So it turns out that “dastard” is not, in fact, a minced version of “bastard” (it’s instead derived from an unrelated Middle English word meaning “stupid” or “cowardly”), but it sounds like it should be, and I maintain that every single instance of the word “dastardly” becomes much funnier if replaced with “bastardly”.
Tags:
#language #I didn’t actually laugh aloud but it still amused me enough to reblog
Brinens and Things 