cantankerous old bastard

Posted by James Marriott on June 26, 2009 under Personal | Be the First to Comment

Cantankerous:  Difficult or irritating to deal with <a cantankerous mule> (Merriam-Webster). Stubborn, cranky, surly, ill-humored, irritable (Wiktionary). Ill-tempered and quarrelsome; disagreeable (Answers.com)

It’s such a fantastic word. Lots of syllables. An old word that’s seldom used today. Perhaps that’s a sign that people are much nicer now than they used to be. Much more likely, a sign that education, particularly English language isn’t as great as it used to be. I assure you, in fact, I know you don’t need me to point it out, people are most definitely not as nice as they used to be.
Hold on though, have I got it wrong? Is it about how nice people are now? It’s a word that often described old people, normally men, who are of a certain age that affords them the time to sit around and judge all they see. Perhaps then it’s just that as that generation fades away, the newer grumpy old men aren’t as judgmentle?

You decide, that’s not what this blog’s about. This blog, like most, is about me. I can see you’re already there aren’t you? A blog about me titled Cantankerous Old Bastard. I see you all nodding away. Cheeky sods. But so right.

Not normally a label one would choose for themselves but I like it and those that know me well enough will appreciate the funny side of it.

Let’s have a look at some of the words / phrases listed at the beginning:
Difficult or irritating to deal with: Some people would say so but only because I will speak my mind and some don’t like that. Because I am not afraid to express my opinion or to offer a different view point, some people see that as confrontational. The more educated don’t.
Stubborn: Yes but always with an open mind.
Cranky: first thing in the morning before I’ve had a cup of tea, maybe.
Surly: No, this I’m not.
Ill-humoured: Again, no. Often dark and very dry but not ill-humoured.
Irritable: I find a great many things in this would irritate me but most of them I ignore and don’t allow them more than a seconds thought.
Ill-tempered and quarrelsome; disagreeable: See &quot;Difficult and irritating to deal with&quot;

I like it because when I mention it to people they laugh and agree and that amuses me.

I like it because it’s a great word that’s not used enough. It has such great meaning.

My facebook username is COB100. C.O.B. being short for Cantankerous Old bastard and 100 just because it needed to be longer and it has a nice ring to it. This got many remarks.

Just you wait till I’m 80!!