From watching English movies and television programs, I know it is an insult, but what literally is a “git” as in “You stupid git! You can’t do anything right.”*
Is it a weird version of idiot or what?
*[sub]I’m probably misspelling it terribly, sorry.[/sub]
IANAB, but I believe it’s a variant of get, meaning bastard.
In my experience it tends to describe someone who is intentionally obtuse - I suppose it is roughly equivalent to ‘asshole’ in meaning.
If Biba would come out of her shell, and post something, I’m sure she could enlighten us…she’s called me everything from a “sad git” to a “miserable git”, and I think it means “hot, roving stud”…but I may be incorrect…
It’s harder to define the currency of meaning than it is to give examples; if you’ve watched the groundbreaking UK TV comedy series The Young Ones, then it’s easy; Rik is a git; sometimes a sad git, sometimes a whiny git, sometimes just a stupid git, but always a git (Vyvyan, on the other hand, is a Bastard…)
And who could forget Monty Python’s Git Family: Mr. A Snivelling Little Rat-Faced Git, his wife, Dreary Fat Boring Old, and their children, Dirty Lying Little Two-Faced and Ghastly Spotty Horrible Vicious Little.
Thanks, Samclem, excellent source. I will remember that link.
…and Superbee, I’m sure that it was just a computer glitch that left the “hot roving stud…” part of the definition out of the link.
I’m not English but for my sins I lived there for quite some time. I got the impression ‘Git’ means, an irritating person. As differentiated from ‘Twit’, a silly person or ‘Tosser’, a useless, lazy person. ‘Wanker’ means exactly the same thing as ‘jerk’ with the additional insinuation of incompetence.
Half of the time it is used to express jealousy. I.e when we watch James Bond bedding yet another babe we say “Git!”
superbee, spot on with the description, you miserable git!
How is it pronounced, hard g or soft?
When I was at school, I was told (UL almost certainly) that “git” originally meant ‘pregnant camel’ in Arabic.
It’s rude but not obscene.
With a hard g.
I believe that would be jammy git.
“Pregnant female camel” - as opposed to a pregnant male one.
The O. E. D., blessed be it’s mighty name (abases himself and bows three times facing Oxford) defines ‘git’ as “a useless person”. It is a variant of ‘get’ meaning ‘offspring, brat, useless child’.
Slight Hijack: From the Monty Python skit:
“We did think once of having it changed by deed-poll, you know - to Watson or something like that.”
What’s a deed-poll? Is that the means by which one could change one’s name from “Git” to something less pehorative like (say) “Heckler”?
Well I’m not sure if ‘Heckler’ would be seem by everyone as less perjorative (here I would insert one of those smiley faces if I didn’t dislike them so much) but yes, a deed poll is what the Engish call the process by which you legally change your name.