Editing Shit (section)

==Usage==
The word ''shit'' (also ''shite'' in [[British English|British]] and [[Hiberno-English]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/shit|website=Thesaurus.com|title=Shit|access-date=26 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726103744/https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/shit|archive-date=26 July 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>) is considered [[profanity]] and is usually avoided in formal speech. [[Minced oath]] substitutes for the word ''shit'' in English include ''shoot'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.phrasemix.com/phrases/oh-shoot|website=PhraseMix.com|title=Oh Shoot|access-date=26 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726103730/https://www.phrasemix.com/phrases/oh-shoot|archive-date=26 July 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dict.cc/?s=shoot%21|website=Deutsch-Englisch-Wörterbuch|title=Deutsch-Englisch-Übersetzung für: Shoot!|access-date=8 August 2018|archive-date=5 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105151212/https://www.dict.cc/?s=shoot%21|url-status=live}}</ref> ''shucks'',<ref>{{cite web|website=The Free Dictionary by Farlex|url=https://www.thefreedictionary.com/shucks|title=Shucks|access-date=8 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808140318/https://www.thefreedictionary.com/shucks|archive-date=8 August 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> ''sugar'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dict.cc/?s=Sugar%21|website=Deutsch-Englisch-Wörterbuch|title=Deutsch-Englisch-Übersetzung für: Sugar!|access-date=8 August 2018|archive-date=5 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105151111/https://www.dict.cc/?s=Sugar%21|url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[Euphemism|euphemistic]] [[backronym]], ''Sugar, Honey, Ice(d) Tea''.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|website=Your Dictionary|title=Sugar-honey-ice-tea|url=http://www.yourdictionary.com/sugar-honey-ice-tea|access-date=8 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808140225/http://www.yourdictionary.com/sugar-honey-ice-tea|archive-date=8 August 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{cite web|url=https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sugar_honey_ice_tea|website=Wiktionary|title=sugar honey ice tea|date=7 June 2018|access-date=8 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808140317/https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sugar_honey_ice_tea|archive-date=8 August 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the word's literal sense, it has a rather small range of common usages. An unspecified or collective occurrence of [[feces]] is generally ''shit'' or ''some shit''; a single deposit of feces is sometimes ''a shit'' or ''a piece of shit''; and to defecate is ''to shit'' or ''to take a shit''. While it is common to speak of shit as existing in ''a pile'', ''a load'', ''a hunk'', and other quantities and configurations, such expressions flourish most strongly in the figurative.

When uttered as an exclamation or [[interjection]], ''shit'' may convey astonishment or a feeling of being favorably impressed or disgusted. Similar utterances might be ''damn!'', ''wow!'' or ''yuck!''.

''Piece of shit'' may also be used figuratively to describe a particularly loathsome individual, or an object that is of poor quality ("this [[car]] is a ''piece of shit''", often abbreviated to "P.O.S.").

One study published in 2017 argued that "shit studies" is a cross-disciplinary meta-field of rhetorical inquiry about human communication and reasoning. The authors explained, "rhetorical studies has theorized 'shit' in terms of the communication of transformation, style, and textual relations," particularly in relation to claims of expertise to topics such as "anti-semitism" and "wine-tasting."<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Johnson|first1=Kevin A.|last2=McDonald|first2=Brandon|date=Winter 2017|title=Points de sensorium, the stank, and the communication of bullshit|journal=Review of Communication|volume=18|pages=56–66|doi=10.1080/15358593.2017.1405064|s2cid=148783762}}</ref> They conclude that [[bullshit]] speech is one-sided discourse that is difficult to penetrate because it contains "ideological barriers to the expectation of mutuality," working to deflect critical responses.

===Vague noun===
''Shit'' can be used as a generic mass noun similar to ''stuff''; for instance, ''This show is funny (as) shit'' or ''This test is hard (as) shit'', or ''That was stupid shit''. These three usages (with ''funny'', ''hard'', and ''stupid'' or another [[synonym]] of ''stupid'') are heard most commonly in the United States. Using "as" denotes a subtle change in the meaning of the expression; however, the overall intent is basically the same.

