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QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Idioms about shit

Slang: Vulgar.
Also especially British, shite [shahyt] /ʃaɪt/ .

Origin of shit

First recorded before 900; (verb) variant (with short i from past participle or noun) of earlier shite, Middle English shiten, Old English scītan; compare Middle Low German, Middle Dutch schiten (Dutch schijten ), Old High German skīzan (German scheissen ); (noun) re-formation from the verb, or continuation of Old English scite (in placenames)

usage note for shit

Even though shit has lost much of its shock value through frequent use, language experts continue to caution against indiscriminately using the word, and still label it as vulgar or coarse.
The word has numerous meanings and occurs in many colorful phrases and compounds that have nothing to do with defecation: for example, no shit, shit happens, and shitfaced.
In informal conversations among friends, the use of shit and its various expressions is often acceptable. For some people, the word comes naturally, without hesitation, as an expression of annoyance or chagrin, even if they still find it too vulgar to use in its literal sense. But in formal settings, use of the word generally remains inappropriate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use shit in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for shit

shit
/ (ʃɪt) taboo /

verb shits, shitting, shitted, shit or shat
to defecate
(usually foll by on) slang to give the worst possible treatment (to)
noun
interjection
an exclamation expressing anger, disgust, etc
Also (esp dialect): shite (ʃaɪt)

Derived forms of shit

shitty, adjectiveshittily, adverbshittiness, noun

Word Origin for shit

Old English scite (unattested) dung, scītan to defecate, of Germanic origin; related to Old English scēadan to separate, Old Norse skīta to defecate, Middle Dutch schitte excrement
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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