# Admitting to feeling "stabby" - is it okay to admit? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 4, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admitting-to-feeling-stabby-is-it-okay-to-admit/657494 "2013-05-04T20:19:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admitting-to-feeling-stabby-is-it-okay-to-admit/657494/1 "2013-05-04T20:19:14Z")
I learned a new word here on the board - “stabby.” It means that you’re so angry you feel like you want to stab something/someone, or at least that’s what I think it means. When someone says they feel “stabby”, do you think any less of them as a person? Do you think it’s normal? Do you see the person as violent, or think they have something wrong with them? Just wondering. (I’m not trying to put down any of you who said you’ve felt “stabby” - not at all. Personally I don’t have a problem with people saying/admitting that.) ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admitting-to-feeling-stabby-is-it-okay-to-admit/657494/2 "2013-05-04T20:24:25Z")
I wouldn’t say it at work, but otherwise I don’t have an issue with it. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admitting-to-feeling-stabby-is-it-okay-to-admit/657494/3 "2013-05-04T20:24:43Z")
I wouldn’t think any less of you, as long as it didn’t become an ‘every day thing’ for you. Yesterday evening, after sitting in traffic, spending several hours trying to park (OK, it was maybe 7 minutes), and then fighting my way through the idiots at the grocery store, I was definitely feeling ‘stabby’ for a while. Luckily, I was unarmed at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2013, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admitting-to-feeling-stabby-is-it-okay-to-admit/657494/4 "2013-05-04T20:30:37Z")
When I see that I just think of Sean Connery in _The Untouchables_… ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admitting-to-feeling-stabby-is-it-okay-to-admit/657494/5 "2013-05-04T20:33:57Z")
Most people feel stabby once in a while. It’s no big deal. Big difference between _feeling_ stabby and _being_ stabby. ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2013, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admitting-to-feeling-stabby-is-it-okay-to-admit/657494/6 "2013-05-04T21:00:42Z")
Well, first, I recognize it as a _hyperbolic_ expression of frustration. I seriously doubt that someone who actually felt murderously angry would resort to describing it with cutesy colloquialisms. So… would I think less of that person for what, exactly? Being frustrated? Of course not. Using cutesy colloquialisms? As long as they have a robust enough vocabulary that “stabby” was not every third word out of their mouth, no, it wouldn’t bother me. “Stabby” this and “stabby” that repeated every five minutes might grate on my nerves after a while, though. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2013, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admitting-to-feeling-stabby-is-it-okay-to-admit/657494/7 "2013-05-04T21:01:06Z")
I don’t see it as any worse than saying, “Oh man, I’m going to kill my kid if he forgets to take the trash out again” or something similar. I think it gets irritating if people say it too often, though. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admitting-to-feeling-stabby-is-it-okay-to-admit/657494/8 "2013-05-04T21:26:20Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > When someone says they feel “stabby”, do you think any less of them as a person? No, but when they start referring to their spouse as “hubby,” well then–I kind of want to stab them. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2013, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admitting-to-feeling-stabby-is-it-okay-to-admit/657494/9 "2013-05-04T21:40:27Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > No, but when they start referring to their spouse as “hubby,” well then–I kind of want to stab them. You feel stabby over “hubby”? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2013, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admitting-to-feeling-stabby-is-it-okay-to-admit/657494/10 "2013-05-04T21:53:11Z")
> [@Kaio](#): > > Well, first, I recognize it as a _hyperbolic_ expression of frustration. I seriously doubt that someone who actually felt murderously angry would resort to describing it with cutesy colloquialisms. This is where I am. I also don’t think people literally see red or go crazy when they say they are. Like others have said, because this is a new term, it registers in a way, say “drives me crazy” doesn’t. So it gets annoying with repeated use. Plus, because it’s new, frequent use feels affected. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2013, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admitting-to-feeling-stabby-is-it-okay-to-admit/657494/11 "2013-05-04T23:17:12Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > I wouldn’t say it at work, but otherwise I don’t have an issue with it. I say it at work all the time. My nurses know to round up a few patients who need abscesses drained, skin lesions biopsied, or toenails removed when I say it. Win-Win. ---
