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In part 2 of 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 describe problems!
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Describing problems
In this section, we’re going to learn some phrases with the word ‘shit’ that are used for describing problems.
Exercise 8
Read the transcript, guess which words are missing and watch the clip to check your answers.
A. "Is there some way to just give the money back?"
"What, do you mean, just hand them a check for the exact amount they're missing?"
"Well, we have to do something."
"Maybe we could launder the money."
"That's a great idea. Okay, how do we do that?"
"I think coke dealers do it."
"Okay, alright. Do we know any coke dealers?"
"My cousin's a cokehead."
"We're in … shit." (big trouble)
"Yes, we are in very, very … shit." (big trouble)
Glossary
- to launder money - he process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, underground sex work, terrorism, etc.
- cokehead - a person who uses cocaine as an illegal drug
Extra exercise for clip A
"Is there some way to just give the money back?"
"What, do you mean, just hand them a check for the exact amount they're missing?"
"Well, we have to do something."
"Maybe we could … the money." (he process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, underground sex work, terrorism, etc.)
"That's a great idea. Okay, how do we do that?"
"I think coke dealers do it."
"Okay, alright. Do we know any coke dealers?"
"My cousin's a … (cocaine addict)."
"We're in … shit." (big trouble) "Yes, we are in very, very … shit." (big trouble)
- … - he process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, underground sex work, terrorism, etc.
- … - a person who uses cocaine as an illegal drug
Context
In this scene, Lt. Colonel Frank Slade defends Charlie Simms, a student at a private school who is being punished for refusing to inform on classmates who played a prank. The school wants Charlie to betray the others in exchange for a Harvard recommendation.
B. "Mr. Simms, you are a cover-up artist and you are a liar."
"But not a snitch! This is such a … of shit! (bullshit, horseshit, nonsense) What is your motto here? Boys, inform on your classmates, save your hide. Anything short of that, we're going to burn you at the stake? Well, gentlemen, when the shit … the … (situation suddenly goes wrong), some guys run and some guys stay. Here's Charlie facing the fire and there's George hiding in Big Daddy's pocket."
Glossary
- Cover-up artist – Someone who hides the truth.
- Snitch – Someone who tells on others.
- Inform on – To report someone’s wrongdoing.
- Hide – The skin of an animal. In "save your hide," it means to protect yourself from trouble or harm.
- Burn you at the stake – A stake is a wooden post. In history, witches were tied to a stake and burned alive as punishment. The phrase means to punish someone very harshly.
- Facing – Standing strong and dealing with something.
Extra exercise for clip B
B. "Mr. Simms, you are a … artist and you are a liar." (Someone who hides the truth.)
"But not a …! (a person who tells on others) This is such a … of shit! (bullshit, horseshit, nonsense) What is your motto here? Boys, … … (tell on sb, more formal) your classmates, save your … (synonym for skin) Anything … of that (synonym for ‘less than that), we're going to burn you in/at/on the … (na stosie)? Well, gentlemen, when the shit … the … (stuation suddenly goes wrong), some guys run and some guys stay. Here's Charlie … (synonym for dealing with) the fire and there's George hiding in Big Daddy's pocket."
- …– Someone who hides the truth.
- … – Someone who tells on others.
- … – To report someone’s wrongdoing.
- … – The skin of an animal. In "save your hide," it means to protect yourself from trouble or harm.
- …– A stake is a wooden post. In history, witches were tied to a stake and burned alive as punishment. The phrase means to punish someone very harshly.
- … – Standing strong and dealing with something.
C. "Five minutes from now these kids are going to be running around all sugared up. You know, playing with their new toys and, like, bonking people on the knee and whatever. Like, it's going to be a shit… again." (total disaster)
"Yep. But hopefully, it's going to be a shit… that he manages and enjoys better than before." (total disaster)
Glossary
- sugared up - feeling hyperactive or energetic due to consuming a lot of sugar
- bonk somebody - to hit someone lightly, often in a playful or humorous way
D. "When you first ever started talking about self-defence stuff and everything like that, and I, like, saw it on Twitter one time, I was like, 'Oh, that's really cool, like, that's so awesome."
"Oh my god, that means so much to me. I used to be a lot more active on Twitter when it was Twitter and now that it's X, like, … to shit. (become ruined, get much worse) Oh my god, that's so cool.'"
Glossary
- Self-defence – Protecting yourself from harm, often using physical techniques or strategies.
