asinicide

English

Etymology

From Latin asinus (“donkey, ass; idiot”) +‎ -icide.

Pronunciation

Audio (UK) (file)

Noun

asinicide (uncountable) (rare)

The killing of an idiot.
- 1898 May 13, “Editorial and Clippings”, in The Griggs Courier, volume 16, number 18, Cooperstown, Griggs County, N.D., page 1, columns 1–2:
  The Sheldon Progress pays the following touching tribute to the Fessenden editors: The citizens of Fessenden held a mass meeting in the butcher shop and organized a cemetery association with “Sandy” Smith and Editors Maskery and Stickley on the board. There can no longer be any doubt as to the purpose that boneyard is intended for. Maskery and Stickley are going to commit justifiable asinicide and send their ’steemed contemporary, Mark Hunt, to join “Iconoclast” Brann—and Cicero—and Rousseau—and all the ancient and modern thought evolvers who contributed to the editorial columns of the Free Press. Then may the La Moure Chronicle ask what will we do without “this most picturesque figure in North Dakota journalism, Marcus Hunt—so opulent in self esteem: so rich in lore; so full of wise saws and modern instances; so full, too, of prunes and verbosity!
- 1926 July 22, “The Crow’s-Nest”, in The Royal Gazette and Colonist Daily, page 3:
  “The three kings of Washington Irving,” broke in Beano. “Bah, I guessed what you were driving at long ago, but hoped you’d have the good grace to sheer off. This is no weather for a lecture on history. So, if you’re found murdered here, blame yourself. If I’d been Carter, and Chard and Waters had held forth as you’re doing, I’d have let them fight it out over the ambergris or a greased pig; and would then have potted the winner for the sake of quiet. You can bet their row happened in July. July is the month for electric storms and brain-storms. There should be specially lenient penalties for July misdemeanours such as manslaughter in defence of one’s eardrums and asinicide.” / Crow smiled indulgently. “I’m glad to know how you feel about it. I was hoping for the best. It will save me from polluting the channel off Market Wharf with my mortal remains and thereby annoying the police.” / “What the⸺” / “Now don’t be profane or the Chamber of Commerce will wash out your mouth with sweetly lavendered soap. You approve asinicide. Good. I am inviting euthanasia by your steady hand and true midbrovian eye. Better weakly to bleed to death than to melt to extinction week by week. Prepare your lethal weapon while I hobnob for the last time with cabbages and kings.”
- 1937 January 14, “Threat of Asinicide”, in Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Ill., page 12:
  The Professor of Logic next door has been making the heavens blush with the brimstone profanity of his enquiries as to what-the-polysyllabic-Hades else we could think it was open for. I’m on the verge of a nervous breakdown as the result of having during the last fortnight no less than eighteen times been (this is growing into a German sentence), by mail, telephone and personal call, “contacted.” Next time it happens, justifiable homicide (or asinicide) will be enacted by me.

Related terms

asinary
asinine