We’ve all probably heard the phrase, “that shit don’t float,” meaning something is unacceptable. But this got me to wondering, should shit float? In my experience, sometimes shit floats and sometimes it doesn’t. If shit doesn’t float, why doesn’t it float?
Honestly, I would really like a GQ answer. But, mods, feel free to move as you see fit.
Depends on diet and fat content.
Which way does that work though? High fat content = float?
How well can you swim? ;o)
My understanding is that the more fat in the fecal matter the better it floats. They also contain gas, so more gas the better it floats too.
According to “House” it floats if you are eating meat, and sinks if you are vegetarian.
It floats if it’s guilty and sinks if it’s innocent.
I read somewhere that a guy found out he was sick because he noticed it floated when it did not in the past. It was a serious illness, maybe cancer?
I’ve never heard that saying. Alternatively I have heard “That dog don’t hunt” to mean the same thing. I’m guessing yours came later.
Bravo!
Shit should not float. It should sit in the large intestine long enough for the body to absorb the bulk of the water. A compact and connected turd should emerge. Doesn’t matter what type of food you are eating. However, you don’t want so much water removed that the remainder scrapes the tissue from hardness. Like most things with the body, it needs to be just right. Most of the time it is just right, but that balance can easily be disrupted.
Both fats and gases can contribute, but mostly it’s the water content.
Never heard that one, and it doesn’t really make sense to me. I always heard “that shit don’t flush.”
As to the actual question in the OP, check this and this. Google on floater sinker stool OR poop to find more.
I’m about as far from vegetarian as you can get, and I often have sinkers (for lack of a better term).
Thanks for all the replies so far.
Exapno, as usual, very nice. How in the world you know so much about so many different areas always amazes me.
Chez, very nice. 
I’m surprised folks hadn’t heard that before. Growing up in Pittsburgh, it was common as can be. When I lived in Memphis, that was the only time I heard “that dog don’t hunt.” More often on the golf course, a good shot would get a response of “that dog’ll hunt.”
If it floats, that means it’s made out of wood. If it’s made out of wood, that means it’s a witch.
[SIZE=“2”]Or something like that.[/SIZE]
Pittsburgh is a weird place; they put fries on their sandwiches there.
A nutritionist told me that it floats due to fiber content, not fat content- if yours don’t, you’re not getting enough roughage.
Mine don’t.
Believe it or not, we actually did this one a while ago (the phenomenon, not the metaphor.)
As for me, I know I’m not getting enough fiber. My doc is having me take supplements like Benefiber, and complaining that I need to eat more veggies. But enough about me, it’s really the phrase and its “truthiness” I was thinking about.
freckafree, that’s what happens when you don’t think to use the polite term of poop when you search. Thanks.
Thanks very much, now I’m contemplating a bridge of shit!
“Before you cross the Bridge of Shit,
and reach the other side of it,
answer me these questions two
or you’ll sink into the poo!”