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In this lesson, you’ll explore the wild and colourful world of slang with phrases featuring the word shit. Let’s dive into the 50 shades of shit and have some fun with language!
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Etymology
Exercise 1
Read the text and answer the questions below:
The word "shit" originates from the Old English word "scitan" (ˈʃiːtɑn), which means "to defecate." It is derived from the Proto-Germanic root "skit-" and is related to similar words in other Germanic languages, such as Dutch "schijten" (ˈsxɛi̯.tən) and German "scheißen" (ˈʃaɪ̯sən). The word has been used in English since at least the 14th century, initially as a verb and later as a noun.
schijten" (ˈsxɛi̯.tən) - a little help with pronunciation
KHAY-tuhn
- Which word in the text means to poop?
- List two other Germanic languages that have similar words to "shit" and provide their equivalents.
- How has the usage of the word "shit" evolved from the 14th century to now?
Noun, verb, adjective…
Exercise 2
The word 'shit' can be used as a noun, adjective, and verb. Read the sentences below and identify how 'shit' is used in each one.
- The weather is pretty shit today; it's been raining non-stop.
- He shits his pants every time he sees a horror movie.
- He stepped in some dog shit while walking in the park.
- That was a shit movie; I can’t believe we wasted our time on it.
- The cat shat on the carpet again.
- She doesn't take shit from anyone and always stands up for herself.
Answer key
- adjective
- verb
- noun
- adjective
- verb
- noun
Verb forms
What are the past forms of the word ‘shit’? Take a guess!
Now, watch this clip and fill in the gap with the form used in the clip.
”I just laundered those sheets that were on the bed in which I …”
Transcript and an extra exercise
"You're shitting the bed."
"In a good way?"
"Do you hear yourself when you talk about Florence? Like she's your friend. She's a suspect, which means she can't be your friend."
"There's a good shot of the guy's face as he passes by."
"Nice job, Charles."
"Well, I guess you should just start calling me housekeeping because I just laundered those sheets that were on the bed in which I shat. It's a reference to what you said earlier."
"No, I got it."
Clip analysis exercise:
Connect phrases to their definitions:
In a good way I understood
A suspect to wash, dry, and iron clothes, sheets, etc.
A shot of sb a mention of sth
To pass by positively
Housekeeping to go by
To launder a person believed to have committed a crime
A reference people responsible for cleaning hotel guest's bedrooms
I got it a picture of sb
Fill in the transcript and watch the clip:
"You're … (use ‘shit’) the bed."
"In a good …?" (is that positive?)
"Do you hear yourself when you talk about Florence? Like she's your friend. She's a … (we think she committed a crime), which means she can't be your friend."
"There's a good … (photo) of the guy's face as he … …." (goes past)
"Nice job, Charles."
"Well, I guess you should just start calling me … (people responsible for cleaning guest’s bedrooms) because I just … (cleaned, dried and ironed) those sheets that were on the bed in which I … (shit in the past) It's a … (mention) to what you said earlier."
"No, I … it." (I understood)
Exercise 3
Fill in the gaps. Use verb forms from the table below.
- Last night, the dog __________ in the hallway. (past tense)
- When the dog gets scared, he often tries to __________ somewhere hidden. (base form)
- The dog had __________ in the garden by the time I noticed. (past participle)
- Just yesterday, the dog __________ right before we went out. (past tense)
- If left alone too long, the dog often ends up __________ in the living room. (present participle)
- On long car rides, the dog __________ unless he's walked beforehand. (third person, present simple)
- The dog has __________ on the rug before, so watch him closely. (past participle)
- If the dog can't go outside, he will __________ somewhere inside the house. (base form)
- The dog had __________ on his bed, so we needed a new one. (past participle)
- If you see the dog __________ in the garden, please lead him away. (present participle)
- The dog usually __________ early in the morning. (third person, present simple)
- It seems like the dog __________ himself during the thunderstorm last week. (past tense)
Pronunciation
Look at the two pictures and match each one to the correct vowel sound: /ɪ/ as in “shit” or /iː/ as in “sheet.” Which vowel is long, and which one is short?
Now, listen to the characters in both clips and decide who says 'sheet' and who says 'shit'. Then, explain the difference in how they are pronounced.
/ʃiːt/ (sheet):
- The vowel sound is long (/iː/), held for a longer duration.
- Mouth is stretched horizontally, as if you're smiling and showing all your teeth.
/ʃɪt/ (shit):
- The vowel sound is short (/ɪ/), pronounced quickly.
- The jaw falls down, and the mouth opens more vertically.
Exercise 4
Read the sentences below.
- She slipped on the sheet 📄 and shouted, 'Shit!' 💩 before sitting on the sheet 📄 again.
