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Gratuitous

Kidagakash

Member
UK
Poland Polish
Can someone explain me the meaning of : a gratuitous insult?

Jenkui!
It's in the dictionary. Without cause; "a gratuitous insult". The insult is unnecessary, uncalled-for.
I stared at this for a while earlier.
It's perhaps a little difficult to understand how an insult could be other than unnecessary, uncalled for.
But supposing I happened to be minding my own business one sunny afternoon and I walked past Loob in the street - never having seen her before. If Loob turned round and yelled after me "Your shirt doesn't match your sweater you great hairy ape," that would be a gratuitous insult.
You have told us in another thread, panjandrum, of your predilection for strolling by rivers wearing a red sweater with an orange shirt.

Were I to see you in such a combination, with poor humiliated MrsP blushing at your side, I believe my shouted insult would be entirely warranted.
Can one say: Some film critics reckon the violence in 'Rambo' is gratuitous. However, others think that's just the way war is, with plenty of bloodshed. ? Cheers.
Yes, you can certainly talk about "gratuitous violence", matteo.
In fact violence is probably the one word which most often follows gratuitous in English (particularly when folk are talking about Rambo movies👁 Big Grin :D
... or Panjo-Dude's clothes)
The murder of Amédée Fleurissoire in Les Caves du Vatican (by André Gide) has become the literary archetype of the "gratuitous" act.
Lafcadio pushes Amedee out of the fast-moving train, and thereby kills him.
He does this precisely because he has no reason to do it, just for the sake of performing a truly gratuitous act.
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