Beginning with an introduction in each language, quoting well-known sayings from literature with "classic" insults and swearing, the book will also address the drama of the insult - analysis of tone of voice and gesture - and the etymology of offensive words or idiomatic phrases. Insults are divided according to themes of refusal, imprecation, and difference (racism). She has uncovered, for example, that the word "oreo" entered the idiom of the United States as a perjorative referring to people of colour who behave like white people. It is now the name of a famous biscuit which is black with a white filling. The book also includes an idiomatic list of sweet words that act as counterweight to semantic aggressiveness.
Some of the material has previously been presented at the Conference on Insults "Va Manger du Savon!", held on October-November 2002, Paris, Italian Language and Cultural Centre - L'insulte en Italie et dans le monde ("Insults in Italy and the World")
