After nasty phone calls, curses hurled over the back fence, fist-shaking, and other attempts to impress him with your seriousness, you meet him at the supermarket, lose control, and punch his lights out.

The epic defense was rewarded with the highest military decorations

The eldest was a termagant, imperious, prodigal, lewd, profligate wench, as ever breath'd; she used to rantipole about the house, pinch the children, kick the servants, and torture the cats and dogs; …

Perhaps the surface of the red brick, long unpainted, had scaled off a little more here and there.