I used to work with a venerable old dear
when I was at WHSmiths part time earning my beer tokens. You know the type - a twinkly eyed, blue-rinse-and-perm type with her glasses on a string, who always seems to be on the verge of whipping out an apple pie and called everyone 'dear'. Straight out of some fuzzy work of 50's fiction, she was everybody's ideal gran. She was even called Ethel.
Anyway, we get a new supervisor (who we later learn has been bounced from store to store in the local area on account of him being a terrible penis that nobody wants to work with) who takes her to task virtually every time he sees her. One day, following a particularly epic rant, several of my colleagues and I spy him flouncing off and Ethel stood behind the tills, chin a-trembling. Naturally we rush over to comfort our pet Gran. She shrugged us off and announced, calmly and clearly and with absolutely no concern for any customers who were listening: 'that man is a complete cunt.'

The name stuck - it certainly lasted longer than he did.
(berk, Tue 10 Aug 2010, 14:48, 1 reply, 16 years ago)

Brilliant.

( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Tue 10 Aug 2010, 14:53, Reply)

Prolonged, but yes, it was a beautiful moment
hearing an exceptionally rude word come out of such a sweet old lady.
(berk, Tue 10 Aug 2010, 14:55, Reply)