a volley of insults

Origin

The phrase 'a volley of insults' springs directly from the brutal world of military combat. Imagine ancient archers or musketeers, standing in formation, waiting for the command. Then, a sudden, simultaneous discharge—hundreds of arrows or musket balls flying through the air at once. That's a 'volley,' a word plucked from the Old French 'volée' meaning 'flight' or 'a flying,' capturing the sudden, overwhelming force of such an attack. It's this powerful image of a concentrated, rapid assault that gives the phrase its bite. When someone lets loose 'a volley of insults,' they're not just saying a few unkind words; they're unleashing a verbal barrage, a coordinated assault of verbal projectiles aimed to wound, just like those ancient weapons raining down on an enemy.