verb
blackguard
To attack someone with abusive or insulting language.
The pamphlet blackguarded the rival candidate with crude insults.
Etymology
Blackguard first named a low-status group of attendants and later a contemptible person. The verb means treating someone with the abusive language associated with such a person; the original naming rationale is uncertain.
More examples
- He refused to blackguard someone who was not present to respond.
- The angry correspondent blackguarded the editor in every letter.
- They spent the meeting blackguarding their former ally.
Forms
blackguard · blackguards · blackguarded · blackguarding
Similar words
- vilify
- Vilify attacks someone’s character; blackguard especially suggests coarse, abusive language.
- malign
- Malign says damaging things about someone; blackguard emphasizes abusive expression.