In the expression ''Get your shit together!'', the word ''shit'' can refer either to one's wits or composure or to one's things, gear, etc. ''He doesn't have his shit together'' means that his affairs are disordered, reflecting not bad luck or forces beyond his control, but his personal shortcomings.

To ''shoot the shit'' is to have a friendly but pointless conversation, as in "Come by my place some time and we'll shoot the shit."

A ''shithole'' is any unpleasant place to be, much like a hellhole. This usage originates from a reference to a [[pit toilet]].

A ''[[wikt:crock of shit|crock of shit]]'' is something (a situation, explanation, argument, etc.) that is nonsense or fabricated as a deception or evasion; i.e. bullshit. Often abbreviated simply as ''crock''. Example: "You expect me to believe that ?? What a crock!"

The phrase ''built like a brick shithouse'' is used in the United States to compliment a curvaceous woman, but in other English-speaking countries to compliment men with athletic physiques.<ref>{{cite web|title=How Did "Built Like{{nbsp}}..."-get-to-be-a-compliment|url=http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2458/how-did-the-phrase-built-like-a-brick-shithouse-get-to-be-a-compliment|website=The Straight Dope|date=4 July 2003|access-date=2 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617033149/http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2458/how-did-the-phrase-built-like-a-brick-shithouse-get-to-be-a-compliment|archive-date=17 June 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> This meaning originates from the observation that most shithouses are rather ramshackle affairs constructed of plywood or scrap sheets of steel.

''The shitter'' is a slang term for a toilet, and can be used like the phrase ''...{{nbsp}}down the toilet'' to suggest that something has been wasted. Example: "This CD player quit working one friggin' week after I bought it, and I lost the receipt! Twenty bucks right down the shitter!"

''Shit on a shingle'' is U.S. military slang for [[creamed chipped beef on toast]]. In polite company, this can be abbreviated as ''SOS''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Herbst|first1=Sharon|title=New Food Lover's Companion|date=August 1995|publisher=Barron's|isbn=978-0812015201|page=[https://archive.org/details/newfoodloverscom00herb_0/page/123 123]|edition=3|url=https://archive.org/details/newfoodloverscom00herb_0/page/123}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Herbst|first1=Sharon|title=Barron's New Food Lover's Companion|year=1995|publisher=Barron's |isbn=0812015207|url=https://archive.org/details/newfoodloverscom00herb_0}}</ref>

===Trouble===
''Shit'' can be used to denote trouble, by saying one is in ''a lot of shit'' or ''deep shit'' (a common euphemism is ''deep doo-doo''). A ''shitstorm'' would be quite a lot of trouble happening all in one place at one time. It's common for someone to refer to an unpleasant thing as ''hard shit'' (''You got a speeding ticket? Man, that's some hard shit''), but the phrase ''tough shit'' is used as an unsympathetic way of saying ''too bad'' to whoever is having problems (''You got arrested? Tough shit, man!'') or as a way of expressing to someone that they need to stop complaining about something and cope with it instead (Billy: ''I got arrested because of you!'' Tommy: ''Tough shit, dude, you knew you might get arrested when you chose to come with me.'') Note that in this case, as in many cases with the term, ''tough shit'' is often said as a way of pointing out someone's fault in his/her own current problem. It's also common to express annoyance by simply saying ''Shit''.

A ''[[wikt:shitload|shitload]]'' of something is a large quantity, especially something unpleasant or disgusting. ''The boss dumped a shitload of extra work for me this week.'' A ''[[wikt:shit sandwich|shit sandwich]]'' is something (like a situation or state of affairs) unpleasant made triflingly more palatable by packaging it in things less unpleasant, as rotten meat sandwiched in bread. The term shit sandwich originates from an old joke that goes: "Life is a shit sandwich. The more bread (money) you got, the less shit you have to eat."

''Up shit creek'' or especially ''Up shit creek without a paddle'' describes a situation in which one is in severe difficulties with no apparent means of solution (this is simply a profane version of the older saying "up the creek without a paddle", profanity added for emphasis or humor).

''[[Shit happens]]'' means that bad happenings in life are inevitable. This is usually spoken with a sigh or a shrug, but can be spoken derisively to someone who complains too often about his ill fortunes, or in an irritating manner.

