What's your favorite swear word/insult?

[abaris]

Kind of amusing though, to see that what may be intended as a gesture of good will is taken as an insult. I wonder if there are similar things from german to english?

Not as an insult. It's just, well, empty. Hard to explain actually, but if you're on a first name basis here, you're pretty close. And if someone you haven't met in your whole life comes up offering it, there's usually some kind of reservation involved. Like, let's get to know each other a little bit better first.

There are exemptions of course. Situations where you meet up leisurely, say at a party or some concert.

And I'm not sure, if there's something working the other way round. It's not only german, it's Italian, Spanish and French too making a distinction when adressing someone being in a close relationship or someone you don't know. It's in all these languages.