# How do you rate "shit" as a word. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 6, 2016, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-shit-as-a-word/745319 "2016-02-06T15:20:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-shit-as-a-word/745319/1 "2016-02-06T15:20:37Z")
I like the word shit, and don’t consider it a “bad word.” It’s one heck of a meaning packed into a four letter, one syllable word. When someone says SHIT, you know what they are talking about. Do you consider it a very bad word, a kind of bad word, an acceptable word, or do you just not give a shit about rating it? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-shit-as-a-word/745319/2 "2016-02-06T15:33:41Z")
It’s a shitty word. With that out of the way… Extremely useful. I use it all the time. It might be the single most useful word in the English Language, next to you-know-what. But I would rarely use it in “polite company”. That is, if I were at a party with lots of people I didn’t know very well. I recognize that it’s considered vulgar. For example, you will [virtually] never hear an American politician use that word in public, withe the possible exception of “bullshit”. I would be surprised to see a major US newspaper print the word. ---
**Author:** ![Calla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Calla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calla)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-shit-as-a-word/745319/3 "2016-02-06T16:04:27Z")
I use it a fair amount, but not so much that it is a part of every conversation I have. One of my favorite words is shitload. I don’t know why. In fact, I have several favorite words. They are random and unrelated to one another and I guess I just like the way they sound. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-shit-as-a-word/745319/4 "2016-02-06T16:52:00Z")
It isn’t a word that I use freely with strangers. But when I do use it, I like to feel that it was entirely appropriate to do so. Around people I know, I will use it a bit more but again with cause. ---
**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:** [February 6, 2016, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-shit-as-a-word/745319/5 "2016-02-06T17:16:17Z")
They say shit on network TV now. I know they’ve been talking shit all along, but they can say the word now. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-shit-as-a-word/745319/6 "2016-02-06T17:40:32Z")
It has many different (possibly an infinite number of) meanings, and some are more acceptable in any given context than others. After conversing with a number of travelers in hostels who use English as a second or third language, I’ve concluded that it is one of the very few English words that it is impossible to use incorrectly. It always works to create the desired effect and connotation, even in a sentence that is otherwise unintelligible. It seems to have a particular appeal to people whose first language is Russian. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-shit-as-a-word/745319/7 "2016-02-06T19:30:52Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > It’s a shitty word. > > With that out of the way… Extremely useful. I use it all the time. It might be the single most useful word in the English Language, next to you-know-what. > > But I would rarely use it in “polite company”. That is, if I were at a party with lots of people I didn’t know very well. I recognize that it’s considered vulgar. For example, you will [virtually] never hear an American politician use that word in public, withe the possible exception of “bullshit”. I would be surprised to see a major US newspaper print the word. Thread over in one. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-shit-as-a-word/745319/8 "2016-02-06T19:48:07Z")
N-Gram viewer sez: > **[Google Books Ngram Viewer](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=shit%2Cfuck%2Cpiss%2Ccunt&year_start=1900&year_end=2000&corpus=17&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cshit%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cfuck%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cpiss%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Ccunt%3B%2Cc0)** > > Google Books Ngram Viewer ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-shit-as-a-word/745319/9 "2016-02-06T20:51:35Z")
Weird poll choices - it’s bad, but that’s why I use it. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-shit-as-a-word/745319/10 "2016-02-06T20:51:57Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > It might be the single most useful word in the English Language, next to you-know-what. Coming over from French as my native language, I’m confused by how much the meaningof “shit” can change. If something is shit, it’s bad. But if it’s _the_ shit, it’s great. My shit is neutral to good but your shit neutral to bad. My shit is property I want to keep but sometimes I don’t want to own my shit. I want you to give a shit but I’m not gonna take any more shit. It’s good to get shit done but bad to start shit up. You wanna make shit happen but not cause shit to happen. You don’t want to be surrounded by people who are full of shit but you don’t want them to be shitless either. You want to know your shit but you shouldn’t talk shit and you don’t want to have to look at this shit, hear this shit or have you nose rubbed in it. You can’t touch this shit and eating shit is something you wish only to people you hate; That would really bring a shit-eating grin to your face. It’s a good thing to have your shit together and you certainly don’t want to lose your shit or you might be in deep shit. I hardly ever use the word though. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-shit-as-a-word/745319/11 "2016-02-06T20:55:39Z")