- That means so much to me – This is very important or emotionally significant to me.
Extra exercise for clip C
"Five minutes from now these kids are going to be running around all … …. (feeling hyperactive or energetic due to consuming a lot of sugar) You know, playing with their new toys and, like, … ( to hit someone lightly, often in a playful or humorous way) people in/on/at the knee and whatever. Like, it's going to be a shit… again." (total disaster) "Yep. But hopefully, it's going to be a shit… that he manages and enjoys better than before." (total disaster)
- … - feeling hyperactive or energetic due to consuming a lot of sugar
- - to hit someone lightly, often in a playful or humorous way
Extra exercise for clip D
"When you first ever started talking about … (protecting yourself) stuff and everything like that, and I, like, saw it on Twitter one time, I was like, 'Oh, that's really cool, like, that's so awesome."
"Oh my god, that means so much to me. I used to be a lot more active on Twitter when it was Twitter and now that it's X, like, … to shit. Oh my god, that's so cool.'" (become ruined, get much worse)
- … – Protecting yourself from harm, often using physical techniques or strategies.
- … – This is very important or emotionally significant to me.
E. "I've been tracking you since your bounty hit the airwaves. Quite a shit… (a situation marked by violent controversy) you stirred up down south. I thought I'd tap in, won’t let you have all the fun.”
Glossary
- Bounty – A reward for capturing someone, usually a criminal.
- Hit the airwaves – Became publicly known, often through radio, TV, or the internet.
- Stir up – Cause trouble or chaos.
- Tap in – Join in or get involved.
Extra exercise for clip E
"I've been tracking you since your … (A reward for capturing someone, usually a criminal.) hit the … ( Became publicly known, often through radio, TV, or the internet.) Quite a shit… (a situation marked by violent controversy) you … up (cause trouble or chaos) down south. I thought I'd … in (join in or get involved), won’t let you have all the fun.”
https://www.loom.com/share/f3d558fff6f64c5994f4bbb1dbb37556?sid=b1735289-ad44-4d86-b824-412931a04d23
- … – A reward for capturing someone, usually a criminal.
- … – Became publicly known, often through radio, TV, or the internet.
- … – Cause trouble or chaos.
- … – Join in or get involved.
G. "I need you to solve this case."
"Why?"
"Because we are in … shit (in trouble), detective. This administration? We were in … shit (in trouble) before, but this is a thousand times worse. We are in, like, a well of shit. Do you know when some kid falls down some hundred-foot well? We are in that, but it's a well of shit."
Extra exercise for clip G
"I need you to solve this case."
"Why?"
"Because we are in … shit (in trouble), detective. This … (the people who are in government)? We were in … shit (in trouble) before, but this is a thousand times worse. We are in, like, a … (a deep hole in the ground from which you can get water, oil, or gas) of shit. Do you know when some kid falls down some … … … (a very deep water hole, about 30 metres)? We are in that, but it's a well of shit."
- … – the people who are in government e.g. Obama …
- … – a deep hole in the ground from which you can get water, oil, or gas
- … – to be in trouble
- … – A very deep water hole (about 30 metres, one foot is about 30 cm)
‼️Notice that it’s “hundred-foot well” not “hundred-feet well”. In compound adjectives with numbers and measurements, we always use the singular form:
- a five-minute break (not five-minutes break)
- a two-day trip (not two-days trip)
- how do you say a person who is 80 years old? An …-… … person.
F. “They had to have noticed, right?”
”They noticed.”
”Did you chicken out or something? Paula, what happened?”
”Look, if I were you, I would keep my voice down, okay? Cause you are in a shit… of trouble.” (a lot of trouble)
Glossary
- chicken out - to back out of something due to fear or nervousness
- if I were you, I would - a way to give advice by imagining yourself in someone else’s situation
Extra exercise for clip F
“They had to have noticed, right?”
”They noticed.”
”Did you … out (to back out of something due to fear or nervousness) or something? Paula, what happened?”
”Look, if I were you, I would … my voice … (stay quiet), okay? Cause you are in a shit… of trouble.” (a lot of trouble)
- … to back out of something due to fear or nervousness
- … - a way to give advice by imagining yourself in someone else’s situation
Exercise 9
Let’s see if you remember all the phrases we’ve learnt in this section. Write the correct phrase next to its definition.
