# Is "You're a real piece of work" an insult? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 19, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-youre-a-real-piece-of-work-an-insult/582485 "2011-05-19T18:19:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-youre-a-real-piece-of-work-an-insult/582485/1 "2011-05-19T18:19:05Z")
With [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13811410&postcount=94) post in the thread in which **Silver Tyger Girl** is seeking advice on getting a job as a graphic designer, **Ellen Cherry** gave me a warning. Is “You’re a real piece of work” a Pit-worthy insult? I think it’s pretty benign as far as “insults” go, but I’ll back off if the majority thinks otherwise. I’ve seen far, far worse go unpunished in several non-Pit forums, particularly GD. I felt **Silver Tyger Girl** was starting to become jerkish by overtly stating she will ignore any advice she doesn’t want to hear, and I posted my feelings. It wasn’t worth it to Pit over such a mild situation. Why do I care? I’ve been a member since September 2003 and I have never, ever been pitted or received an infraction. I’ve never even received a non-warning warning. I’d like to keep it that way. I think **Ellen Cherry** is a very good mod and I’ve never had an issue with her moderation. I think this warning was jumping the gun a bit, however. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-youre-a-real-piece-of-work-an-insult/582485/2 "2011-05-19T18:22:23Z")
I would definitely call it an insult. The idiomatic meaning of “you’re a real piece of work” is “you’re an asshole” or “you’re an idiot,” just as the idiomatic meaning of “she’s got a great rack” or “she’s built like a brick shithouse” is “she has big breasts.” ---
**Author:** ![Eugene\_of\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@Eugene\_of\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eugene_of_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-youre-a-real-piece-of-work-an-insult/582485/3 "2011-05-19T18:28:06Z")
It is a tease. Not exactly an insult. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-youre-a-real-piece-of-work-an-insult/582485/4 "2011-05-19T18:33:42Z")
I associate “You’re a real piece of work” as meaning someone demonstrates an attitude or behaviour that’s at odds with what’s desirable. Maybe you haven’t been formally called on the carpet yet. Perhaps that doesn’t necessarily mean that your behaviour hasn’t been found taxing, or at the very least not helping the situation. **Ellen Cherry** is a very good mod and usually quite reserved in handing out admonitions. This sounds like a good time to take some decidedly gently advice to heart. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-youre-a-real-piece-of-work-an-insult/582485/5 "2011-05-19T18:38:05Z")
Not to speak for **Ellen** , but **Czarcasm** had previously given a moderator instruction to “keep it civil.” Your remark certainly wasn’t intended to be civil. In GQ, I would certainly find it worthy of at least a mod note on first offense, and a warning if it came after an instruction to dial it back. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-youre-a-real-piece-of-work-an-insult/582485/6 "2011-05-19T18:41:52Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I would definitely call it an insult. The idiomatic meaning of “you’re a real piece of work” is “you’re an asshole” or “you’re an idiot,” just as the idiomatic meaning of “she’s got a great rack” or “she’s built like a brick shithouse” is “she has big breasts.” I agree with **Skald**. I would definitely take the statement as meaning, “You’re a real asshole.” Even if you didn’t think it worthy of the Pit, it seemed better suited for that forum. At the least, the statement is incredibly jerkish and violates the Prime Directive. Outside of the Pit, jerkish behavior on the part of one poster doesn’t warrant jerkish behavior in return. Inside the Pit, it’s too dark to read. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-youre-a-real-piece-of-work-an-insult/582485/7 "2011-05-19T18:44:38Z")
**Agent Foxtrot** , I have no ill will towards you at all. And I admit that I am on the fence a tad about the comment in and of itself being an insult worthy of an official infraction but given **Czarcasm** ’s mod note previous, I must say you chose to walk the razors edge. > [@lieu](#): > > Ellen Cherry is a very good mod and usually quite reserved in handing out admonitions. This sounds like a good time to take some decidedly gently advice to heart. Word. Man up. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-youre-a-real-piece-of-work-an-insult/582485/9 "2011-05-19T19:04:39Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Not to speak for **Ellen** , but **Czarcasm** had previously given a moderator instruction to “keep it civil.” Your remark certainly wasn’t intended to be civil. > > In GQ, I would certainly find it worthy of at least a mod note on first offense, and a warning if it came after an instruction to dial it back. This was my feeling, precisely. It was administered at the same time as the official warning I gave to [rachelellogram](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=608893). In light of **czarcasm** ’s note, I simply felt it could not be left to stand. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-youre-a-real-piece-of-work-an-insult/582485/10 "2011-05-19T19:12:46Z")
I love Ellen Cherry and think she’s doing a great job as a mod, and saying “You’re a real piece of work” is definitely insulting. :sends chocolate to Ellen: ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-youre-a-real-piece-of-work-an-insult/582485/11 "2011-05-19T19:17:58Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I love Ellen Cherry and think she’s doing a great job as a mod, and saying “You’re a real piece of work” is definitely insulting. > > :sends chocolate to Ellen: :: steals chocolate, as he is a real piece of work :: ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-youre-a-real-piece-of-work-an-insult/582485/12 "2011-05-19T19:22:00Z")
