Quite by coincidence and just days after reading an interesting book on swearing and insults a number of articles appeared in Irish newspapers explaining how swearing can actually help us cope better with pain. Researchers at Keele University found that when we swear, our tolerance to pain is greater than when we don’t swear. As a firm fan of creative swearing (not the dull, unimaginative football terraces variety) I’m quite pleased by this, especially when the researchers say that swearing helps to trigger a fight-or-flight response – you can’t get more natural than that can you?

So armed with this sense of vindication and the knowledge that swearing can actually make you feel better Robert Vanderplank’s book “Uglier Than a Monkey’s Armpit: Untranslatable Insults, Put-downs and Curses from Around the World” is especially enjoyable and fascinating. Anyone who speaks more than one language knows how swear words differ in their focus from language to language with different cultures being fixated on different things whether parts of the anatomy, religion, stupidity, parents or excreta. Vanderplank takes this even further and guides us from the ancient languages of yore right up to modern languages from around the world. Some of the insults, to be honest, really aren’t that insulting and some languages clearly don’t put much effort into insults or swearing. Having said that, some are really bad. Shocking even, in a way which demands admiration and respect. The book also includes some useful pronunciation guides which would suggest that it is more than just an interesting collection of profane curios – you’re meant to try them out!

From the cover: “Whether borne out of surprise, anger, passion or humour, curses and insults make up some of the most colourful and profound phrases in a language, offering insight into cultural mores and a greater understanding of the most fundamental social and personal taboos. Organized by language for an overview of each culture’s favoured profanities, this beautifully illustrated volume – put together by language experts from around the world – is an essential reference to the brilliantly inventive, funny, scorchingly insulting words you won’t learn in a language class.”