With or without an 'e'? | Samizdata.net

April 13, 2004
Tuesday

With or without an 'e'?

Antoine Clarke (London) European Union • Humour

(3)

Europhile, n. (pronounced "yew-ro-file") Person or institution with an enthusiasm about the merging of the European States into a single State, usually regardless of any other considerations. A Europhile is often reluctant to be identified as such, especially when he is a politician.
Urophile, n. (pronounced "yew-ro-file") Person with an enthusiasm for being subjected to showers of urine. A Urophile is often reluctant to be identified as such, especially when he is a politician.

Now it would be easy and gratuitous of me to imply that both are one and the same, but this is obviously unfair.

One is a harmless pervert who engages in fantasies in private that involve no coercion against other people. The other is a dangerous pervert who conspires in private, and who needs to be exposed and subjected to public embarrassment.

The 'e' makes all the difference.

Comments

In the US, Europhile is an unknown word. We use Eurotrash instead.

Posted by Jake at April 13, 2004 02:09 PM

Libertarian, n. (Prounounced, in Southern drawl, "Lib-u-teen"): One who advocates maximizing individual rights and minimizing the role of the state.

Liberteen, n. (Prounounced, in Southern drawl, "Lib-u-teen"): One who acts without moral restraint; a dissolute person.

Now it would be easy and gratuitous of me to imply that etc. etc.

Posted by Rich at April 13, 2004 02:41 PM

Its funny I always thought that supporters of the EU were taking the piss.

Posted by Jonathan L at April 13, 2004 02:49 PM

Rich,
and you think I have a problem with your connection of libertarian and libertine?

You have not been reading my views on food and sex obviously! ;-)

Posted by Antoine Clarke at April 13, 2004 02:54 PM

I much prefer to call them Federasts and Euroweenies...

Posted by Andrew Ian Dodge at April 13, 2004 03:55 PM

In Danish the name "euro" for the currency is a similar double meaning. No wonder they aren't so keen.

Posted by Guy Herbert at April 13, 2004 05:29 PM

What was wrong with Quisling?

Posted by Peter UK at April 14, 2004 04:22 AM

Rich, I've lived in the south for a while and nobody has ever mangled libertarian quite the way you describe. They pretty much respect the fact that it has five syllables.

In either case, it's really not an insult here anyway. So you fail on two levels. Better luck next time.

Posted by LT at April 14, 2004 06:21 AM

What do our Australian readership call those with a purely platonic passion for small wallabies?

:-)

Posted by Alan Peakall at April 14, 2004 12:07 PM

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