These insults are from an era before the English language got boiled down to 4-letter words.
1. “He had delusions of adequacy.” Walter Kerr
2. “He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.” Winston Churchill
3. “I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.” Clarence Darrow
4. “He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.”William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)
5. “Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?” Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)
6. “Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it.” Moses Hadas
7. “I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.” Mark Twain
8. “He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.” Oscar Wilde
9. “I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend, if you have one.” George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill
10. “Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second . . . if there is one.” Winston Churchill, in response
11. “I feel so miserable without you; it’s almost like having you here.” Stephen Bishop
12. “He is a self-made man and worships his creator.” John Bright
13. “I’ve just learned about his illness. Let’s hope it's nothing trivial.” Irvin S. Cobb
Contributed by Barbara Bruno