Ad hominem

From Encyclopedia Dramatica

Roman furries hug their partners after an exchange of ad hominems

A logical fallacy that butthurt pseudointellectuals will accuse you of using if you disagree with them on the internet. Translates roughly to "NO U."

When used by IRL intellectuals it may mean this:

1 : appealing to feelings or prejudices rather than intellect.
2 : marked by or being an attack on an opponent's character rather than by an answer to the contentions made.

(see: flame)

[edit] History

Ad hominems were invented by the Romans at least 100 years ago.

In their time ad hominem translated as "to the man" and was generally used as a euphemism for gifts to one's homosexual lover. These gifts primarily took the form of an early candy made from beech twigs and honey, to which the term was synonymous.

As society evolved they realised how disgusting ad hominems were in comparison to things like tripe, sauerkraut, and haggis. Ad hominems consequently began to fall out of favour and in short time they came to be what we know them as today - a personal insult. By as early as the twelfth century it was degrading to receive an ad hominem in place of contemporary gifts such as new leggings, or an Iranian incense burner.

Unfortunately the internet's architecture does not currently allow people to send their gay lovers gifts of honey and twigs, so they simulate the practice through the use of derogatory language.

[edit] Usage Notes

The easiest way to win any argument.

Before making an ad hominem attack, it is a good idea to keep the following things in mind:

In Debate, any person disagreeing with the OP is using ad hominem.
If you are salting the earth, implementation of ad hominem attacks is imperative.
It is impossible to make an ad hominem attack against a furry.
If you want to call someone else out on using ad hominem, please remember to italicize the phrase, like so: ad hominem. This shows that you are intelligent and recognize that it's a Latin phrase. Smarter people might point out that italicizing such a common phrase that is in all the English dictionaries is retarded. If someone brings this up, accuse them of ad hominem as well.
Bananas. That's right. (OP must be referring to shoving bananas up your ass in case "Bananas." sounds useful.)