You scumbag You maggot you cheap lousy…

[TeaAndToast8]

My second AIBU Of the night, husbands being very argumentative! Anyway, I’ve screenshot two examples of what the Kirsty MacColl might have meant in Fairy Tale of NewYork. Who is correct.. My opinion is the description underlined in red and my husband’s is blue.

Gay Search used to be a BBC presenter - Gardener's World.

My dad's traditional fiddle tunes book had a tune called "Queen of the Sluts". I doubt it was a slur on a woman's housekeeping skills.

Do you remember if that had lyrics? Or was it just instrumental?

I don't want to Google that phrase

@randomchap
Instrumental. It is a reel - Northumbrian I think.

Thank you

U think faggotts are traditionally a West Country/Welsh thing, they're certainly still sold in the proper butchers where my sister lives, and delicious they are too, I always buy some to stock the freezer when we're there.

All supermarkets sell Mr Brain's faggots still though, which although vastly inferior are still faggots.

They're made from offal and offcuts, with herbs. Literally whatever's available, the point being to use up what you have.

It's nowhere near Christmas and you're arguing over the lyrics to fairytale of New York?!
Is this just another rage bait post along the lines of "can't say nuffink nowadays!" 🙄😁

No, We were watching a program set in Ireland last night and it just came up (I mentioned how much I like the Irish accent) I genuinely thought I’d come back to this post and have people agree with me that the meaning of the word faggot in the song is offensive and homophobic, not as my husband suggested a useless/lazy pile of sticks. Seems most people disagree with me though.

FWIW I agree that it is a slur

I mean come on, they're not singing "you scumbag, you maggot, you cheap pile of fire sticks" are they 🙄
Context

I don’t think so but lots disagree. I had no idea it was a common term used in Ireland but like I said to my husband, he didn’t know that himself until he googled it. I’m of the opinion that if this word offends people it makes no difference to me to change it when it’s played on radio.

My preferred alternative is You scumbag, you maggot, it's Kevin the Carrot

Most people have jumped on your invitation to write slurs they aren't normally able to.

Not in the UK

It's common back in the days language meaning useless, good for nothing

One of my Aunties used to call her sons lazy faggots (Manchester late 1950s, early 1960s). It wasn't a nice way to talk to kids but she certainly meant useless/lazy and nothing to do with being gay.
I think that it had already become an offensive term for a gay person by the 1980s, not sure what meaning was intended in the song.

I think your DH read this x

Why? It very much is. Do you just not like it?