… - to be in a lot of trouble
… - situation suddenly goes wrong
… - bullshit, horseshit, nonsense
… - a situation marked by violent controversy
… / … - to be in trouble (two phrases)
… - total disaster
… - become ruined, get much worse
Theory
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Exercise 10
Complete each sentence with one of the following terms: be in deep shit, shitload, when shit hits the fan, go to shit, shitshow, shitstorm, crock of shit
You may need to adjust the form of the word slightly to fit the sentence.
- We had a ______ of orders come in right before closing time, so we had to stay late.
- I thought their excuse was a total ______—there’s no way their internet was "down for a week."
- If my boss finds out I lost the contract, I’ll be ______ for sure.
- The company tried to cover up the data breach, but ______ when the media found out.
- The politician’s controversial statement caused a ______ on social media, with thousands of people arguing about it.
- We knew we'd be in a ______ of trouble if we didn’t finish the report before the deadline.
- I can already tell this event is going to be a ______—nothing is set up properly, and people are arguing.
- I trusted him, but it turns out everything he said was a ______—he was lying the whole time.
- Everything was fine at first, but once the manager left, the whole place ______.
- The wedding was meant to be elegant and well-planned, but it turned into a complete ______ with missing food, bad weather, and a drunk best man.
- I was already behind on my bills, but when my car broke down, that’s when ______.
- If you don’t study for the test, you’ll ______ when the teacher sees your score.
- After the CEO resigned, the company’s leadership ______, and nobody knew what was going on.
- She promised she’d help, but I’ve heard that before—it’s just a ______.
- We had a ______ of paperwork to do before the deadline, and everyone was stressed.
Answer key
- shitload
- crock of shit
- in deep shit
- shit hit the fan
- shitstorm
- shitload
- shitshow
- crock of shit
- went to shit
- shitshow
- shit hit the fan
- be in deep shit
- went to shit
- crock of shit
- shitload
Exercise 11
Fill in the gaps and answer the questions.
- Imagine you order something online, expecting one item, but instead, a 💩______ of the same thing arrives at your door. What do you do?
- Have you ever had an amazing trip planned, only for everything to ______ 💩 because of bad weather, lost luggage, or other disasters?
- Have you ever witnessed a 💩______ on social media where a company or influencer got canceled? What caused it?
- Have you ever worked at a place that was a total 💩______ —terrible management, constant drama, or absolute chaos? What made it so bad?
- Infomercials often promise life-changing products, but most are a ______ 💩. Can you name a few of the worst ones?
- Have you ever forgotten to pay a bill, missed an important deadline or hid a bad grade from your parents and ended up in ______ 💩? How did you fix it?
- Some people are great when things are calm, but not when 💩 ______ . Do you completely fall apart under pressure or do you handle it well?
Answer key
- shitload
- go to shit
- shitstorm
- shitshow
- crock of shit
- in a deep shit
- shit hits the fan
Insults
In this section, we’re going to learn some phrases with the word ‘shit’ that are used to insult somebody.
Exercise 12
Read the transcript, guess which words are missing and watch the clip to check your answers.
A "Do your damn dishes! This ain't a hotel! Not like that, you'll break it all!"
"All you do is yell at me!"
"Well, if you didn't act like a shit-…-…, (you are so dumb, it’s like your brain is made of shit instead of something useful) I wouldn't have to yell."
Glossary
- ain’t- informal, used instead of am not; are not; is not; has not; have not.
- all you do is + verb (base form) - used to say that somebody only does one thing, usually used when complaining.
- shit-for-brains - somebody so dumb, it’s like your brain is made of shit instead of something useful
B "You think that you'll be given another shot at some point? Ever? No. And Roman? You? No."
"Well, I mean"
"No, she thinks you're a …shit, (a stupid or incompetent person) or maybe you're just too much of a fucking …shit to see that."
"Fuck you. I know more about this business than you."
Glossary
- get another shot - get one more chance
- at some point - eventually
- dipshit - a foolish, clueless, or irritating person, as useful as a dipstick (a stick for measuring oil in a car engine)
- I mean - used when you’re not sure what to say
Extra exercise for clip A
"Do your damn dishes! This … (slang for ‘isn’t’) a hotel! Not like that, you'll break it all!"
"… you do … yell at me!" (used to say that somebody only does one thing)
"Well, if you didn't act like a shit-…-…, (an extremely stupid person) I wouldn't have to yell."
- …- informal, used instead of am not; are not; is not; has not; have not.
- … + verb (base form) - used to say that somebody only does one thing, usually used when complaining.
