Mrs. Johnson and pig

    A man was sued¹ by a woman for defamation² of character. She charged that he had called her a pig. The man was found guilty and fined.
    After the trial he asked the judge, "Does this meanthat I cannot call Mrs. Johnson a pig?"The judge said that was true.
    "Does this also mean I cannot call a pig, 'Mrs. Johnson'?" the man asked.
    The judge replied that he could indeed call a pig 'Mrs. Johnson' with no fear of legal action.
    The man looked directly at Mrs. Johnson and said, "Good afternoon, Mrs. Johnson."

1 sued   

v.（为要求赔偿损失而）起诉( sue的过去式和过去分词 )；控告；请求；要求（尤用于法庭）

参考例句：

• The company sued for defamation. 这个公司因受到诽谤而提起诉讼。
• He sued the newspaper for libel. 他起诉那家报社犯有诽谤罪。

2 defamation   

n.诽谤；中伤

参考例句：

• Character defamation can be either oral or written.人格诽谤既可以是口头的也可以是书面的。
• The company sued for defamation.这个公司因受到诽谤而提起诉讼。