Question: ”When is an ass not an ass?” Answer: ”When its an arse.”
In the English speaking world arse and ass are both used to describe a mammal’ s posterior or at times figuratively speaking, the rear end of an object. Either one is also widely used as a derogatory term for someone considered stupid, despicable or simply evil. Prefixed with the word stupid or some other suitable adjective both for emphasis and clarity and the meaning hones in to underline just that.
There is of course a difference between calling a person ”a stupid ass” or ”a stupid arse” and as such easily identified by the way they are pronounced differently, in British English that is. The former is a kinder, more forgiving expression for someone acting like a donkey which is in fact what an ass is. The latter is cruder and a lot less polite with its reference to the buttocks.
I suspect there is little distinction between arse and ass in spoken American English even when it comes to the usage of their somewhat more offensive cousins, asshole or its British equivalent arsehole; thus tarring evil and stupid with the same brush.
Undoubtedly the world has a large number of ass-arseholes but British English has the grace to separate the stupid asses from the evil arses.
Enough of American politics for now.