- Sitting on a wet sheet, 📄 she shouted, 'Shit! 💩I need a new sheet!'. 📄
- He spilt coffee on the sheet 📄 and cursed, 'Shit, 💩 not my clean sheet!’ 📄
- He spilt his drink on the shit-stained 💩 carpet and sighed, 'Shit, 💩 more shit 💩 to clean up'.
- He couldn't give a shit 💩 about the shit 💩 they were saying, so he just ignored the whole shitshow. 💩
Now that we understand the literal meaning of the word ‘shit,’ let’s explore some of its figurative uses and expressions. ‘Shit’ can also mean ‘bad’ or ‘terrible.’ Take a look at this example, and then we’ll dive into some phrases, idioms, and sayings.
Animal-Themed Shit Expressions
"Shit!" – The Exclamation
Sometimes, people just say "Shit!" on its own. It's a very common exclamation in English. But what does it mean? Well, it depends on how someone says it and what's happening.
Which emotions do you think can be expressed by shouting "Shit!"?
anger 😠, surprise 😲, fear 😨, frustration 😤, pain 😣, panic 😱, stress 😬, excitement 🤩, disappointment 😞
Answer
all of them!
Which emotions do you think those characters were feeling when they said “Shit!”?
Example 1
Exercise 5
Read the phrases on the left and try to match them with the definitions on the right. Then, watch the video clips to help you understand the meanings better.
bullshit/horseshit 🐂
very excited or very angry 😡
batshit 🦇
a person who is not brave 😱
dogshit 🐕
completely crazy 🤪
apeshit (commonly ‘go apeshit’) 🐒
very bad or low quality 🗑️
chickenshit 🐥
false or a lie, nonsense 🤥
Clips
A. "Shite, shite in nining, oh yeah, shite and nining armor. A shite in nining armor. Does that mean something to you?"
"Yes, it does mean something to me. It means you're even more batshit crazy than I am."
"Shut up, I can hear something else. It's thunder and lightning and you... and you're upside down and, and you're drenched but you're safe."
"Ok, that's enough."
a knight in shining armour - someone who saves you from a difficult or dangerous situation
B. "Okay, who's ready to watch yesterday's match? Look, I know, I know but this is how we get better. Cause sometimes every once in a blue moon there is a game so awful, so..." "Dogshit?"
"...that the only way to watch it back is at ten times the speed and with the Benny Hill theme music playing under it. Here we go.”
Extra exercise for clip A
Connect phrases to their definitions:
A knight in shining armour - with the top part at the bottom
Thunder - a man who helps or saves someone in trouble
Lightning - very, very wet
Drenched - the loud sound after lightning
Upside down - a bright flash in the sky during a storm
Fill in the gaps:
"Shite, shite in nining, oh yeah, shite and nining armor. A shite in nining armor. Does that mean something to you?"
"Yes, it does mean something to me. It means you're even more batshit crazy than I am." "Shut up, I can hear something else. It's … (the loud sound after lightning) and … (a bright flash in the sky during a storm) and you're … … (top part at the bottom) and, and you're … (very, very wet) but you're safe."
"Ok, that's enough."
batshit means…
completely crazy. Can be used alone, e.g., "She’s totally batshit," or with an adjective: "She’s batshit insane."
Extra exercise for clip B
Connect phrases to their definitions:
get better - ten times faster
Here we go! - very bad
once in a blue moon - to improve a skill
ten times the speed - very rarely
Awful - Let’s begin!
Fill in the gaps:
"Okay, who's ready to watch yesterday's match? Look, I know, I know but this is how we …(improve) Cause sometimes every once in a … (very rarely) there is a game so … (very bad)"
"Dogshit?"
"That the only way to watch it back is … ten … the … (ten times faster) and with the Benny Hill theme music playing under it. … (Let’s begin)"
dogshit means…
very bad or low quality, e.g. a dogshit product.
C. “Here’s the deal. If the Russians don’t play ball, the Israelis will get nervous. The Israelis send troops, and the Palestinians go apeshit. And if the Palestinians go apeshit, there could be mortar attacks. And if there are mortar attacks, the whole peacekeeping mission could go down the drain.”
“You want me to actually say that?”
”God, no.”
play ball - to cooperate troops - soldiers mortar - a type of gun go down the drain - go to waste
Extra exercise:
Connect phrases to their definitions:
play ball a type of gun (moździerz)
troops go to waste
mortar very excited or very angry
go down the drain to cooperate
go apeshit /ejp/ soldiers
Fill in the gaps in the transcript:
“Here’s the deal. If the Russians don’t … (cooperate), the Israelis /ɪzˈreɪ.lis/ will get nervous. The Israelis send … (soldiers), and the Palestinians go … (very angry) And if the Palestinians go … (very angry), there could be mortar attacks. And if there are mortar attacks, the whole peacekeeping mission could … (to waste)”
“You want me to actually say that?”
