A-Z Database

A-Z Database

All A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Shit hits the fan

Very little is left to the imagination in this rather vulgar expression meaning trouble in the form of an unholy mess. It seems to be of US origin fro...

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Shit hole

Slang for the rectum dates from the 19th century but since the early 20th century is more frequently used to describe an unpleasant place.


Shit house

American slang for a privy or toilet, particularly an outhouse, dates from the 19th century. See also built like a brick shit house.


Shit on one’s own doorstep

see Never shit on one’s own doorstep


Shit or get off the pot

Stop procrastinating and get on with something is originally American and dates from the early 20th century sometimes expressed as the more alliterati...

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Shit scared

Shit here is used as an intensifier to mean very or extremely scared and is originally an Americanism from the 1930s. See also shitless.


Shit stirrer

A person, who by his or her actions causes unnecessary trouble, dates from the late 19th century.


Shit-for-brains

An Americanism that describes a very stupid person dates from the early 1970s.


Shit/shite

An ancient word from at least c.900 meaning dung or excrement, common to all Teutonic languages. For centuries, it was a perfectly acceptable word but...

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Shitface/Shitfaced

Shitface is a British slang expression for an ugly man (for obvious reasons) and dates from the late 19th century. From the 1930s, it became a milder,...

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Shitless

As in scared or bored shitless, meaning extremely scared or bored is US slang from the 1930s. See also shit scared.


Shitting me

As in, “Are you shitting me?” which means are you kidding me, US slang dates from c. 1930.


Shiver me timbers

This expression is generally acknowledged as a sailor’s oath that expresses surprise or annoyance. Its most famous utterance was by actor Robert Newto...

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Shoddy

Before this word acquired its meaning of sub-standard or inferior quality, it was the proper name of a cheap, recycled, fabric manufactured in the ear...

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Shoe is on the other foot

The shoe is on the other foot is a metaphor to describe when situations or circumstances between people have been reversed. The expression dates in th...

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