What is a Brat? (standard:humor, 333 words)
Author: Pitter Pat	Added: Jan 04 2003	Views/Reads: 4090/1	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Is there an age limit to being a brat? Is a brat a certain color or creed? Am I a brat?

“Why have I always been labeled a brat?” asked 93-year-old Julia when
the nurse called her a brat in the doctor's office for refusing to 
stick a thermometer under her tongue. 

“An interesting question,” I thought as I overheard their conversation. 
I've been called a brat lately, come to think of it; I've been called a 
brat all my life... Hmmm... Maybe I should check this out. 

First I called upon Mr. Webster to see what he said a brat is. His
reply, “A child; an annoying child.”  That didn't quite fit the 
93-year-old lady. Annoying perhaps, but definitely not a child. 

The Merriam-Webster On-line dictionary told me a brat is a noun. It came
from an English word used around 1505 for a course garment. 

Ok, the noun part works, but not the coarse garment. Reading on, it said
a brat is an ill-mannered annoying child or an ill-mannered immature 
person.  That sweet 93-year-old lady didn't seem ill mannered or 
immature to me, but perhaps she did to the nurse. 

“Am I ill-mannered or immature?” I asked myself.  My momma taught me all
about manners, did I missed something? Am I immature? Maybe sometimes, 
but who wants to act mature all the time. It's no fun! Ok, time to 
search on. 

Using the Thesaurus I found there was no other word like it. The only
suggestion was to check in an encyclopedia. The encyclopedia link told 
of Military Brats, Scribble Brats, and had a link to www.Brat.org, a 
political magazine. 

Using the “google” search engine I found 848 sites listed with brat in
their title and an option to view a list of more sights they felt were 
a repeat of listed sites. There are 85 pages of sites with brat in 
their title! “At least if I'm a brat, I have plenty of company.” I said 
with a smile. 

Ok, I'll admit it; I'm being a brat again and enjoying every minute of
it. Anyone want to join a brat's club? 


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