**Author:** ![wheresmymind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@wheresmymind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheresmymind)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2013, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admitting-to-feeling-stabby-is-it-okay-to-admit/657494/12 "2013-05-05T00:08:59Z")
Sure. Just ask[Roberto.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj2dmQruJXs) ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2013, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admitting-to-feeling-stabby-is-it-okay-to-admit/657494/13 "2013-05-05T00:10:12Z")
I say it at work all the time - there are many, many worse things said at my work. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2013, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admitting-to-feeling-stabby-is-it-okay-to-admit/657494/14 "2013-05-05T00:14:28Z")
I guess now that you mention it, it does seem very melodramatic and I think people who use it, well I might take them a little less seriously in general. Unless they are LITERALLY feeling like stabbing something, in which case they wouldn’t be using the cutesy word “stabby” and I would be afraid of them more than thinking less of them. ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2013, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admitting-to-feeling-stabby-is-it-okay-to-admit/657494/15 "2013-05-05T00:36:49Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I say it at work all the time. My nurses know to round up a few patients who need abscesses drained, skin lesions biopsied, or toenails removed when I say it. > > Win-Win. I often get the job of unpacking things shipped to us, which are often padded with puffy plastic bags. We save some for use sending things of our own, but we tend to get more than we send out. So when there are too many sitting around, I toss any additional ones that come in. To make them not take up an unreasonable volume in the trash, I poke holes in them with a letter opener. Once, while I was doing this, I said aloud, “You know, one of my favorite parts of my job is the stabbing. Lots of people are amateur stabbers, but I get paid to stab!” My coworkers looked at me strangely, but they know my weirdness. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2013, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admitting-to-feeling-stabby-is-it-okay-to-admit/657494/16 "2013-05-05T00:52:20Z")
> [@Kaio](#): > > Well, first, I recognize it as a _hyperbolic_ expression of frustration. I seriously doubt that someone who actually felt murderously angry would resort to describing it with cutesy colloquialisms. > > So… would I think less of that person for what, exactly? Being frustrated? Of course not. Using cutesy colloquialisms? As long as they have a robust enough vocabulary that “stabby” was not every third word out of their mouth, no, it wouldn’t bother me. “Stabby” this and “stabby” that repeated every five minutes might grate on my nerves after a while, though. this, exactly. I’ve used it at work, but in a manner easily identified as non-serious. e.g. “so-and-so gets stabby if you don’t sign equipment out.” ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2013, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admitting-to-feeling-stabby-is-it-okay-to-admit/657494/17 "2013-05-05T04:26:08Z")
I think if it as a joking kind of thing, a way to laugh at the frustration of it all. Besides, if I really wanted to stab somebody I would never tell them I am feeling stabby. When I was younger I might have given them a heads up so I could enjoy the thrill of the chase. Now that I am older I prefer the sneak attack. It’s easier and less messy that way. ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2013, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admitting-to-feeling-stabby-is-it-okay-to-admit/657494/18 "2013-05-05T05:07:53Z")
I generally use “stabbity”. Must be one of those regional dialect things. ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2013, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admitting-to-feeling-stabby-is-it-okay-to-admit/657494/19 "2013-05-05T05:08:17Z")
I’ve encountered the word “stabby” only on message boards, and seemingly used only by Americans – so far as I’m aware, it’s not used in real life here in the UK. It rather irritates me, as both “cutesy” (as several PPs have said) and melodramatic; but nobody has appointed me as the language police… I have the impression that it’s a word employed chiefly by women. I’m not a misogynist (would like to think I’m not, anyway), but I quite often find annoying, expressions which women particularly, seem to relish and use a lot. “Stabby” is the latest of many instances of that, in my life. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2013, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admitting-to-feeling-stabby-is-it-okay-to-admit/657494/20 "2013-05-05T07:23:24Z")
I think once in an online forum I made a “Stabbity stab stab” comment. I meant it in a humorous over the top manner and that’s how it was perceived. I wouldn’t advise using the word or any form of it in a child custody hearing, though. Maybe it’s a matter of context? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admitting-to-feeling-stabby-is-it-okay-to-admit/657494.md?page=2)