# Why do people "leave"a fart but "take" a crap? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 23, 2003, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-leave-a-fart-but-take-a-crap/203407 "2003-09-23T22:27:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![71nortiviv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/7/a3d4f5/32.png) [@71nortiviv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/71nortiviv)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-leave-a-fart-but-take-a-crap/203407/1 "2003-09-23T22:27:45Z")
Why do people “leave” a fart but “take” a crap? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-leave-a-fart-but-take-a-crap/203407/2 "2003-09-23T22:38:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by 71nortiviv \* > \*\*Why do people “leave” a fart but “take” a crap? \*\* I believe the correct term is “[let a fart](http://home.t-online.de/home/toni.goeller/idiom_wm/id371.htm)”. If you’re going to debate, you must have the correct premise. ---
**Author:** ![Gaudere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gaudere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaudere)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-leave-a-fart-but-take-a-crap/203407/3 "2003-09-23T22:46:03Z")
[Moderator Hat ON] Off to IMHO. Shoo! Shoo! [Moderator Hat OFF] ---
**Author:** ![RTA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@RTA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTA)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-leave-a-fart-but-take-a-crap/203407/4 "2003-09-23T22:54:44Z")
“You know what I don’t understand? Why do they call it TAKING a dump instead of LEAVING a dump? … I mean after all, you’re not exactly TAKING it anywhere … funk dat!!!” - - Beavis, impersonating Andy Rooney to the video “Funk Dat”\* ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-leave-a-fart-but-take-a-crap/203407/5 "2003-09-23T23:35:14Z")
Because the non-echoing quacking duck driving on the parkway next to the forest with the falling tree toward his driveway to park said, “…and noone knows why.” ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2003, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-leave-a-fart-but-take-a-crap/203407/6 "2003-09-24T00:54:10Z")
For that matter, I have always wondered why the redneck term for a toilet is a “shitter.” It’s not a shitter. It’s more of a shittee, wouldn’t you say? I mean, I have yet to see one shit, but mine, at least, accepts and disposes of the stuff every day. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2003, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-leave-a-fart-but-take-a-crap/203407/7 "2003-09-24T01:25:41Z")
So when we’re “taking” a shit, we’re actually “giving” a shit; but sometimes we really have to “take” a lot of shit in order to “give” a shit. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2003, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-leave-a-fart-but-take-a-crap/203407/8 "2003-09-24T01:36:22Z")
It was funnier when [George Carlin](http://www.georgecarlin.com/georgecarlin/media/video/crtake.html) did it 30 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2003, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-leave-a-fart-but-take-a-crap/203407/9 "2003-09-24T03:09:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gaudere \* > \*\*[Moderator Hat ON] > > Off to IMHO. Shoo! Shoo! > > [Moderator Hat OFF] \*\* _I_ don’t have to take this crap. Lockdown.