''When the shit hits the fan'' is usually used to refer to a specific time of confrontation or trouble, which requires decisive action. This is often used in reference to combat situations and the action scenes in movies, but can also be used for everyday instances that one might be apprehensive about. ''I don't want to be here when the shit hits the fan!'' indicates that the speaker is dreading this moment (which can be anything from an enemy attack to confronting an angry parent or friend). In polite society, it is often reduced to "when it hits the fan". ''He's the one to turn to when the shit hits the fan'' is an indication that the person being talked about is dependable and will not run from trouble or abandon their allies in tough situations. The concept of this phrase is simple enough, as the actual substance striking the rotating blades of a fan would cause a messy and unpleasant situation (much like being in the presence of a [[manure spreader]]). Whether or not this has actually happened, or if the concept is simply feasible enough for most people to imagine the result without needing it to be demonstrated, is unknown. Another example might be the saying ''shit rolls downhill'', a metaphor suggesting that trouble for a manager may be transferred to the subordinates. There are a number of anecdotes and jokes about such situations, as the imagery of these situations is considered to be funny. This is generally tied-in with the concept that disgusting and messy substances spilled onto someone else are humorous.

For someone to be described as ''shitfaced'' means that person is essentially incapacitated by alcoholic intoxication (i.e. in a thoroughly drunken state).

===Displeasure===
''Shit'' can comfortably stand in for the terms ''bad'' and ''anything'' in many instances (''Dinner was good, but the movie was shit.'' ''You're all mad at me, but I didn't do shit!''). A comparison can also be used, as in ''Those pants look like shit'', or ''This stuff tastes like shit''. Many usages are [[idiom]]atic. ''I'm shit out of luck'' usually refers to someone who is at the end of their wits or who has no remaining viable options. In polite company the acronym ''SOL'' is commonly substituted for this. ''That little shit shot me in the [[Buttocks|ass]]'', suggests a mischievous or contemptuous person. Euphemisms such as ''crap'' are not usually used in this context.

The exclamations ''oh shit!'' and ''aw shit!'' are used to express displeasure or embarrassment (sometimes facetiously) with oneself when one makes a mistake, especially a stupid or avoidable mistake. When used to comment on the actions of someone else, they can take on a more humorous quality if the mistake does not result in serious consequences. ''Oh shit!'' is also a reflexive expression of horror or terror, as when witnessing or being involved in a life-threatening situation (for example, a vehicle accident).

The term ''piece of shit'' is generally used to classify a product or service as being sufficiently below the writer's understanding of generally accepted quality standards to be of negligible and perhaps even negative value. The term ''piece of shit'' has greater precision than ''shit'' or ''shitty'' in that ''piece of shit'' identifies the low quality of a specific component or output of a process without applying a derogatory slant to the entire process. For example, if one said "The youth orchestra has been a remarkably successful initiative. The fact that the orchestra's recent rendition of Tchaikovsky's Manfred Symphony in B minor was pretty much a piece of shit should not in any way detract from this." The substitution of ''shit'' or ''shitty'' for ''pretty much a piece of shit'' would imply irony and would therefore undermine the strength of the statement.

The phrase "(I don't) give a shit" can be used when one does not care about something, or has a passive attitude toward said thing, as it denotes [[Apathy|indifference]]. In context, one can say: "You're offended? Well, I don't give a shit!" or "You're telling me? Go find somebody who gives a shit." President [[Richard Nixon]] said to aide [[H.R. Haldeman]] while being tape recorded in the [[Oval Office]], "I don't give a shit about the lira." He meant he was too busy managing the [[Watergate affair]] to consider a crisis in the Italian monetary system.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Cockburn |first1=Alexander |title=What a silly bugger Coming to your record shop soon – Richard Nixon |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/1999/aug/15/featuresreview.review|work=The Guardian|date=14 August 1999|access-date=2 July 2019 |archive-date=5 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105151059/https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/1999/aug/15/featuresreview.review |url-status=live}}</ref>

The ''shit list'' is a category of people who are in ill favor with some individual or group of people, perhaps as the managers of a company, and likely to be the targets of special treatment.

The phrase "take shit" means to receive bad or frivolous treatment from someone. Such an abused person might say "I'm not taking any more of your shit!" to indicate that they will no longer tolerate such treatment.

