# I did it for shits and giggles - huh? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 3, 2004, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-it-for-shits-and-giggles-huh/232234 "2004-03-03T03:29:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-it-for-shits-and-giggles-huh/232234/1 "2004-03-03T03:29:58Z")
I’ve only heard a few people use this phrase. The giggles I can understand, but what’s the deal with the shits? Anybody know the origin of this phrase? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bcef8e/32.png) [@Just\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-it-for-shits-and-giggles-huh/232234/2 "2004-03-03T12:17:31Z")
It was a phrase in the movie " Austin Powers ". ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bcef8e/32.png) [@Just\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-it-for-shits-and-giggles-huh/232234/3 "2004-03-03T12:28:25Z")
I should have included more info: Austin Powers - International Man of Mystery Starring Mike Myers and Elizabeth Hurley. I haven’t watched it in awhile, but I believe he utters that line when trying to convince the lovely Elizabeth to sleep with him. " for shits and giggles, baby!"… which I took as " for the hell / fun of it. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-it-for-shits-and-giggles-huh/232234/4 "2004-03-03T12:30:33Z")
This phrase was around in the UK long before Austin Powers. And I have absolutely no idea about its etymology. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-it-for-shits-and-giggles-huh/232234/5 "2004-03-03T12:33:38Z")
When I was a teenager you used to hear “just for shits” or “just for the shit of it” meaning “just for the hell of it” or for no reason at all. Giggles didn’t get a mention in Australia. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-it-for-shits-and-giggles-huh/232234/6 "2004-03-03T13:39:52Z")
I’ve never heard “for shits and giggles” (I missed _Austin Powers_), but “for shits and grins” has been used in America for a long time. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-it-for-shits-and-giggles-huh/232234/7 "2004-03-03T14:01:17Z")
I agree, and it is one of those phrases that grates on me for some reason. Can’t tell you much about the etymology, but I can tell you it has been around since my youth, which is way before Autin Powers. ---
**Author:** ![Pabitel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Pabitel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pabitel)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-it-for-shits-and-giggles-huh/232234/8 "2004-03-03T16:30:11Z")
My wife (born raised in Michigan USA) has been saying shits and giggles since I met her 12 years ago. She even uses the abreviation S & Gs when in polite company. So I am sure it has been around much longer than that. The phase has the same meaning as, “the hell of it” ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-it-for-shits-and-giggles-huh/232234/9 "2004-03-03T16:37:15Z")
[Jeopardy contestant] What are two things that are best wiped off your face? Strange phrases for 1000 please Alec. [/Jeopardy contestant] ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-it-for-shits-and-giggles-huh/232234/10 "2004-03-03T16:42:36Z")
Haven’t researched it, but I just assumed it was a reference to a little baby sitting there in a diaper, shitting and grinning…or giggling, as the case may be… ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bcef8e/32.png) [@Just\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2004, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-it-for-shits-and-giggles-huh/232234/11 "2004-03-04T01:35:24Z")
_This phrase was around in the UK long before Austin Powers._ Austin Powers was a British spy from the 1960’s, so I imagine the phrase was from awhile back. The film used an old slang phrase and it caught on again? I think so… ---
**Author:** ![etgaw1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ed655f/32.png) [@etgaw1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etgaw1)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2004, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-it-for-shits-and-giggles-huh/232234/12 "2004-03-04T02:11:54Z")
This isn’t much but I grew up in Pennsylvania and have been saying “for shits and giggles” for al long as I can remember. In fact sometimes I will say it well… for shits and giggles. etgaw1 ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2004, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-it-for-shits-and-giggles-huh/232234/13 "2004-03-04T02:38:26Z")
I think the absurdity of it is part of the fun. IOW it’s not supposed to make perfect sense.