What have you bashi-bazouks done now?

Some context, for those of you who didn’t grow up reading Tintin: “Bashi-bazouk” was an insult that Captain Haddock often used…

The term bashi-bazouk is from Ottoman Turkish, and is generally used to mean “damaged head”. It’s a reference to the bashi-bazouks, who were irregulars in the Ottoman army, and who had a reputation for being out of control and robbing civilians.

Recommended reading

• Norton of Morton: Captain Haddock’s curses, insults, and exclamations. He had a pretty good vocabulary!
• The Weekend Historian: On Bashi-Bazouks!
• The Guardian: What does the Tories’ landslide victory mean for Brexit?
• Reuters: Explainer: Reality check for Johnson’s Brexit – it’s just the beginning

Thanks to Nic Pouliot for the find!