Korimyr the Rat

That's merely the respectful way to refer to the person you are debating with when you don't feel like being flowery enough to say "my esteemed opponent".

I prefer the respectful forms. Used in a straight tone, they help reinforce the camarederie and esteem that skilled debaters should hold for each other; with slight changes in inflection they can be used to express anything else from mild condescension to outright contempt without demonstrating any loss of control on your part.

It's like the popular myth that there ain't no swear words in Japanese, and that the language itself just ain't equipped for rudeness. What they miss is that the formal courtesy in the grammar allows you to be just as insulting without having recourse to crude language.

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