- …-…-… - somebody so dumb, it’s like their brain is made of shit instead of something useful
Extra exercise for clip B
"You think that you'll be given … … (one more chance) … some …? (eventually) Ever? No. And Roman? You? No."
"Well, I mean."
"No, she thinks you're a …shit, or maybe you're just too much of a fucking …shit to see that."
"Fuck you. I know more about this business than you."
- … … - one more chance
- … … … - eventually
- … … - used when you’re not sure what to say or how to say something
- … - a stupid or incompetent person, as useful as a dipstick (a stick for measuring oil in a car engine)
Why is “shit-for-brains” hyphenated?
The hyphens are there because "shit-for-brains" is used like a compound adjective before a noun or is a compound noun.
- He’s a shit-for-brains idiot.
- He’s a shit-for-brains.
Here, "shit-for-brains" is one complete idea, describing the kind of idiot he is. The hyphens help show that those words belong together.
C "Amafi did this, trying to find me.”
”The law will punish him, monsieur."
"Fuck the law. What is the law doing about the shit… who charge a hundred francs a month to stay in a crap house like this? Why don't you really clamp down on the slave trade? I'll tell you why. need a bunch of poor bastards to work on your roads and your goddamn kitchens!"
"So don't lay any of that law-will-punish-them shit on me!"
D "We came to you a long time ago seeking your help and I'm gonna say to you what you said to us then, fuck off"
"Listen to me … … shit, (used when you’re angry at sb) I've come a long way and I've watched a lot of people die. Good people, friends.”
Glossary
- seek - look for
- you little shit - a naughty, annoying, or disrespectful person — usually younger or smaller, like a kid or someone acting immature
Glossary
- punish - to make someone suffer because they did something wrong
- shitheads - a stupid, unpleasant, and unpopular person
- clamp down on sth - to take strong action to stop or control something bad or illegal
- slave trade - the buying and selling of people who are forced to work without freedom
- poor bastards - people in a very bad or unfair situation
- lay law-will-punish-them shit on me - tell me this bullshit, ‘bull’ was replaced with a quote which was bullshit
Extra exercise for clip C
"Amafi did this, trying to find me.”
”The law will … (make them suffer for doing sth wrong) him, monsieur."
"Fuck the law. What is the law doing about the shit… (stupid, unpleasant people) who charge a hundred francs a month to stay in a crap house like this? Why don't you really … … on (take strong action to stop something) the … … (buying and selling people)? I'll tell you why. need a bunch of … … (people in a very bad or unfair situation) to work on your roads and your goddamn kitchens!"
"So don't … any of that law-will-punish-them shit … me!" (don’t give me that bullshit, instead of ‘bull’ there’s a quote)
- … - to make someone suffer because they did something wrong
- … - a stupid, unpleasant, and unpopular person
- … - to take strong action to stop or control something bad or illegal
- … … - the buying and selling of people who are forced to work without freedom
- … … - people in a very bad or unfair situation
- … law-will-punish-them shit … me - tell me this bullshit, ‘bull’ was replaced with a quote which was bullshit
Extra exercise for clip D
"We came to you a long time ago … (synonym for ‘look for’) your help and I'm gonna say to you what you said to us then, fuck off"
"Listen to me … … shit, (used when you’re angry at sb) I've come a long way and I've watched a lot of people die. Good people, friends.”
- … - look for
- … … … - a naughty, annoying, or disrespectful person — usually younger or smaller, like a kid or someone acting immature
E. "Chad gets anxious when he has to be around you. Do you even see it?"
"…shit. (not true) And if he gets anxious, it's probably because he knows he's gonna have to listen to his mom … shit about his dad." (say insulting and untrue things about somebody)
"I came to tell you this in person. I'm getting an emergency writ for supervised visits."
"Alright, I'm a … of shit (worthless person), but that boy is all I have in my entire … life." (terrible)
F. "Major, what..."
"No, no, don't "major" me, you backstabbing smartass … of shit. (worthless person). What the fuck are you doing over at the courthouse anyway? Why the fuck are you talking to some shit… judge?"
