JK Rowling has shared the worst sly dig she ever received in hilarious new Twitter thread
By Edaein OConnell
25th Apr 2020
25th Apr 2020
Have you ever received a sly dig? Lisa McGee asked her Twitter followers to share theirs and the answers are something to behold
Sly digs are the worst.
They are insults thinly veiled as compliments. Backhanded attempts at constructive criticism that do nothing but make the person on the receiving end scratch their head.
We have all been there at one point or another, but many us of don’t make these judgments public.
Well Lisa McGee, creator of Derry Girls, put a call out on Twitter yesterday asking her followers to share the best sly dig they had ever received.
To begin, Lisa said hers came from a man she encountered in her early twenties who claimed she inspired him to become a writer “because he’d seen one of my plays and it was so terrible he thought he definitely could do better.”
Replies
Replies came in thick and fast from a Twitter community who knew all too well the wrath of a sly dig. Even JK Rowling herself has experienced the power and sadness they behold, and she too shared her story.
The responses are a wonderful fusion of hilarity and wretchedness. Many focused on weight and appearance, others were sexist and even racist. Most of all though, they were funny and not in the conventional sense. The twisted wit comes from people thinking it’s ok to say these kinds of things.
The human race continues to surprise and dumbfound us all.
Here are some of the best.
When my first book became a bestseller, an acquaintance said to me: ‘I’ve often thought I should write a kids’ book, and when I saw you’d gone to number one I thought, “well, I really should, because if *she* can do it, *anyone* can.”‘ https://twitter.com/LisaMMcGee/status/1253656333338935298
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 24, 2020
About 6 years ago I met a woman who didn’t know me from Holby (I was with other cast members at an event) I joked and said the camera adds 10 pounds. She looked me up and down and said, ‘And then some!’ and walked off.. ?
— Niamh McGrady (@NiamhMcGrady) April 24, 2020
Someone once said to me “be glad you’re not gorgeous like me because it’s more of a curse than a blessing.” ??
— Lynnie (@atoakhaven) April 24, 2020
A old sergeant of mine was surprised at my single status because, as he put it, “You’re not exactly ugly…”
— Louise McCarron (@mccarron1965) April 24, 2020
When I first started going out with my now husband, his mate said to me, “It’s weird, because there’s something quite sexy about you, even though you’re really plain.”
He was a journalist and got sacked for getting pissed and heckling Julian Simmons at an awards do.— Lee Montgomery (@leehotmess) April 24, 2020
Wrote this and deleted it once already but here goes. As a student actor I worried out loud that I might not be attractive enough to make it as a professional and my friend told me not to worry, there are LOADS of successful ugly actors.
— David Nicholls (@DavidNWriter) April 24, 2020
A mate of mine went to the hairdressers where they engaged in idle chit-chat. The hairdresser then said “so what do you do?” To which he replied “I currently work for BT”.
Her response “ah well, at least you’ve got a job, eh!”— Toony (@manazzzzzzz) April 24, 2020
A man wrote to me when I was standing in on radio for Pat Kenny who was on holiday, “why is it when I open my window in summer it always a bluebottle and never a butterfly that comes in?”
I thought that was quite good, actually.
— Philip Boucher-Hayes (@boucherhayes) April 24, 2020
When I was at Brighton Uni a fellow student condescended to me that I was “working class made good.”
— Emma Frost (@EmmaFrostLondon) April 24, 2020
I was told by a former colleague during a meeting that I’d make an excellent spy because I had absolutely nothing memorable about me.
— BROOME82 (@BROOME82) April 24, 2020
Some older chap I used to work with: “it’s great you’re on telly so much given you know… laughs… no seriously, it’s great. Good for you. Listen, these days, do they have to hit a quota or do they get some extra funding if they have people like you on? Genuine question?”
— Ayesha Hazarika (@ayeshahazarika) April 24, 2020
Playing Desdemona in Salisbury Playhouse and a relative told me my performance was “on the right track”.
— Sinéad Keenan (@SineadKeenan) April 24, 2020
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