Shit Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Shit is a vernacular word in Modern English denoting the solid byproduct of digestion. It is an old and native English word, but following the Norman Conquest, French and Latin terms for many common objects and bodily functions began to be seen as more delicate and polite than natively-derived words, and thenceforth, 'feces' became the correct English noun, 'to defecate' became the correct English verb,' and 'shit' was (figuratively) left out on the back porch.It is a noun, verb, and adjective (although rarely an adverb), and has great flexibility of usage and meaning.
The word shit is universally used by English speakers (Britons commonly use the variant, 'Shite'), but it is considered vulgar, and thus is usually avoided in formal speech.
Most commonly, it is used not to refer to feces, but rather in a variety of metaphoric meanings. Of these, perhaps the most common is an epithet of dismay (as in "Oh shit!"). Shit is also used as a rather harsh way of designating something as being of inferior quality (as in "That disk drive is shit" or "This disk drive is rather shitty"), and it can also be used to indicate that something previously said is contemptibly false or insincere (as in "Don't give me that shit"); in the latter use the word bullshit is sometimes used as a more precise substitute.
Although the most common uses of shit are metaphorical, the unpleasant literal meaning of the word is seldom entirely absent, and thus most uses of shit have some degree of pejoration. This is not always the case, however—in the sentence "I bought a bunch of shit at the market today", the word shit doesn't connote displeasure as much as an overwhelming quantity. Perhaps the only constant connotation that shit carries is that the subject matter to which it is applied has some degree of emotional intensity for the speaker. Whether offense is taken at hearing the word varies greatly according to listener and situation, and is related to age and social class: elderly speakers and those of (or attaining to) higher socioeconomic strata tend to use it more privately and selectively than younger and more blue-collar speakers. Regardless, it is highly improbable that any native English speaker of any age or social position can truthfully claim never to have used the word.
However, in some colloquial speech, calling something "the shit" is actually a compliment. For instance, the sentence "Dave's new car is the shit," suggests the speaker thinks that Dave's new car is very good, or at least very cool. The meaning here is somewhat similar to the traditional vernacular usage of the word, "bad," meaning "dangerous and deserving of respect."
The term, "a shit," is sometimes applied to a contemptible person, or one who has behaved badly or immorally. For example, the phrase, "That little shit ate my popcorn," would insinuate that someone was of low character for having eaten the speaker's popcorn without his permission.
As an adjective, to be shitty always denotes low quality: This is a shitty train. Of a person's condition, it can mean to feel ill: John felt shitty today, so he didn't come to work. Of an action it can mean to be contemptible or immoral: That was a shitty thing to do to her.
The verb to shit usually refers to the literal act of defecation. It can also mean to treat badly or to humiliate: I got shat on for being late, I shit my pants. The past tense of to shit is attested as shat, shit, or shitted, depending on dialect and the rhythm of the sentence.
As a prefix, shit (like fuck) can simply denote emphasis: Shit! I was so shit-scared of that shithead that I almost shit my pants!
Non-native English speakers should take note that 'shit' and 'fuck' are not entirely interchangeable, such that (for instance) the gerunitive, 'shitting' is never used emphatically. Ex.: In the sentence, Shit! I was so shit-scared of that shithead that I almost shit my shitting pants! the usage, "my shitting pants" is incomprehensible to native speakers. A correct vulgarism would be "my fucking pants."
The word has existed in English for many centuries, for instance in its Old English form scite. Indeed, scholars can trace the word back through related Germanic languages (e.g., Old Norse skīta), and it is virtually certain that it was used in some form by preliterate Germanic tribes at the time of the Roman Empire. It has cognates in many other Indo-European languages, including Greek, where the cognate root skor, skato- has been borrowed into English and forms the basis of scatology and a host of related technical terms.
The variant form shite (rhymes with "white") is found in certain regional and social dialects, especially in Scotland and Ireland, and is sometimes used in other parts of the world as a less-offensive (at least in intent) form of the word "shit".
Occasionally, individuals enjoy making up pretend etymologies for shit as a joke. See Fake etymology.Usage
Etymology