# Post slang you don't understand **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 1, 2003, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-slang-you-dont-understand/192312 "2003-08-01T07:22:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-slang-you-dont-understand/192312/41 "2003-08-01T19:54:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by owlstretchingtime \* > \*\*it’s the queens innit? As spoken in Sarf. > > Blimey are you a bit dagenham? i know most lemons are a bit doolally (not to mention completely radio), but strewth, ask your spars when you’re down the nuclear having a few don revies, they’ll give you the coo. \*\* Would someone on that side of the world pop over to **owlstretchingtime’s** and give him his medication? Thanks much! ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-slang-you-dont-understand/192312/42 "2003-08-01T20:05:27Z")
I always assumed this phrase referred to someone pure and innocent. You know, contrasting them with someone who swears up a storm, whose mouth must be sizzling from all that salty language. Just my take… ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-slang-you-dont-understand/192312/43 "2003-08-01T20:10:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Blonde \* > \*\* > You wouldn’t happen to know what “goodness gracious” means, would you? Seems redundant… \*\* Doesn’t it just come from the song, or was it around before that? It sounds like it’s meant to “sound” good, as opposed to meaning something. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-slang-you-dont-understand/192312/44 "2003-08-02T02:17:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by austen \* > \*\*“Bling-bling” is an adjective for something that is jazzed-up, showy and/or ostentatious; i.e. jewelry, cars, etc. And, in one of the websites below, TEETH. > It comes from the sound of heavy gold (or more recently platinum) necklaces bouncing off each other, and started as hip-hop slang but has been more widely used lately. > \*\* I’ve heard a million guesses as to what sound “bling-bling” is imitating (gold chains, cocking a gun…etc) but I’ve seen and read several interviews with the guy who coined the term (was it Lil’ Wayne?) and he says it’s the sound a cash register makes. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-slang-you-dont-understand/192312/45 "2003-08-02T02:31:33Z")
Nah, that’s ka-ching. Or sha-shing! ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-slang-you-dont-understand/192312/46 "2003-08-02T02:58:42Z")
The Power Of Shit Just think of all the concepts and ideas you can communicate with it. Shit may just be the most powerful word in the English language. CONSIDER THIS: You can be shitfaced, be shit out of luck, or have shit for brains. With a little effort you can get your shit together, find a place for your shit or decide to shit or get off the pot. You can smoke shit, buy shit, sell shit, lose shit, find shit, forget shit, and tell others to eat shit and die. You can shit or go blind, have a shit fit or just shit your life away. People can be shit headed, shit brained, shit blinded, and shit over. Some people know their shit while others can’t tell the difference between shit and shinola. There are lucky shits, dumb shits, crazy shits, and sweet shits. There is bull shit, horse shit and chicken shit. You can throw shit, sling shit, catch shit, or duck when the shit hits the fan. You can take a shit, give a shit, or serve shit on a shingle. You can find yourself in deep shit, or be happier than a pig in shit. Some days are colder than shit, some days are hotter than shit, and some days are just plain shitty. Some music sounds like shit, things can look like shit, and there are times when you feel like shit. You can have too much shit, not enough shit, the right shit, the wrong shit or a lot of weird shit. You can carry shit, have a mountain of shit, or find yourself up shit creek without a paddle. Sometimes you really need this shit and sometimes you don’t want any shit at all. Sometimes everything you touch turns to shit and other times you swim in a lake of shit and come out smelling like a rose. Shit! When you stop to consider all the facts, it’s the basic building block of creation. And remember, once you know your shit, you don’t need to know anything else. ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-slang-you-dont-understand/192312/47 "2003-08-02T03:20:56Z")
Good post, **ccwaterback!** Another lowly question… what is IIRC? ---
**Author:** ![BuckleberryFerry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5f9b8f/32.png) [@BuckleberryFerry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuckleberryFerry)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-slang-you-dont-understand/192312/48 "2003-08-02T03:26:34Z")
IIRC = If I Recall Correctly ---
**Author:** ![insomnia4AM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@insomnia4AM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/insomnia4AM)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-slang-you-dont-understand/192312/49 "2003-08-02T03:53:08Z")
What about stuff like… Funny as shit. Cool as shit. Insert your favorite\_\_\_\_\_as shit here. Is shit funny? For instance, saying something like, “George Crlin is funny as shit!” That could mean two things, right? He could be horrid, and about as funny as a bunch of poop, or the complete opposite, as in freaking hillarious. ---
**Author:** ![insomnia4AM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@insomnia4AM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/insomnia4AM)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-slang-you-dont-understand/192312/50 "2003-08-02T03:54:20Z")
What about stuff like… Funny as shit. Cool as shit. Insert your favorite\_\_\_\_\_as shit here. Is shit funny? For instance, saying something like, “George Carlin is funny as shit!” That could mean two things, right? He could be horrid, and about as funny as a bunch of poop, or the complete opposite, as in freaking hillarious. ---
