[demosthenes the elder]

oh, I can handle it, even agree wholeheartedly with its usage in this discussion, but it is disingenuous to claim that it is not an insult.
I do not like lies.
Deserved insults are fine.

[mabelkitty]

See, now I would say "backwards" was a put-down rather than an insult.

If I called someone the spawn of a forbidden brother/sister love tryst, then that would be an insult.

One man's trash is another man's treasure, I suppose.