Not nearly as good of a word as “fuck.” ---
**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:** [February 6, 2016, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-shit-as-a-word/745319/12 "2016-02-06T22:04:32Z")
I rate it four stars. It’s catchy and you can dance to it. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-shit-as-a-word/745319/13 "2016-02-06T22:27:13Z")
It doesn’t bother me and I don’t find it offensive, though I think (ironically) that it’s vulgar to say, “I gotta take a shit.” Clear and concise, but vulgar. I don’t use vulgar words at work generally (except the occasional “dammit”) or among people I don’t know. It’s a CYA thing, really. With friends and family, I swear like a drunken sailor. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2016, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-shit-as-a-word/745319/14 "2016-02-07T05:31:40Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > > [@John Mace](#): > > > > It’s a shitty word. > > > > With that out of the way… Extremely useful. I use it all the time. It might be the single most useful word in the English Language, next to you-know-what. > > > > But I would rarely use it in “polite company”. That is, if I were at a party with lots of people I didn’t know very well. I recognize that it’s considered vulgar. For example, you will [virtually] never hear an American politician use that word in public, withe the possible exception of “bullshit”. I would be surprised to see a major US newspaper print the word. > > Thread over in one. This. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2016, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-shit-as-a-word/745319/15 "2016-02-07T06:39:31Z")
I feel self-conscious whenever I use it. More than most other swearing, I think, though there are some I avoid entirely. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2016, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-shit-as-a-word/745319/16 "2016-02-07T06:47:39Z")
I find it a word that works well in writing to convey emotion, but is only useful verbally when I’m really pissed. On the profanity scale, it’s below fuck but above asshole. (There may be other words in between, but they aren’t coming to mind.) ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2016, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-shit-as-a-word/745319/17 "2016-02-07T06:47:45Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > It’s a shitty word. > > With that out of the way… Extremely useful. I use it all the time. It might be the single most useful word in the English Language, next to you-know-what. > > But I would rarely use it in “polite company”. That is, if I were at a party with lots of people I didn’t know very well. I recognize that it’s considered vulgar. For example, you will [virtually] never hear an American politician use that word in public, withe the possible exception of “bullshit”. I would be surprised to see a major US newspaper print the word. Total agreement. I use it more than I should…more than I want…but, hey, it’s a pretty emphatic word, and it carries a lot of force. When you want to make a rhetorical point, it’s a sledgehammer of a word. Joe’s Pizzas are bad, but Jack’s pizzas are… Well, you get the point. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2016, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-shit-as-a-word/745319/18 "2016-02-07T07:37:56Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > They say shit on network TV now. I know they’ve been talking shit all along, but they can say the word now. What shows and networks? I know the FCC doesn’t regulate cable, so you can hear it on FX or A&E, but they still don’t say the word on NBC, CBS, or ABC. ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2016, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-shit-as-a-word/745319/19 "2016-02-07T08:23:06Z")
I sometimes will simply recast a sentence to avoid saying “shit”, but I refuse to use childish euphemisms like “crap” or “poop”. If it’s too hard, I’ll just say, “fuck it. Shit.” ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2016, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-shit-as-a-word/745319/20 "2016-02-07T11:37:50Z")
It doesn’t generally bother me until someone overuses it - then it’s both annoying and (to me) an indicator of a poor communicator. One of the guys at work seems to have a very limited vocabulary - I’ve heard him say shit multiple times in a single, short conversation, and he wasn’t discussing manure, nor was he doing an old George Carlin routine. For all I know, that person is quite intelligent, but based on what I heard, I’d never guess. I’ve used the word myself in a fit of anger, generally when I’m alone. Chances are if I say it around someone else, it’s in a humorous context. Maybe this marks me as a snob, but casual use of profanity strikes me as pretty low class. It doesn’t offend me, but it also doesn’t make a good impression. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-rate-shit-as-a-word/745319.md?page=2)