Glossary
- don’t “X” me - don’t use that word/tone/attitude with me; here “don’t use my rank to sound respectful when you’re not
- Backstab – Betray someone secretly
- Smartass – A rude person who tries to be clever or funny in an annoying way
- Be over at (somewhere) – Be present at a place (spoken, casual)
- Courthouse – A building where legal cases are heard
- Shitbag – a worthless and immoral person
Glossary
- anxious- feeling worried or nervous
- talk shit about somebody - speak badly or insultingly about someone (slang, rude)
- emergency writ for supervised visits - urgent court order that makes visits between a parent and a child happen with a monitor present
- a piece of shit - very rude way to call a person or thing worthless or awful
- shitty - extremely bad or unpleasant (slang, vulgar)
Extra exercise for clip F
"Major, what..."
"No, no, don't "major" … (don’t use that word with me), you back…bing (one who betrayed me) smart… (sb who tries to be clever but is annoying) … of shit. (worthless person). What the fuck are you doing … at (be at a place) the court… (a building where legal cases are heard) anyway? Why the fuck are you talking to some shit… judge?"
- … - don’t use that word/tone/attitude with me; here “don’t use my rank to sound respectful when you’re not
- … – Betray someone secretly
- … – A rude person who tries to be clever or funny in an annoying way
- … – Be present at a place (spoken, casual)
- …– A building where legal cases are heard
- … – a worthless and immoral person
Extra exercise for clip E
"Chad gets … when he has to be around you. Do you even see it?" (worried, nervous)
"…shit. (not true) And if he gets anxious, it's probably because he knows he's gonna have to listen to his mom … shit about his dad." (say insulting and untrue things about somebody)
"I came to tell you this in person. I'm getting an emergency writ for … visits." (visits with a monitor present)
"Alright, I'm a … of shit (worthless person), but that boy is all I have in my entire … life." (terrible)
- …- feeling worried or nervous
- … - speak badly or insultingly about someone
- …- urgent court order that makes visits between a parent and a child happen with a monitor present
- …- very rude way to call a person or thing worthless or awful
- … - extremely bad or unpleasant
Exercise 13
Let’s see if you remember all the phrases we’ve learnt in this section. Write the correct phrase next to its definition.
… - you are so dumb, it’s like your brain is made of shit instead of something useful
… - a stupid or incompetent person, as useful as a dipstick (a stick for measuring oil in a car engine)
… - a stupid, mean, unpleasant, and unpopular person, similar to dickhead, bonehead, blockhead, meathead etc.
… - a naughty, annoying, or disrespectful person — usually younger or smaller, like a kid or someone acting immature
… - very rude way to call a person or thing worthless or awful
… – a worthless and immoral person
In clip E, we heard the character say “talk shit about somebody”. That means to speak badly or insultingly about someone. We’ll talk about similar phrases in the next section :)
Theory
Exercise 14
Complete each sentence with one of the following terms: a shit-for-brains, a dipshit, a shithead, a shitbag, a piece of shit, you little shit
- I told him the file was important, but that __________ deleted it anyway.
- Don’t be a __________—just admit you made a mistake and move on.
- She acts all nice in front of you, but she’s a total __________ behind your back.
- That guy never pays anyone back and lies all the time. He's a complete __________.
- “Did you take my charger again?” — “Nooo…” — “I know it was you, __________!”
- You let that __________ talk you into investing your rent money? Seriously?
- I can’t believe that __________ crashed his bike into the mailbox and blamed the dog.
- He acts like he’s some genius, but he’s __________—he can’t even use a microwave.
- That __________ cut the line and then yelled at the cashier for being too slow.
- My little brother is such a __________ when he hides my phone and pretends it’s a game.
- I don’t trust that __________ one bit—he’s always got something shady going on.
- We hired a new intern, but he’s kind of a __________. Nice guy, but totally useless.
- She was acting like a real __________ at the meeting—interrupting everyone and rolling her eyes.
- You __________! That was my slice of cake!
- Everything that __________ said was a lie. I should’ve known better.
Exercise 15
Fill in the gaps and answer the questions.
- Imagine someone puts metal in the microwave at work. Would you call them a shit-for-…, or just clumsy?
- You see someone park across two spaces in a nearly full car park. Total d…shit move or just bad driving?
- You catch someone cutting the queue and pretending not to notice. Do you call them out? Are they a proper shith…?
- Your friend borrows money and never pays you back — then posts photos from a luxury holiday. Shitb… or just inconsiderate?
- Imagine someone spreads lies about a colleague just to get a promotion. How do you deal with a … of shit like that?
- Imagine a five-year-old secretly turns off your computer mid-sentence. What’s the most “you l… shit” thing a kid has ever done to you?