Monday 13 August 2012

Philistine

Labelling someone a Philistine is not especially derogatory today, but brands them as uneducated or unsophisticated.

The term ultimately derives, of course, from the Biblical people – the enemies of Israel – who feature in the well known stories of Samson and Delilah, and David and Goliath.

This word is another which derived from university slang; in this case it was German students who first applied the insulting term Philister to their non-academic neighbours.

From http://www.h2g2.com/approved_entry/A54477912

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