Curse concerns

Q: OK, here goes. We have this flower shop run by a gypsy woman. I inadvertently knocked over a vase while shopping for flowers for my sick mum - then suddenly the gypsy seemed to attempt to put some sort of curse on me. It sounded like she was wishing a pig-snout on me.

I'm not superstitious, but I think I felt something when she did it, and I can't get it out of my head. Am I nuts to worry?

A: Don't worry, it's well known that gypsies are some of the worst cursers on earth. Crazy old witch ladies, batty buxom babysitters, and even gangly psychotic doctors are much better at it.

The effectiveness of a curse relies directly on the quality of the rhymes and hyperbole contained within.

Something like "upon you I lay this curse, that you'll eat till you burst, and your guts will be spilt, till you're burned to grey silt" would probably get someone to put a little weight on, while "rhymey whimey, brothels and broth, may disease riddle you till you're so sick you'll sneeze" will almost certainly be completely ineffective in making someone sick.

Gypsies usually produce complete curse-trash like the latter example (and yes, someone did try that one on me - not even a sniffle!). I wouldn't worry unless she was rhymin' large.