Friday, 7 June 2013

May a priest use the word "r*mshaw"?

The whole internet was up in arms today after Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, referred to a fellow Anglican priest as a "r*mshaw" on Twitter.

Ramshaw

A man engaged in r*mshawism.

The word r*mshaw is believed to be Anglo-Saxon in origin - like most of the best obscenities - and refers to certain practices which cannot be mentioned on a blog such as this one. Archbishop Welby was today said to be regretting that he had lost his temper and used such a word in public. Apparently, he was deeply provoked by some nonentity of a junior priest who had taken it upon himself to go against orthodox Christian teaching on marriage.

Welby

Justin Welby usually has the angels on his side.

The word "r*mshaw" is often heard on football terraces, in pubs, Bilderberg group meetings, and in other places where people are not constrained by good manners, but it is believed to be the first time that it has been uttered in public by an archbishop. The only precedent that springs to mind is when Rowan Williams lost his temper and called someone a G*les Fr*ser.

Ramshaw rocks

R*mshaw Rocks, a name which always cause schoolboys to snigger.

In the Catholic Church, such bad language is rarer, although Pope Francis himself is alleged to have said "Madre de Dios, este hombre es un Cormacmurphyoconnor" - a Spanish expression that we cannot translate.

6 comments:

  1. This whole post is simply an excuse to show :
    (1)The ubiquitous Tony Slattery responding to the call by ACTA to enrol as a comedy deacon
    (2)Justin Welby posing with a very large chainsaw (probably in Cathedral Close, Salisbury)
    (3) a statue of the Rabit pushing Jabba the Hut down hill.

    Who cares, anyway. I certainly don't give an LMS-sh*w (as we say in traddie circles)

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  2. Do Anglicans have priests? Don't they have vicars & vicaresses instead?

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    Replies
    1. How do you tell the difference between a vicar and a vicaress? Has the vicar an operation scar or something?

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  3. That's not a photo of Justin Welby - it's "Sir" Robert Geldorf disguised as a priest.

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  4. '... alleged to have said "Madre de Dios, este hombre es un Cormacmurphyoconnor" - a Spanish expression that we cannot translate.'

    The mistake is in trying to identify a "Spanish" expression. Regional languages and culture have been renewed and developed and have long overtaken such a simple idea. Here in the province of Alicante, "Un Cormacmurphyoconnor" is simply an "arse".

    There is an accent over the last vowel.

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  5. This priest (or vicar if you prefer) is also a Goth. Must be de architectuer he likes.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGjeIQijCbw

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