Parliamentary debates can be heated — but there are rules about what members can and can’t say.

Enlarge image ‘Unbecoming’ language, insults, and accusations of dishonesty are banned during Parliamentary debates. Source: Office of the Clerk

Parliamentary debates can be heated — but there are rules about what members can and can’t say. ‘Unbecoming’ language, insults, and accusations of dishonesty are banned. These concepts change over time, and ‘unparliamentary language’ is constantly evolving.

This selection of ‘unparliamentary language’ is from the indexes of the New Zealand Parliamentary Debates. There, such words are listed under ‘Speaker, unparliamentary language’.

1933

Blow-fly minded

Financial Frankenstein

Shrewd old bird

1936

Fungus farmer

Pipsqueak

Stonewalling

1943

Members hated the sight of khaki

Retardate worm

1946

Clown of the House

Idle vapourings of a mind diseased

I would cut the honourable gentleman's throat if I had the chance

Quasi-parsonical

Skite

1949

His brains could revolve inside a peanut shell for a thousand years without touching the sides

Hoey

Humbugs

Hypnotised rabbits

1954

Bluebird

1957

Kind of animal that gnaws holes

Trained seals

1959

Kookaburra

Member not fit to lick the shoes of the Prime Minister

1963

Energy of a tired snail returning home from a funeral

Member a vicious woman

Sits on his behind

1966

Labour Party is dominated by an outside body

Shut up yourself, you great ape

Snotty nosed little boy

You are a cheap little twerp

Ridiculous mouse

1969

Commo (allowed)

Duck shoving

Like a snail leaves a slime behind him

1974

Scuttles for his political funk hole (allowed)

Soft-soaping (allowed)

Could go down the Mount Eden sewer and come up cleaner than he went in

Dreamed the bill up in the bath

Greasy hands

Grubby little man

Intestinal fortitude

Low style

Mealy mouthed

Slinking off to another part of the House

Frustrated warlord

1977

John Boy

Silly old moo

Racist

Sober up

1980