''Whale shit''{{citation needed|date=June 2019}} is sometimes used to describe a person who inspires displeasure or disgust, as in: "You're lower than whale shit at the bottom of the ocean!"

“You can’t polish shit” is a popular aphorism roughly equivalent to "putting [[Lipstick on a pig]]" (although "a turd" is more commonly used). However, the TV show ''Mythbusters'' showed that a person can, in fact, polish a turd.

===Dominance===
''Shit'' can also be used to establish social superiority over someone else. The most common gibe is ''eat shit!'' (cf ''[[coprophagy]]'') expressing contempt. Some other personal word may be added such as ''eat my shit'' implying truly personal connotations. As an aside, the above is actually a contraction of the phrase ''eat shit and die!''.{{Citation needed| date=December 2011}} It is often said without commas as a curse; they command the other party to perform exactly those actions in that order. However, the term was originally ''Eat, Shit, and Die'' naming the three most basic things humans have to do, and it is common among [[soldier]]s.{{Citation needed|date=February 2009}}

The phrase ''You ain't shit'', expresses an air of intimidation over the addressee, expressing that they mean nothing or are worthless.

''Hot shit'' can be a reference to a matter or thing of supreme importance or urgency ("This report is really hot shit!"). It can be used in adjectival form: "This memo's shit-hot!". ''Hot shit'' can also refer to a person who either overestimates his own worth or ability, or is highly estimated by others ("He thinks he's some hot shit!" or "He's one hot shit!"). In polite company the euphemism ''hotshot'' may be substituted when referring to a person.

A speaker may show dominance through arrogance using the phrase ''His shit don't stink''. Its grammatical incorrectness highlights the self-importance of the referent relative to the speaker; though ''His shit does not stink'' may come across as being more emphatic due to the mixed diction between its grammatical correctness and the [[vulgarity]] of ''shit''. This phrase conveys the haughtiness of the referent and that he considers himself beyond reproach. For example: "Those pompous assholes in Finance are the ones who ruined the company – their shit don't even stink!" A variation on this theme might be: "Everything he shits smells just like roses!"

The expression ''[[wikt:shitkicker|shitkicker]]'' can be used as a [[pejorative]] for a menial worker or other low class person. `within the world of (ii) a performer or fan of country-and-western music.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/shitkicker |title=Online dictionary |access-date=29 June 2023 |archive-date=29 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629112940/https://www.dictionary.com/browse/shitkicker |url-status=live }}</ref> The term shitkicker may be substituted with the less vulgar "chipkicker", as in [[Lyle Lovett]]'s song ''"Give back my heart"'' on ''[[Pontiac (album)|Pontiac]]'', where a girl in a "cowboy-looking bar" is described as a "chipkicker-redneck woman".

The word ''[[wikt:shithead|shithead]]'' is a commonly heard insult. A shithead may also be referred to as a ''shit-for-brains''. Another word for a spectacularly stupid (or contemptible) person is ''[[wikt:dipshit|dipshit]]''. [[Shithead (card game)|Shithead]] is also the name of a card game.

===Positive attitude===
In North American slang, prefixing the article ''the'' to ''shit'' gives it a completely opposite definition, meaning ''the best'', as in, for example "[[Altered Beast]] is the shit". Other slang words of the same meaning, such as ''crap'', are not used in such locutions.

To wear a ''[[wikt:shit-eating grin|shit-eating grin]]'' means the person wearing it may be displaying self-satisfaction, smugness, embarrassment, or mischief. It may also be a playful evasion, as a response to the query "I'll bet you drank the whole bottle of booze yourself, didn't you?"

===Shortening of ''bullshit''===
{{Main|bullshit}}
The expression ''no shit?'' (a contraction of ''no bullshit?'') is used in response to a statement that is extraordinary or hard to believe. Alternatively the maker of the hard-to-believe statement may add ''no shit'' to reinforce the sincerity or truthfulness of their statement, particularly in response to someone expressing disbelief at their statement. ''No shit'' is also used sarcastically in response to a statement of the obvious, as in ''no shit, [[Sherlock Holmes|Sherlock]]''.

