# How did "Douche-Bag" become an insult? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 30, 2008, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-douche-bag-become-an-insult/475097 "2008-11-30T21:53:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThreadPirateRoberts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@ThreadPirateRoberts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThreadPirateRoberts)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-douche-bag-become-an-insult/475097/1 "2008-11-30T21:53:20Z")
My boyfriend and I were talking and it got onto the subject of douching. Weird I know but there it is. After talking about it for a few minutes I got to wondering how it became an insult. Any information on this would be great. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-douche-bag-become-an-insult/475097/2 "2008-11-30T22:53:39Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > There was a book published in 1950, Goldin Dictionary of American Underworld Lingo. It cited douche-bag in the slang sense meaning “a term of utmost contempt for a woman.” It was based on research done from 1942-49. from a thread we did a few months ago. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=479482&highlight=douchebag](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=479482&highlight=douchebag) ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-douche-bag-become-an-insult/475097/3 "2008-11-30T22:57:39Z")
Was it ever a compliment? ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-douche-bag-become-an-insult/475097/4 "2008-12-01T00:11:32Z")
> [@Enola\_Gay](#): > > Was it ever a compliment? You’re the bomb! ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-douche-bag-become-an-insult/475097/5 "2008-12-01T00:18:22Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > You’re the bomb! That was awfully douche-y of you. ---
**Author:** ![PopeJewish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@PopeJewish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PopeJewish)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-douche-bag-become-an-insult/475097/6 "2008-12-01T05:39:30Z")
I realize it’s an insult and, in fact, I use it all the time, but honestly being told you’re filled with liquid that you squirt into vaginas isn’t too much of an insult, from a guy’s viewpoint 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ThreadPirateRoberts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@ThreadPirateRoberts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThreadPirateRoberts)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-douche-bag-become-an-insult/475097/7 "2008-12-01T14:54:14Z")
> [@PopeJewish](#): > > I realize it’s an insult and, in fact, I use it all the time, but honestly being told you’re filled with liquid that you squirt into vaginas isn’t too much of an insult, from a guy’s viewpoint 😉 exactly! that’s why it doesn’t make sense ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-douche-bag-become-an-insult/475097/8 "2008-12-01T14:58:59Z")
Lots of things about language don’t make logical sense, especially slang terms. The classic example is “bloody,” which is a fairly shocking insult in the UK – no one is entirely sure why. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-douche-bag-become-an-insult/475097/9 "2008-12-01T15:09:44Z")
> [@ThreadPirateRoberts](#): > > exactly! that’s why it doesn’t make sense Except that it’s being squirted into a presumably dirty vagina. > [@RealityChuck](#): > > Lots of things about language don’t make logical sense, especially slang terms. The classic example is “bloody,” which is a fairly shocking insult in the UK – no one is entirely sure why. In common parlance, a bloody vagina isn’t always considered a good thing, either. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-douche-bag-become-an-insult/475097/10 "2008-12-01T16:47:18Z")
Despite strawberry-scented concoctions of the past, modern women are told that, for the most part, douching is bad for their vaginas. Douchebags tend to be guys that are harmful (or at least insulting) to vaginas. Makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-douche-bag-become-an-insult/475097/11 "2008-12-01T17:52:17Z")
When I was a kid, “lunch pail” and “door knob” were insults. As I recall, the implication was that the person was as dumb as said item. Perhaps douche-bag attained insult status because someone misunderstood how it worked - maybe they thought the bag contained the results of douching, much like a scumbag (condom) contains the scum (semen). ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-douche-bag-become-an-insult/475097/12 "2008-12-01T18:52:49Z")
**Douchey** and **douche** as a verb which means “to mess up/ruin” have become popular in the past year, I’ve noticed. I heard Will Ferrell use **douchey** on a recent SNL political special when he was playing GWB. I also heard Jensen Ackles use a different form of the word on **Supernatural** recently–i.e., “You [Sam] were supposed to take care of my car, not douche it up!” ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-douche-bag-become-an-insult/475097/13 "2008-12-01T19:01:52Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > Despite strawberry-scented concoctions of the past, modern women are told that, for the most part, douching is bad for their vaginas. Douchebags tend to be guys that are harmful (or at least insulting) to vaginas. Makes sense. That seems like a retrofitted explanation; douchebag has been an insult for quite a long time, while the popular recommendations against douching have mostly come about in the last oh, 20 years or so. I think it’s more of a general “body fluids and hygiene are icky” thing. Asswipe, scumbag, snotrag, those have all been insults. ---
**Author:** ![ThreadPirateRoberts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@ThreadPirateRoberts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThreadPirateRoberts)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-douche-bag-become-an-insult/475097/14 "2008-12-01T19:18:02Z")
It’s starting to make sense now. Thanks guys! ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-douche-bag-become-an-insult/475097/15 "2008-12-01T19:54:25Z")
Continuing in a similar vein - why is “dipstick” an insult? The only one I know is the thing for checking whether your car is low on oil. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-douche-bag-become-an-insult/475097/16 "2008-12-01T20:20:04Z")
> [@Jenaroph](#): > > That seems like a retrofitted explanation; douchebag has been an insult for quite a long time, while the popular recommendations against douching have mostly come about in the last oh, 20 years or so. > > I think it’s more of a general “body fluids and hygiene are icky” thing. Asswipe, scumbag, snotrag, those have all been insults. Oh, I agree. It’s just why I support its usage (when, it could be argued, it’s just one in a long lone of vagina-related slurs). Anyway, I think Gawker is responsible for its resurgence ([Jezebel](http://jezebel.com/5034888/should-women-stop-using-the-word-douchebag) weighs in here) . ---
**Author:** ![Omegaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@Omegaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omegaman)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-douche-bag-become-an-insult/475097/17 "2008-12-01T20:33:51Z")
> [@Santo\_Rugger](#): > > Except that it’s being squirted into a presumably dirty vagina.In common parlance, a bloody vagina isn’t always considered a good thing, either. As most women I know\* become slightly more apt to do the “horizontal bop” when it’s that time of the month, I don’t think it’s really a bad thing either. \*only my lovely and wonderful wife at this time. But in the old days… ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-douche-bag-become-an-insult/475097/18 "2008-12-01T20:56:18Z")
> [@Canadjun](#): > > Continuing in a similar vein - why is “dipstick” an insult? The only one I know is the thing for checking whether your car is low on oil. My WAG is that it’s a sanitized version of “dumbshit” or “dipshit”. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-douche-bag-become-an-insult/475097/19 "2008-12-01T21:33:10Z")
> [@Canadjun](#): > > Continuing in a similar vein - why is “dipstick” an insult? The only one I know is the thing for checking whether your car is low on oil. I’d guess because it’s a funny-sounding word (punchy consonants and assonant vowels). Probably the same reasons for insultifying “Nimrod,” the [hunter king](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimrod). ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-douche-bag-become-an-insult/475097/20 "2008-12-02T01:12:44Z")
> [@Canadjun](#): > > Continuing in a similar vein - why is “dipstick” an insult? The only one I know is the thing for checking whether your car is low on oil. > [@kenobi 65](#): > > My WAG is that it’s a sanitized version of “dumbshit” or “dipshit”. Correct. It appears around the late 1950s-early 1960s and is a more polite way of saying “dipshit,” much like people say frackin’/freakin’ for “fucking.”