# If doof is food spelled backwards, why has it never been used as a euphemism for feces? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 7, 2019, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-doof-is-food-spelled-backwards-why-has-it-never-been-used-as-a-euphemism-for-feces/838296 "2019-08-07T15:26:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-doof-is-food-spelled-backwards-why-has-it-never-been-used-as-a-euphemism-for-feces/838296/1 "2019-08-07T15:26:14Z")
I’ve run across knurd as the opposite of drunk (thanks pTerry). Nevaeh has become a girls name. Words created by spelling another word backwards are semordnilaps (palindrome backwards). Yes, backwards word/names are most often used as character/fictional town/product/company names. (Yob is an exception.) But doof would be so obviously useful. I’m surprised that it’s never caught on. Do you have a semordnilap that you think should be in use? ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-doof-is-food-spelled-backwards-why-has-it-never-been-used-as-a-euphemism-for-feces/838296/2 "2019-08-07T15:57:09Z")
When I say, “ **Yllaria** , you’re a doofus,” that’s the same as saying “ **Yllaria** , you’re a shithead,” except I can say the former but not the latter outside of the Pit. Edit: obviously, I’m trying to be funny, and not actually calling **Yllaria** backwards food. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-doof-is-food-spelled-backwards-why-has-it-never-been-used-as-a-euphemism-for-feces/838296/3 "2019-08-07T16:09:57Z")
Doof would be more apt if feces came out of one’s mouth, but the transition to poop (usually) takes a unidirectional course. Not to shoot down another great Doper idea, but “doof” also makes me think of Tim Conway. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-doof-is-food-spelled-backwards-why-has-it-never-been-used-as-a-euphemism-for-feces/838296/4 "2019-08-07T16:57:57Z")
Or you could call food tihs or parc and drinks eep or eniru. You could call your mouth your elohssa. I guess it doesn’t happen because it is kind of trams? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-doof-is-food-spelled-backwards-why-has-it-never-been-used-as-a-euphemism-for-feces/838296/5 "2019-08-07T16:58:37Z")
Dog–God. Just sayin’ ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-doof-is-food-spelled-backwards-why-has-it-never-been-used-as-a-euphemism-for-feces/838296/6 "2019-08-07T17:10:14Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I guess it doesn’t happen because it is kind of trams? trams of course being Swedish for nonsense. ---
**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:** [August 7, 2019, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-doof-is-food-spelled-backwards-why-has-it-never-been-used-as-a-euphemism-for-feces/838296/7 "2019-08-07T17:16:11Z")
If smut is pornographic material, shouldn’t uplifting material be called TUMS? ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-doof-is-food-spelled-backwards-why-has-it-never-been-used-as-a-euphemism-for-feces/838296/8 "2019-08-07T18:05:42Z")
But I thought porn _was_ up lifting to certain body parts. :o ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-doof-is-food-spelled-backwards-why-has-it-never-been-used-as-a-euphemism-for-feces/838296/9 "2019-08-07T18:21:24Z")
But after the porn you get a noitcere. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-doof-is-food-spelled-backwards-why-has-it-never-been-used-as-a-euphemism-for-feces/838296/10 "2019-08-07T18:50:32Z")
I find the premise of this thread [doof](https://de.pons.com/%C3%BCbersetzung/deutsch-englisch/doof). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-doof-is-food-spelled-backwards-why-has-it-never-been-used-as-a-euphemism-for-feces/838296/11 "2019-08-07T19:14:16Z")
The premise of this thread is very definitely doof. 😃 > [@Balthisar](#): > > When I say, “ **Yllaria** , you’re a doofus,” that’s the same as saying “ **Yllaria** , you’re a shithead,” except I can say the former but not the latter outside of the Pit. . . . Ouch, I had not thought of that. Doof would certainly weaponize doofus. > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Or you could call food tihs or parc and drinks eep or eniru. You could call your mouth your elohssa. > > I guess it doesn’t happen because it is kind of trams? Nice. > [@naita](#): > > trams of course being Swedish for nonsense. So it’s not smart backwards? Or is it? ---
**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:** [August 7, 2019, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-doof-is-food-spelled-backwards-why-has-it-never-been-used-as-a-euphemism-for-feces/838296/12 "2019-08-07T19:17:49Z")
“Flog” could be used as a euphemism for “golf”. ⛳ ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-doof-is-food-spelled-backwards-why-has-it-never-been-used-as-a-euphemism-for-feces/838296/13 "2019-08-07T19:26:43Z")
If you drink Evian backwards, does that make you naive? ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-doof-is-food-spelled-backwards-why-has-it-never-been-used-as-a-euphemism-for-feces/838296/14 "2019-08-07T19:27:28Z")
If \*doof \*became a euphemism for _shit_, then \*tihs \*would become a euphemism for _food_. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-doof-is-food-spelled-backwards-why-has-it-never-been-used-as-a-euphemism-for-feces/838296/15 "2019-08-07T19:32:16Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > If you drink Evian backwards, does that make you naive? If you’re willing to pay lots of money for extra yummy water, you’re naive. ---
**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:** [August 7, 2019, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-doof-is-food-spelled-backwards-why-has-it-never-been-used-as-a-euphemism-for-feces/838296/16 "2019-08-07T19:39:56Z")
on the other hand, if “poop” spelled backwards is “poop,” then why don’t we call food “poop?” ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-doof-is-food-spelled-backwards-why-has-it-never-been-used-as-a-euphemism-for-feces/838296/17 "2019-08-07T20:18:41Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > Do you have a semordnilap that you think should be in use? Yes, “drow”. A much easier to remember term than “semordnilap”. Saw this years ago, don’t know why it didn’t catch on given its simplicity. olleh ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-doof-is-food-spelled-backwards-why-has-it-never-been-used-as-a-euphemism-for-feces/838296/18 "2019-08-07T20:43:57Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Yes, “drow”. A much easier to remember term than “semordnilap”. > > Saw this years ago, don’t know why it didn’t catch on given its simplicity. > > olleh It makes more sense, too. A word spelled backwards isn’t really an anti-palindrome. ---
**Author:** ![Trancephalic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trancephalic/32/380_2.png) [@Trancephalic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trancephalic)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-doof-is-food-spelled-backwards-why-has-it-never-been-used-as-a-euphemism-for-feces/838296/19 "2019-08-07T21:24:48Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Dog–God.b > Just sayin’ How [drol](https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/drol). ---
**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:** [August 7, 2019, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-doof-is-food-spelled-backwards-why-has-it-never-been-used-as-a-euphemism-for-feces/838296/20 "2019-08-07T23:11:42Z")
Because it’s extremely rare for a word to be coined out of wordplay, and any examples of it are relatively recent. People were using “food” (including variations) before they were literate; by the time they could read and reverse the letters, there already was a term for excrement, so no one saw any reason to coin a new term. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-doof-is-food-spelled-backwards-why-has-it-never-been-used-as-a-euphemism-for-feces/838296.md?page=2)