# Why is douchebag an insult? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 15, 2008, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-douchebag-an-insult/460054 "2008-08-15T02:13:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-douchebag-an-insult/460054/41 "2008-08-16T01:19:07Z")
[QUOTE=jasonh300] What is a popped collar? [/QUOTE] [popped collars](http://images.google.com/images?q=popped%20collar&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi) ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-douchebag-an-insult/460054/42 "2008-08-16T01:25:50Z")
[QUOTE=Siam Sam] And why would men named Richard want to use Dick for their name? I’ve never figured that one out. [/QUOTE] See the post immediately preceding yours. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-douchebag-an-insult/460054/43 "2008-08-16T01:31:12Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] See the post immediately preceding yours. [/QUOTE] Well, yeah, but I mean, c’mon! My grandfather was a Dick (a Richard that is, not an asshole), but I could never get up the courage to ask him what the deal was with that. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-douchebag-an-insult/460054/44 "2008-08-16T01:49:52Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] That’s the first time I have heard that definition of scum bag. [/QUOTE] It’s rather interesting that “scumbag” has undergone such a softening of meaning in recent decades that many people don’t even realize its original sense. When I was in high school in the 60s, scumbag was recognized by everyone (at least, everyone I knew) to refer to a condom (often a used one), and secondarily used as an insult for a person. Likewise for “[such and such] sucks.” In the 60s the implication of saying “you suck” was that fellatio was involved. Now it’s often used in circumstances that indicate people aren’t aware of that connotation. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-douchebag-an-insult/460054/45 "2008-08-16T01:57:34Z")
[QUOTE=Chronos] That one’s easy. “Cunt”, as used as an insult, is used almost exclusively for females. By calling a woman a cunt, you’re imlying that that’s _all_ she is, and claiming that women have no worth behond sex. I’m not sure, though, why it’s so much less offensive to call a man a “dick”, “prick”, or other slang for penis. [/QUOTE] I have to point out that within Ireland and Britain cunt is used as much if not more for men than for women. It is also a term of endearment, “how are ya yacunchya?” ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-douchebag-an-insult/460054/46 "2008-08-16T09:41:58Z")
I went to school with a Dick Hohl. Believe it or not, it wasn’t until years later that the lewdness of the name occurred to me. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-douchebag-an-insult/460054/47 "2008-08-16T09:48:56Z")
[QUOTE=An Gadaí] I have to point out that within Ireland and Britain cunt is used as much if not more for men than for women. It is also a term of endearment, “how are ya yacunchya?” [/QUOTE] I dunno about in The Emerald Isle but in England very few blokes (arseholes excepted) would call a woman a cunt…just far to nasty. Like you said, calling your pal a cunt is a term of affection “Where’s that £5 you owe me you cunt” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-douchebag-an-insult/460054/48 "2008-08-16T16:24:11Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise] [popped collars](http://images.google.com/images?q=popped%20collar&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi) [/QUOTE] All this is is pictures of a bunch of douchebags. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-douchebag-an-insult/460054/49 "2008-08-16T17:00:17Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] Lots of insults don’t make much sense other than causing mental imagery. “Asshat” is one but I am sure there are many others. [/QUOTE] No, Asshat makes lots of sense. Telling someone he has his head up his ass has been a “you’re ignorant” insult for a _long_ time. Saying he’s wearing his ass for a hat is just a creative way of saying the same thing. “Asshat” just shortens it to a manageable length. “You’re wrong, asshat,” is much more clean and to the point than “You’re wrong, person who’s so stupid he wears his ass for a hat.” 😉 [QUOTE=myskepticsight] That’s weird that douchebag apparently started out as a term for women, now it’s almost exclusively used for men [/QUOTE] People use “douchebag” to refer to _men_? I don’t think I’ve ever heard that, except from some lowlife movie characters, and I assumed it was an indication that they were idiots. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-douchebag-an-insult/460054/50 "2008-08-16T17:05:02Z")
[QUOTE=InvisibleWombat] People use “douchebag” to refer to _men_? I don’t think I’ve ever heard that, except from some lowlife movie characters, and I assumed it was an indication that they were idiots. [/QUOTE] I’ve only heard it, or the shorter “douche”, used for men. For the record, I’m 33. I can’t think of a single instance hearing “douchebag” in reference to a woman. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-douchebag-an-insult/460054/51 "2008-08-16T17:37:00Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] The first time I heard the term was in 4th grade. A classmate screamed at another classmate who was teasing him, “Cut it out you douchebag”. The teacher had a fit and dragged the kid to the office. None of my classmates (nor I) had a clue. [/QUOTE] Heh. I recall it was also fourth grade when one of my more scoundrelly classmates convinced the rest of the class to chant, “Mike is a dildo!” when a kid named Mike entered the classroom. Unfortunately for us, our female teacher entered the room right behind Mike, and was similarly unamused. Like you, none of us had a clue as to what we’d said. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-douchebag-an-insult/460054/52 "2008-08-16T18:12:28Z")
