THE contribution from Tim Hopkins (Letters, September 23) to Iain Macwhirter's comment on the use of offensive language (“My word: is it now a crime merely to be offensive”, The Herald, September 22) prompts me to reflect on unintentional foot in mouth indiscretions over many years of verbal jousting.
However, I am heartened by the said-to-be true story of the English cricket captain who ventured to the Australian changing room to complain that an on field remark had addressed doubt about his parentage drew the response from his counterpart: "Which of you b------- called this b------ a b-------?"
I leave it to Messrs Macwhirter and Hopkins to sort that out.
Anyway, it's too late now to emigrate.
R Russell Smith,
96 Milton Road, Kilbirnie.
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