Meaning & Analysis
The proverb is a piece of cynical advice instructing someone to be the first to accuse a woman of being a prostitute during a conflict, regardless of the truth.
Insights
Preemptive Defense
The proverb serves as a metaphor for the tactic of preemptive accusation. It advises that in any dispute, the party who is actually at fault can deflect blame and seize the offensive by being the first to accuse their opponent, thereby framing themselves as the victim.
Strategic Distraction
By launching an aggressive and shocking accusation, the accuser effectively distracts from their own transgressions. The severity of the charge ('whore') is designed to monopolize the attention and moral outrage of onlookers, making the original offense seem minor in comparison.
Seizing the Moral High Ground
The act of 'calling whore first' is a cynical strategy to seize the moral high ground. The accuser positions themselves as the aggrieved party, forcing the truly injured person into a defensive posture from which it is difficult to recover.
Gender and Social Power
The proverb's power derives from the extreme social and legal devastation the accusation of 'whore' would inflict upon a woman in the early modern period. It reflects a deeply misogynistic social structure where a woman's reputation was fragile and a primary determinant of her value, making this preemptive attack particularly vicious and effective.
Psychological Projection
This proverb is a stark illustration of the psychological defense mechanism of projection, where an individual attributes their own unacceptable faults or guilt to someone else. The cross-references, such as 'Who more ready to call her neighbor scold than the arrantest scold in the parish?', confirm this interpretation of projecting one's own character flaws onto others.
Modern Political Resonance
The tactic remains a timeless and widely recognized strategy in modern conflicts, from personal arguments to political scandals. It is the essence of the 'attack is the best defense' philosophy, where a guilty party attempts to control the narrative by launching a shocking counter-accusation to distract from their own culpability.
Rhetorical Devices
Imperative Mood
The use of the imperative verb 'Call' gives the proverb the tone of a direct, cynical command. It is not an observation but a piece of actionable, albeit unethical, advice.
Symbolism
The word 'whore' is used as a powerful and loaded symbol for any ruinous character assassination. It represents the most damaging accusation one could make, highlighting the extreme nature of this manipulative tactic.
Brevity and Shock Value
The proverb's shocking and concise nature makes it highly memorable and impactful. Its brevity encapsulates a complex and ugly aspect of human conflict in a short, brutal phrase.
Transcription
Quotations
He that committs the fault doth call whoore first.
Mother, call her whore, first.
Spoken, when any one that hath wrong'd and abus'd us, doth vapour, as if he were the party injur'd; the English say, To call whore first.
She cries Whore first, brings him upon his Knees for her Fault; and a piece of Plate, or a new Petticoat, makes his Peace again.
Nay, miss, you cried whore first, when you talked of the knapsack.
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
Used under CC BY-NC 3.0.