Skip to main content
papish remark

papish remark

9.9
A comment that insults Roman Catholics
  • noun
  • Slur
translation icon : [insulto despectivo contra los católicos]
  • The novel was filled with papish remarks reflecting the prejudices of that era.

Examples

  • His papish remark drew criticism from both sides of the political spectrum.

  • His papish remark offended many in the audience.

  • Avoid making papish remarks during discussions about religion.

  • Why did you make that papish remark during the meeting?

  • His papish remark offended many in the audience.

  • Avoid making papish remarks during discussions about religion.

  • His papish remark drew criticism from both sides of the political spectrum.

How Offensive

insult
  • Offensive
313 1.3
papish remark
  • Slur
9.9
courtesy
296 1.9

Surface Forms

papish remark singular

Morphology

papish + remark

The noun phrase is a straightforward composition of the adjective 'papish' (relating to papists/Roman Catholics) + 'remark' (a comment), so its meaning — a comment of or about a papist/Catholic nature, often derogatory — is directly derivable from the parts. Although 'papish' is relatively rare and carries archaic/pejorative register, that does not prevent a learner who knows both constituent words from understanding the overall phrase.

Etymology

The phrase papish remark comes from the old word 'papist' for a follower of the Pope, so papish means 'like a Roman Catholic'. People used the phrase to call a remark an attack or to say the speaker supported Catholic ideas, so today it often means a comment that sounds Catholic or is used as an insult.