Much to my delight my friend Loz sent me a package including the book Great Insults and Comebacks by Frank Allen.

Great Insults and Comebacks

While I’m not entirely sure what made her think of me when she saw this particular book, I must say it’s a fascinating read.

I’m not particularly sure what Ethel Merman had against Cole Porter (according to Merman, Porter “sang like a hinge”). I own many Cole Porter recordings and have always found his interpretations more satisfying than those from other people.

Did I mention I’m in this book too? Well, almost.

A ‘British Dramatist’ by the name of John Lacy offers the following quotation on Barbara Villers, Countess of Cleveland, Mistress to Charles II:

Yet like a bitch she wags her tail for more.