”God, no.”
(start at 0:32)
apeshit means…
to become extremely angry, excited, or lose control in a wild way. It’s commonly used with the word “go,” as in “go apeshit,” meaning “get angry”.
D. "Two things dear to me have disappeared this evening. Now that one is back, I have a pretty good idea where to find the other. Search him."
"Take your coat off, son."
"Now what?"
"I'm on it. Cal, what are you doing? Is this it?”
”That's it."
"This is horseshit! Don't you believe it, Rose! Don't!"
E. "If they say that, you gotta give them a lap dance. If they call you Butterfly, buy you a drink, and repeat that poem, you gotta give them a lap dance."
"That's bullshit. I ain't giving them nothing."
"Look, you can do it or not, but if you don't, everybody in Austin's gonna think you're chickenshit. And I don't think you want everybody in Austin thinking you're chickenshit."
Extra exercise for clip D
Connect phrases to their definitions:
dear not true, bullshit
pretty good idea to look for sth you might be hiding in your clothes or things
search somebody I’m dealing with it
take sth off loved, important
I’m on it quite a good idea
horseshit remove clothes
"Two things … (loved, important) to me have disappeared this evening. Now that one is back, I have a … good idea (quite) where to find the other. … him." (look for sth he might be hiding)
"... your coat …, son." (remove)
"Now what?"
"I'm … it. (I’m dealing with it) Cal, what are you doing? Is this it?”
”That's it."
"This is …! (not true) Don't you believe it, Rose! Don't!"
Extra exercise for clip E
Connect phrases to their definitions:
lap dance short form of am not, is not, are not, has not, or have not
gotta erotic dance where a performer sits on someone's lap
Ain't coward
chickenshit short form of have got to
"If they say that, you … (have got to - informal) give them a … ... (erotic dance where a performer sits on someone's lap ) If they call you Butterfly, buy you a drink, and repeat that poem, you … (have got to - informal) give them a … … (erotic dance where a performer sits on someone's lap)"
"That's … (not true) I … giving them nothing."
"Look, you can do it or not, but if you don't, everybody in Austin's gonna think you're … (coward) And I don't think you want everybody in Austin thinking you're ..." (coward)
horseshit means…
something that's false, nonsense, or completely untrue, and it's synonymous with the word bullshit.
a chickenshit means…
someone who is cowardly or afraid to do something. It can be used both as a noun and adjective.
”bullshit” means “horseshit”
Theory
Read the definitions and check whether you were right!
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Exercise 6
Complete each sentence with one of the following terms: 🐂 💩, 🐎 💩,🦇 💩, 🐕 💩, 🐒 💩, or 🐤 💩 . You may need to adjust the form of the word slightly to fit the sentence.
- He said he didn’t cheat on the test, but I think that’s absolute _______. He didn’t study at all!
- When I told her about my crazy holiday plans, she looked at me like I was _______.
- That new pizza place was a huge disappointment—the food was _______.
- As soon as the band started playing their biggest hit, the crowd went _______!
- She was too much of a _______ to ask for her money back, even though the product was terrible.
- The plot twist at the end of the film was totally _______. I couldn’t follow it at all!
- Everyone warned me that the service at that restaurant was _______. I wish I’d listened!
- My boss went absolutely _______ when he found out we’d missed the project deadline.
- I know public speaking can be scary, but don’t be such a _______! Just go up there and do your best.
- He kept making excuses for why he couldn’t come to the party, but I knew it was all just _______.
Answer key
- bullshit/horseshit
- batshit
- dogshit
- apeshit
- chickenshit
- batshit
- dogshit
- apeshit
- chickenshit
- bullshit/horseshit
Exercise 7
Fill in the gaps and answer the questions.
- You’ve been invited to try skydiving. Do you go through with it, or are you a ___🐤💩 ____ and back out? What would influence your decision?
- You’re reading a news article, but the story sounds too good to be true. What’s your process for figuring out if it’s ___🐎 💩____?
- You’ve been really excited to try a new restaurant, but the food turns out to be ___🐕 💩____. Do you give them feedback, leave a review, or just never go back? Why?
- Your friend just made a major decision that seems completely ___ 🦇 💩____ to you, like quitting their job to travel without any plan. Do you support them or try to talk them out of it?
- Imagine a co-worker gives a ridiculous excuse for missing a deadline, and you’re certain it’s ___🐂 💩____. How would you handle it? Would you confront them or let it go?
- You’re at a concert, and when the headliner comes on stage, everyone goes ___ 🐒 💩____. How do you react in that kind of crowd? Do you join in or stay calm?