's a different issue. I've seen black people say that to each other before, and never has it been taken as an insult (I suppose it could be, but I have yet to see or hear about it).

 

Maybe it's a British thing. Was common enough in South of England, where I grew up. I still exchange insults with one of my friends (ususally the C word - in the style of Derek and Clive - whilst giving him a hug). When I was younger I thought you knew you were properly mates with someone when they started taking the piss out of you! I have a feeling it is because British men generally have trouble saying they love each other.

 

It's pretty common in Australia as well.

 

I thought it was classed as punctuation in Australia

 

F*ckin' oath, badger, ya sickc*nt.

 

Every male on the island greets their friends like so. My favourite is "Howya doing y'ould bollox!"

 

Here it's called 'banter.' I think it's a universal thing.

The only theme park near Glasgow I know of is literally called 'Scotland's Theme Park.' The fact that it's in Scotland seems to be the theme.

 

I think our pious roots in the U.S. edited this particular 'universal' from the linguistic recipe when they landed on these shores. Founders Effect of a linguistic variety. We also lost rhyming slang, evidenced by one sole exception: "put up your dukes". Though this kind of masculinization of affection is de rigueur in the West, it's just not as linguistically ritualized in America as it is in the rest of the anglosphere. In Spanish culture it is extremely common.

 

[MENTION=52161]erebh[/MENTION] - When did "bollocks" come into general usage in Ireland? The first I heard of it was in the film "The Commitments" (late '80s).

 

I'm from NY and it's not a matter of what color your skin is, it's a matter of where in the city you are and how you present yourself...most people of the people that take offense to this word, in my opinion of course, have a stick up there ass (for lack of a better term)
The word can be used in a variety of different ways, whether those be endearing, hostile or even jokingly...it all depends on how naturally the word rolls off your tongue

 

I call my friends sluts when I see them.

 

it's common enough in the us, as well... friends and friendly family members often greet each other with 'just kidding' terms like 'hey there, you old fart...how y'been?' and such...

 

[MENTION=18415]EdFromNY[/MENTION] I've no idea Ed, I'm 43 next birthday and it's one of those words I picked up from my father and whispered it as a boy - out of earshot of course.

Ahh The Commitments... what a fantastically typical Irish movie, Jimmy Rabbit (white as a sheet) "The Irish are the blacks of Europe, and he Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland, and the North side Dubliners are the blacks of Dublin, so say it now and say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud!" 5 other white guys just staring in disbelief - classic!

You mind find a few parochials at www.slang.ie - have a giggle!

 

"Oh, come off it!" was one of my father's favorite debunking lines. Another was, "Your foot's asleep". I've never heard anyone else use that one.

 

Come to Wales. You'll hear lines such as, "How are you doing, you f****r?" and "Nice one, you bloody sh**head!"

We're a pleasant folk.

 

I will pretty commonly greet some of my better friends with "What up loser?" It seems pretty common to me to greet your closest friends with a playful insult or five....

 

It's also common in Finland among friends, "hey fatso", "what up motherf*cker" etc. both in Finnish and English, curiously enough.

Omg, no!

I remember discussing this on one particularly effed-up writing forum where calling anyone a slut in jest was affront to humanity. One self-righteous British (!! - usually you guys are cool!) girl lashed out on me big-time about me being one of those "cool people" who call a female-friend a slut in jest and how totally wrong that is nooneshldeverdothat omg misogyny.

 

There's your answer.