# Alternatives for "crippled" for "deliberately made worse" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 12, 2021, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-for-crippled-for-deliberately-made-worse/930301 "2021-01-12T01:34:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2021, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-for-crippled-for-deliberately-made-worse/930301/41 "2021-01-14T07:31:14Z")
I know: my post was meant as an answer to the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2021, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-for-crippled-for-deliberately-made-worse/930301/42 "2021-01-14T07:33:55Z")
Oh, I see. The sequence of messages made it look like a questioning response to the preceding suggestion. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2021, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-for-crippled-for-deliberately-made-worse/930301/43 "2021-01-14T08:33:45Z")
Enfeebled, incapacitated, impotentiated, debilitated, wrecked? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2021, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-for-crippled-for-deliberately-made-worse/930301/44 "2021-01-14T09:35:11Z")
The weight that horses in a handicap race carry is called the impost. Maybe, since “handicapped” is offensive, the OP could go with “imposted” ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2021, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-for-crippled-for-deliberately-made-worse/930301/46 "2021-04-10T21:56:05Z")
I have a paralyzed right arm. The term “bricked” is remarkably apt and vivid – it’s only useful as a balancing counterweight. . I’m OK with “crippled”, too. It reaches a point where you lose patience with bullshit. My arm is not “special”. “Crippled” has a dozen synonyms. We just ban them one at a time, as one replaces another. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2021, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-for-crippled-for-deliberately-made-worse/930301/47 "2021-04-11T04:01:28Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Same here. They’ve suggested the following replacements for master/slave, depending on the context: > Primary/Secondary I remember when that suggestion came up in the days of EIDE drives. The four drive options would have gone from primary master, primary slave, secondary master, and secondary slave to primary primary, primary secondary, secondary primary, and secondary secondary. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2021, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-for-crippled-for-deliberately-made-worse/930301/48 "2021-04-11T04:15:01Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I remember when that suggestion came up in the days of EIDE drives At that point, you may as well go with something like 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, etc. Fortunately, SATA came along and saved the day before it became an issue. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2021, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-for-crippled-for-deliberately-made-worse/930301/49 "2021-04-11T04:22:32Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Fortunately, SATA came along and saved the day before it became an issue. No, the issue came first. That’s what I was saying. [https://m.slashdot.org/story/40810](https://m.slashdot.org/story/40810) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2021, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-for-crippled-for-deliberately-made-worse/930301/50 "2021-04-11T04:28:43Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > No, the issue came first. That’s what I was saying Before it became a _big_ issue, I should have said. Sure, there were some complaints here and there. But it’s only recently that this kind of language reform has become widespread. And the reform is coming from the industry, not the law. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2021, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-for-crippled-for-deliberately-made-worse/930301/51 "2021-04-11T04:30:27Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > But it’s only recently that this kind of language reform has become widespread. And the reform is coming from the industry, not the law. Someday, they’ll come for GIMP… ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2021, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-for-crippled-for-deliberately-made-worse/930301/52 "2021-04-11T04:40:10Z")
Bastards! They would not dare have the Audacity to touch the GIMP. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2021, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-for-crippled-for-deliberately-made-worse/930301/53 "2021-04-11T04:42:55Z")
Befucked. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2021, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-for-crippled-for-deliberately-made-worse/930301/54 "2021-04-11T05:07:55Z")
Orwell saw it coming in 1947 when he wrote about Ingsoc. Early signs were when we removed “jail” (correctional facility). “hospital” (medical arts complex), “dump” (sanitary landfill) and “school” (attendance center). ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2021, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-for-crippled-for-deliberately-made-worse/930301/55 "2021-04-11T15:39:19Z")
Closed on April 11, 2021, 3:39pm UTC ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2021, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-for-crippled-for-deliberately-made-worse/930301/56 "2021-04-11T15:40:23Z")
**Modnote** : This is off-topic and likely to cause a hijack if people respond. Please no one respond to the off-subject post. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2021, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-for-crippled-for-deliberately-made-worse/930301/57 "2021-04-11T15:41:04Z")
Opened on April 11, 2021, 3:41pm UTC ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2021, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-for-crippled-for-deliberately-made-worse/930301/58 "2021-04-11T17:41:09Z")
Defurbished or Unfurbished sounds right, if it refers to inanimate objects. It could even apply to an attempted repair that was less than useful. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2021, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-for-crippled-for-deliberately-made-worse/930301/59 "2021-04-12T09:20:15Z")
Thank you @What_Exit. That was the very discussion I was trying to avoid in this thread. I just had a brainfart and couldn’t think of any alternatives for a word I personally didn’t feel comfortable saying. I didn’t want to have to get into why. I’m back because I thought it might be better to add on to this thread than make another one. I’m curious if anyone knows an alternative for “lame.” I’m not too uncomfortable with it myself, as I don’t think its original meaning I’d ever used anymore, but I’ve seen it mentioned as a word some people aren’t comfortable with. So I found myself wondering if people can think of alternatives. The best I’ve got right now is “uncool,” but that covers a lot more than “lame” does, e.g., you don’t use “lame” to mean “meanspirited.” There’s also “square,” but that doesn’t seem to quite fit, either. Do you guys have anything better? ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2021, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-for-crippled-for-deliberately-made-worse/930301/60 "2021-04-12T09:58:20Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > My arm is not “special”. OK. I laughed at that. > [@BigT](#): > > I’m curious if anyone knows an alternative for “lame.” I say “lame,” and I used to work with disabled people (the term pretty much everyone I worked with preferred); I don’t think I ever used, nor heard used “lame” to refer to a person with a leg injury, or gait impairment of some sort. I have heard it used for horses, but even then, I’m not sure I’ve heard it used for horses outside of a movie. I think this word has pretty much entirely moved away from its literal meaning. If John sprained his ankle, and I reported that “John is lame,” would you ask how John had injured himself? or would you want to know what he’d said or done that made him “lame”? or maybe you would come to his defense by saying you thought he was cool, or interesting, or funny; or even agree with me by telling some story about his dim-witted behavior. Most of the adjectives, like ignoble, or oafish, that I can think of, are just to powerful for a mealy word like “lame.” I can think of nouns for a person you might want to describe that was (mostly Yiddish), like shlemiel, but if you just want to apply it to a specific act, and not someone’s entire person, it’s really a definition in need of a word. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2021, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-for-crippled-for-deliberately-made-worse/930301/61 "2021-04-12T11:12:25Z")
What’s wrong with: dull, insipid, boring, uninspiring, pedestrian, vapid or milquetoast? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-for-crippled-for-deliberately-made-worse/930301.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternatives-for-crippled-for-deliberately-made-worse/930301.md?page=4)