# Would you duel a sworn enemy? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 25, 2007, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-duel-a-sworn-enemy/405525 "2007-05-25T19:22:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-duel-a-sworn-enemy/405525/61 "2007-05-29T16:00:03Z")
My second will be **Sampiro**. I’ll need a moment to summon him though ^^ (nervous fidgeting) ---
**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 29, 2007, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-duel-a-sworn-enemy/405525/62 "2007-05-29T16:02:24Z")
[QUOTE=Autolycus] My second will be **Sampiro**. I’ll need a moment to summon him though ^^ (nervous fidgeting) [/QUOTE] First off: one summons Sampiro by uttering the magic words “Say You!” Secondly: I will be happy to be your second, Auto. In the sense that I will most likely betray you to your enemies for my own evil purposes. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2007, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-duel-a-sworn-enemy/405525/63 "2007-05-29T16:57:23Z")
[QUOTE=Skald the Rhymer] First off: one summons Sampiro by uttering the magic words “Say You!”… [/QUOTE] 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-duel-a-sworn-enemy/405525/64 "2007-05-30T04:56:37Z")
Did somebody here say “Say you?” I felt a disturbance in the Web. (Sorry Auto- didn’t get your message til just now.) ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-duel-a-sworn-enemy/405525/65 "2007-05-30T12:32:35Z")
Good Morning **Sampiro** , I wish to make arrangements with you in regards to an affair of honor. It is my understanding that you will be acting on behalf of **Autolycus**. The gentleman that I have the honor to represent would be **Frylock** , who, as the challenged party, has made his choice of weapon to be the… Smell-O-Scope. If the gentlemen would be so good as to propose a time and place, I’m sure we can settle this matter honorably. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-duel-a-sworn-enemy/405525/66 "2007-05-30T12:51:32Z")
The only people who’ve come close to “sworn enemies” of mine were dishonorable fuckwads who wouldn’t have held their part of the deal after I quarterstaffed them unconscious. So, no. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-duel-a-sworn-enemy/405525/67 "2007-05-30T19:53:31Z")
[QUOTE=BMalion] If the gentlemen would be so good as to propose a time and place, I’m sure we can settle this matter honorably. [/QUOTE] Or if not, then at least bloodily. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-duel-a-sworn-enemy/405525/68 "2007-05-30T22:24:31Z")
[QUOTE=Skald the Rhymer] First off: one summons Sampiro by uttering the magic words “Say You!” [/QUOTE] It would take a Miraclo™ for most people to get that joke. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-duel-a-sworn-enemy/405525/69 "2007-05-31T08:01:37Z")
Of course I would. He’s my sworn enemy, how dare he affront my honor!? ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-duel-a-sworn-enemy/405525/70 "2007-05-31T15:27:32Z")
If you hate someone sufficiently to kill them, you should kill them - not fool around with dueling. The whole idea is to see that they die if you carry that much hate. There is no purpose to the silly formalized rules of the duel. That being said, I am an above average pistol shot and I used to teach fencing (my best weapon is the foil). So if I had to use a weapon in a formalized duel. I believe I could do well. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-duel-a-sworn-enemy/405525/71 "2007-05-31T16:14:56Z")
[QUOTE=Nava] The only people who’ve come close to “sworn enemies” of mine were dishonorable fuckwads who wouldn’t have held their part of the deal after I quarterstaffed them unconscious. So, no. [/QUOTE] Replace the word ‘quarterstaffed’ with the word ‘hatchetted’ and the word ‘unconscious’ with the phrase ‘bloody and maimed’ and I agree. But if the point was to kill him, I’d do something with more style. Like a [Blood Eagle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_eagle). After knocking him out, tying him down and waiting for him to come back to consciousness, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-duel-a-sworn-enemy/405525/72 "2007-05-31T19:47:18Z")
So, who takes the first smell eh? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-duel-a-sworn-enemy/405525/73 "2007-05-31T19:54:32Z")
I love the notion of dueling. It’s one of those things that manages to be completely base but utterly civilized at the same time. I can think of about three people I would have sent my man to deliver the challenge to over the years and I am, if I say so myself, a damned good shot and have a pretty good swing and dodge with the saber (I wouldn’t do as well in the more formal swordplay, though of course I’d accept the challenge- I figure we’d set the date for 1 month to give each parties time to practice). I like the defense of honor notion- even if you die- and the finality of it. Of all the reasons I detest Andrew Jackson, his killing men over matters of personal honor not only don’t add but even detract from my dislike of him. I also think Hamilton’s firing in the air was either unintentional or an act of simultaneously committing suicide (he had a lot of reasons to want to die) and destroying his enemy at the same time. Either way he got what was coming to him. But if you duel, wear a condom and your seatbelt. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-duel-a-sworn-enemy/405525/74 "2007-05-31T19:57:51Z")
In case anybody’s interested, this is the 1777 [Code Duello](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/duel/sfeature/rulesofdueling.html). ---
**Author:** ![Frustrated\_Wonderer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a4c791/32.png) [@Frustrated\_Wonderer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frustrated_Wonderer)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-duel-a-sworn-enemy/405525/75 "2007-05-31T20:09:04Z")
No, probably not. I don’t hate anyone to the point of wishing them death - yet. However, I do think it would be nice if a certain 1 or 2 people, oh, I don’t know, break a leg (literaly) maybe? A medium-to-slighlty-bad injury would be better, death is simply the ultimate punishment. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2007, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-duel-a-sworn-enemy/405525/76 "2007-06-03T02:31:39Z")
[QUOTE=GuyNblueJeans] If your worst enemy in the world approached you to ask if you’d be willing to settle things honorably by way of a duel to the death (using pistols of your choice), would you be willing to give it a shot if no one else were to know of it? [/QUOTE] If my enemy challenged me, it would be my choice of weapons. I wouldn’t choose pistols. I’d either go for unarmed or possibly a single stick. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-duel-a-sworn-enemy/405525.md?page=3)