**Author:** ![insomnia4AM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@insomnia4AM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/insomnia4AM)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-slang-you-dont-understand/192312/51 "2003-08-02T03:58:46Z")
_GROWL!_ How about the hamsters are annoying the shit out of me! Sorry bout the double post! Thought I had caught it in time! ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-slang-you-dont-understand/192312/52 "2003-08-02T04:37:58Z")
There’s a billboard a few miles from my house that shows a silhouette of a rifle, with the followign text superimposed on it. “One will cost you a nickel.” That’s all the sign says. Huh? ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-slang-you-dont-understand/192312/53 "2003-08-02T04:38:04Z")
There’s a billboard a few miles from my house that shows a silhouette of a rifle, with the following text superimposed on it. “One will cost you a nickel.” That’s all the sign says. Huh? ---
**Author:** ![October](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@October](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/October)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-slang-you-dont-understand/192312/54 "2003-08-02T05:26:39Z")
Brilliant post, **ccwaterback**. That was funny as shit. Seriously, I almost shit (shat?) my pants laughing at your shit. That was some funny shit. ---
**Author:** ![Flowerchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/858c86/32.png) [@Flowerchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flowerchild)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-slang-you-dont-understand/192312/55 "2003-08-02T05:53:16Z")
Well, I once knew this completely insane gothy girl who spoke constant slang, I never understood what she was saying. the following are things That I had to ask her about: Something like ziggles and Higgles? : Hugs and Kisses and uber has changed meanings apparently. When I heard it it used to mean like alot, or very. But she said it like it meant “Way cool” ---
**Author:** ![Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satisfying_Andy_Licious)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-slang-you-dont-understand/192312/56 "2003-08-02T06:29:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by zoid \* > \*\*Would someone on that side of the world pop over to **owlstretchingtime’s** and give him his medication? Thanks much! \*\* Yes, knock him up, will you? ---
**Author:** ![Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satisfying_Andy_Licious)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-slang-you-dont-understand/192312/57 "2003-08-02T06:39:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Taciturn \* > \*\*I’ve been a lurker for quite some time now, but today I’ve gathered up my courage and I’m posting for the first time! > > I would love to know what it means when you call someone a “Babette”. \*\* Welcome, Taciturn. (That’s a cool name for a lurker.) As for Babette, depends on how you pronounced it. If it’s Bab to rhyme with cab, I don’t know. But if it’s babe-ette, then they are calling someone a babe, with a diminutive suffix – a babette = a small or young babe. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Blonde \* > \*\* > Two West Texas expressions my mom always uses: “Sakes alive!” and “Great day in the morning!” I understand their meaning (expressing surprise/dismay/shock) - but, how can a day be in a morning, and sakes be alive?? \*\* My WAG is that they are substituting non-offensive words for swear words. Instead of shit, “sakes alive.” Instead of Gotdam, “Great day in the mornin.” Sort of like “shoot” for shit, goldurn for goddam or dag nabbit for goddamit. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-slang-you-dont-understand/192312/58 "2003-08-02T06:51:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by elmwood \* > \*\*There’s a billboard a few miles from my house that shows a silhouette of a rifle, with the followign text superimposed on it. > > “One will cost you a nickel.” > > That’s all the sign says. Huh? \*\* That reminds me of those billboards on I-10 just outside of Palm Springs. One of them simply says: **Drinking Age Raised to 25** Anybody know what the hell that is supposed to mean? ---
**Author:** ![Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satisfying_Andy_Licious)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-slang-you-dont-understand/192312/59 "2003-08-02T06:54:00Z")
Re: Take the piss out of someone. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FlyingDragonFan \* > \*\*I always took this to reference the saying “full of piss and vinegar,” meaning being energetic, with a touch of unruliness thrown in. So taking the piss out of someone would mean somehow deflating their energetic quality, perhaps by ridicule, as **AngelicGemma** says. \*\* I think you’re on to something there, **FlyingDragonFan.** I knew from hearing it in context that it meant to make fun of someone, to deflate them, etc. I just didn’t get why people said it. But, if you “take the piss and vinegar” out of someone, you’d be causing that deflating effect – the same context in which “take the piss out of” is always used. I’m willing to speculate that “take the piss and vinegar out of them” eventually got shortened to “take the piss out of them.” Good work! But now I wonder why people were “full of piss and vinegar” to begin with? ---
**Author:** ![SnoopyFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@SnoopyFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnoopyFan)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-slang-you-dont-understand/192312/60 "2003-08-02T08:03:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Marley23 \* > \*\*Even better is when people compare everything to Ass. > > It’s cold as Ass > It’s hot as Ass > It’s windy as Ass > It’s blue as Ass > > And also use it as a modifier (a big ass truck, a crazy ass person…) \*\* In Kentucky it was balls instead of ass: It’s hot as balls out here! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-slang-you-dont-understand/192312.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-slang-you-dont-understand/192312.md?page=4)