Hey! That was good stuff, too. ---
**Author:** ![Chum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ab097/32.png) [@Chum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chum)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-youre-a-real-piece-of-work-an-insult/582485/13 "2011-05-19T19:23:08Z")
“You’re a real piece of work” does not have as negative a connotation for me as it seems to have for most of you. My mom and I say it to each other fairly often (drawing out the word “real”), and it means something much more like “You’ve got to be kidding me” or “You’re ridiculous” than “You’re an asshole” (which I would _never_ say to my mom). ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-youre-a-real-piece-of-work-an-insult/582485/14 "2011-05-19T19:37:48Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > :sends chocolate to Ellen: Mmmmm. Thank you. And you, **Skald** : it would have been more polite of you to ask first. \*_tosses gummy worm in the general vicinity of Memphis_ \* ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-youre-a-real-piece-of-work-an-insult/582485/15 "2011-05-19T19:39:16Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > Mmmmm. Thank you. And you, **Skald** : it would have been more polite of you to ask first. > > \*_tosses gummy worm in the general vicinity of Memphis_ \* I find the suggestion that I should be polite to be a personal insult. You’re a reel peace of wonk. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-youre-a-real-piece-of-work-an-insult/582485/16 "2011-05-19T19:50:07Z")
I think “You’re a piece of work” to be a very mild insult. But if a moderator had already instructed the participants of a thread to “dial it back”, then I can see how a moderators patience was wearing thin. When mods review a posters “warning history”, do they re-read the threads to get a contextual idea of the warnings issued? Hopefully, this one wouldn’t count heavilly against you. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-youre-a-real-piece-of-work-an-insult/582485/17 "2011-05-19T19:54:30Z")
I’m another Ellen Cherry fan. Does this get me chocolate? I find the comment only mildly negative – kind of like saying that someone is a real pain without saying where that pain is. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-youre-a-real-piece-of-work-an-insult/582485/18 "2011-05-19T20:01:00Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > When mods review a posters “warning history”, do they re-read the threads to get a contextual idea of the warnings issued? Hopefully, this one wouldn’t count heavilly against you. Yes. Typically when a poster has reached the point of being considered for a suspension or banning, we do review the specific warnings to see if there might be mitigating factors. Given that **Agent Foxtrot** has been here for more than seven years and this is his first warning, we’re a long long way from needing to review his record. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-youre-a-real-piece-of-work-an-insult/582485/19 "2011-05-19T20:30:00Z")
> [@Zoe](#): > > I’m another Ellen Cherry fan. Does this get me chocolate? Chocolate covered cherries? ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-youre-a-real-piece-of-work-an-insult/582485/20 "2011-05-19T20:45:38Z")
“You’re a real piece of work” is definitely a remark aimed at the poster, not the content of the post. It is not meant in a complimentary way. While it is certainly milder than calling someone an asshole, it is not a friendly remark. After a moderator already dropped the instruction to dial it back, it was over the line. To be fair, I thought the OP was actually the one making the most pit-worthy remarks, taking the requested criticisms and restating them in the harshest terms. But that doesn’t excuse your actions. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-youre-a-real-piece-of-work-an-insult/582485/21 "2011-05-19T20:58:27Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Yes. Typically when a poster has reached the point of being considered for a suspension or banning, we do review the specific warnings to see if there might be mitigating factors. Thanks for this info. > [@](#): > > Given that **Agent Foxtrot** has been here for more than seven years and this is his first warning, we’re a long long way from needing to review his record. That was what I guessed would be the case, here. Are there lapel pins awarded for remaining warning free every five years or so? **AF** kinda lost out on the ten year pin… ☹ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-youre-a-real-piece-of-work-an-insult/582485.md?page=2)