Brains

[Cheri]

What does it mean when someone says "If you had any brains you'd be dangerous"?

[Trinopus]

It's mostly just an insult. "You have no brains."

It also be involves a double insult. "Even if you did have brains, you'd still act stupidly."

It's just an ornate way of saying "Dummy! Nyah nyah nyah!" Clever and ornate insults are a form of art -- maledicta! -- "He's dumber than a box of hammers!" "He's as useless as tits on a boar!" "He's so stupid, he can't even integrate e to the x."

("Can such ignorance exist?") (After Arthur C. Clarke.)

[Kizarvexius]

I would rephrase it thus: humanity should be grateful that you're a moron, because if -- heaven forbid -- you had an IQ greater than your neck size, you might actually have the capacity to harness your propensity toward mischief and evolve into a genuine menace to society.

[Ludovic]

Bookmarking this for revival in a couple years.

[Sicks Ate]

Awesome if this became a zombie thread...

[johnpost]

it is saying that they have a good zombie defense and aren't in danger.

other than that some of the above.

[dracoi]

Originally Posted by Trinopus

It's mostly just an insult. "You have no brains."

It also be involves a double insult. "Even if you did have brains, you'd still act stupidly."

It's just an ornate way of saying "Dummy! Nyah nyah nyah!" Clever and ornate insults are a form of art -- maledicta! -- "He's dumber than a box of hammers!" "He's as useless as tits on a boar!" "He's so stupid, he can't even integrate e to the x."

("Can such ignorance exist?") (After Arthur C. Clarke.)

I'd interpret it a little bit differently. To me the "you'd be dangerous" addition also suggests that the person is deficient in a moral sense (since a dangerous person is presumably not a moral one).

[Blakeyrat]

Originally Posted by dracoi

I'd interpret it a little bit differently. To me the "you'd be dangerous" addition also suggests that the person is deficient in a moral sense (since a dangerous person is presumably not a moral one).

I agree. You're saying:

1) You're a bad person who does awful things
2) But thankfully you're so stupid you never get away with it

It's like a double-whammy insult. Think of the kleptomaniac who keeps stealing other people's property, but he gets caught every time.