In this form the word can also be used in phrases such as ''don't give me that shit'' or ''you're full of shit''. The term ''full of shit'' is often used as an exclamation to charge someone who is believed to be prone to dishonesty, exaggeration or is thought to be "phoney" with an accusation. For example:

# "Oh, I'm sorry I forgot to invite you to the party, it was a complete accident{{nbsp}}... but you really didn't miss anything anyway."
# "You're full of shit! You had dozens of opportunities to invite me. If you have a problem with me, why not just say it!"

The word ''bullshit'' also denotes false or insincere discourse. (''[[Horseshit]]'' is roughly equivalent, while ''chickenshit'' means ''cowardly'', ''[[Insanity|batshit]]'' indicates a person is crazy, and ''going [[apeshit]]'' indicates a person is entering a state of high excitement or unbridled rage.) ''Are you shitting me?!'' is a question sometimes given in response to an incredible assertion. An answer that reasserts the veracity of the claim is, ''I shit you not''.

===Emphasis===
Perhaps the only constant [[connotation]] that ''shit'' reliably carries is that its referent holds 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 aspiring to) higher [[socioeconomic]] strata tend to use it more privately and selectively than younger and more [[blue-collar]] speakers.

Like the word ''[[fuck]]'', ''shit'' is often used to add emphasis more than to add meaning, for example, ''shit! I was so shit-scared of that shithead that I shit-talked him into dropping out of the karate match!'' The term ''to [[trash-talk|shit-talk]]'' connotes bragging or exaggeration (whereas ''to talk shit'' primarily means ''to gossip [about someone in a damaging way]'' or to talk in a boastful way about things which are erroneous in nature), but in such constructions as the above, the word ''shit'' often functions as an [[interjection]].

The exclamation ''holy shit'' derives its force from the juxtaposition of the sacred with the profane.

Unlike the word ''fuck'', ''shit'' is not used emphatically with ''-ing'' or as an infix. For example; ''I lost the shitting karate match'' would be replaced with ''...the{{nbsp}}fucking karate match''. Similarly, while ''in-fucking-credible'' is generally acceptable, ''in-shitting-credible'' is not.

===The verb "to shit"===
The [[preterite]] and [[past participle]] of ''shit'' are attested as ''shat'', ''shit'', or ''shitted'', depending on dialect and, sometimes, the rhythm of the sentence. In the prologue of ''[[The Canterbury Tales]]'', ''shitten'' is used as the past participle; however this form is not used in modern English. In American English ''shit'' as a past participle is often correct, while ''shat'' is generally acceptable and ''shitted'' is uncommon and missing from the ''[[Random House Dictionary of the English Language|Random House]]'' and ''[[The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language|American Heritage]]'' dictionaries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/shit |title=Shit |website=dictionary.reference.com |access-date=13 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013223909/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/shit |archive-date=13 October 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===="to shitcan"====
To [[wikt:Special:Search/shitcan|shitcan]] someone or something is to dismiss or dispose of casually or unceremoniously, as into a waste basket. Shitcan can also be used as a noun: ''Don't bother; a report like this is gonna go directly into the shitcan.'' It can also refer to being fired from a job: "The boss is gonna shitcan you if you keep showing up late."

===Backronyms===
The [[backronym]] form "S.H.I.T." often figures into jokes, like ''Special High Intensity Training'' (a well-known joke used in job applications), ''Special Hot Interdiction Team'' (a mockery on [[SWAT]]), any [[college]] name that begins with an S-H (like ''South Harmon Institute of Technology'' in the film ''[[Accepted (film)|Accepted]]'' (2006), and ''Ship High In Transit'' (or the variant ''Store High In Transit'' in the film ''[[Kenny (2006 film)|Kenny]]'' (2006)). ''South Hudson Institute of Technology'' has sometimes been used to describe the [[United States Military Academy]] at West Point.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl-s-word.htm |title=Urban Legends: The Origin of the S-Word |website=[[About.com]] |access-date=4 December 2010 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202224217/http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl-s-word.htm |archive-date=2 December 2010 }}</ref>

In polite company, sometimes [[backronym]]s such as ''Sugar Honey in Tea'' or ''Sugar Honey Ice(d) Tea'' are used.<ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto1"/>