[QUOTE=Siam Sam] And why would men named Richard want to use Dick for their name? I’ve never figured that one out. [/QUOTE] This Richard doesn’t 😉 However, the guy I’m named after (my dad’s best friend in high school) went by “Dick” as an adult. I have a suspicion that “dick” as slang for penis is a fairly recent development, based mostly on the fact that Richards who go by “Dick” are almost exclusively members of my dad’s generation (baby boomers) or older. I’ve _never_ met a Richard of my generation (post-Boomers) or younger who goes by Dick. I’m also assuming that Rick predates Dick as a diminutive of Richard, since it probably comes from British name-rhyming: Richard -\> Rich -\> Rick -\> Dick. I’m not certain the “Dick” variant would have become popular if “dick” had already been a common slang term for penis. In fact, I’m almost certain that “dick” probably evolved from “prick”, as I’ve seen the word “prick” used for “penis” in some ribald Victorian literature. I also don’t think the old “[Dick & Jane](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_and_jane)” grade-school reading books would have used that name if “dick” was in common use at the time they were written. To tell the truth, it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that we could credit/blame Richard Nixon (who went by Dick among friends) for the current meaning of “dick”. This is anecdotally supported by the fact that in elementary school (1972 - 1978) we (my schoolmates and I) usually used the terms “weiner”, “pecker”, “prick” or “peter”. “Dick” didn’t show up in our vocabulary so much until 1977-79. It was probably in use shortly before then, but it took some time to filter down from the high school kids. Maybe somebody who was in school in the 1960s or earlier can comment on whether the word was used in this way before Nixon? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-douchebag-an-insult/460054/53 "2008-08-16T18:53:02Z")
[Re: “dick”](http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=dick&searchmode=none) > [@](#): > > The meaning “penis” is attested from 1891 in British army slang; dickhead “stupid person” is from 1969. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-douchebag-an-insult/460054/54 "2008-08-16T19:03:15Z")
How about that! ---
**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 16, 2008, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-douchebag-an-insult/460054/55 "2008-08-16T22:32:12Z")
[QUOTE=Mister Rik] This Richard doesn’t 😉 However, the guy I’m named after (my dad’s best friend in high school) went by “Dick” as an adult. I have a suspicion that “dick” as slang for penis is a fairly recent development, based mostly on the fact that Richards who go by “Dick” are almost exclusively members of my dad’s generation (baby boomers) or older. I’ve _never_ met a Richard of my generation (post-Boomers) or younger who goes by Dick. I’m also assuming that Rick predates Dick as a diminutive of Richard, since it probably comes from British name-rhyming: Richard -\> Rich -\> Rick -\> Dick. I’m not certain the “Dick” variant would have become popular if “dick” had already been a common slang term for penis. In fact, I’m almost certain that “dick” probably evolved from “prick”, as I’ve seen the word “prick” used for “penis” in some ribald Victorian literature. I also don’t think the old “[Dick & Jane](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_and_jane)” grade-school reading books would have used that name if “dick” was in common use at the time they were written. To tell the truth, it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that we could credit/blame Richard Nixon (who went by Dick among friends) for the current meaning of “dick”. This is anecdotally supported by the fact that in elementary school (1972 - 1978) we (my schoolmates and I) usually used the terms “weiner”, “pecker”, “prick” or “peter”. “Dick” didn’t show up in our vocabulary so much until 1977-79. It was probably in use shortly before then, but it took some time to filter down from the high school kids. Maybe somebody who was in school in the 1960s or earlier can comment on whether the word was used in this way before Nixon? [/QUOTE] Oh, definitely. I graduated high school in 1975 and remember dick being used as slang for a penis maybe when I was as young as 10. I also remember guys using “dick” and “dickhead” as insults. So, this was about 1967 and may be older than that. ---
**Author:** ![Daithi\_Lacha](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daithi_lacha/32/5430_2.png) [@Daithi\_Lacha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daithi_Lacha)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2008, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-douchebag-an-insult/460054/56 "2008-08-18T16:32:28Z")
[QUOTE=Erasmus Darwin] Tampon was used as an insult in “[Can’t Hardly Wait (1998)](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0127723/)”. Specifically, it’s revealed that Seth Green’s character, Kenny, had written “Denise Fleming is a tampon,” on Denise’s locker. [/QUOTE] Probably based on the old gag, Why is a spoiled rich girl like a tampon? Because they’re both stuck up c\*nts. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2008, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-douchebag-an-insult/460054/57 "2008-08-18T18:08:55Z")
[QUOTE=Mister Rik] To tell the truth, it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that we could credit/blame Richard Nixon (who went by Dick among friends) for the current meaning of “dick”. [/QUOTE] [non-sequitor] I still remember the bumper stickers that said “Vote for Nixon in '72 – Don’t change Dicks in the middle of a screw.” They were all over Boulder, Colorado (which was NOT a hotbed of Nixon supporters!). [/non-sequitor] ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2008, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-douchebag-an-insult/460054/58 "2008-08-18T18:51:55Z")
[continuing non-sequitor] “Dick Nixon - before he dicks you” was another one I’d seen a few times [/cns] ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2008, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-douchebag-an-insult/460054/59 "2008-08-18T20:32:55Z")
> [@](#): > > I have a suspicion that “dick” as slang for penis is a fairly recent development, based mostly on the fact that Richards who go by “Dick” are almost exclusively members of my dad’s generation (baby boomers) or older. In fact, I suspect that part of the reason “dick” became slang for “penis” in the first place is precisely because it was a common male name. “Johnson” (for the same organ) probably has similar origins. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2008, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-douchebag-an-insult/460054/60 "2008-08-18T20:46:41Z")
A true story: My mother was out with my brother and his friend (both aged 8) walking along the water watching the Brooklyn-Staten Island Ferry. The boys spotted a floating condom in the water. My brother’s friend says “Hey what’s that?”. My mother was a little embarassed and says to the boy “that’s a Whitefish”. My brother blurts out “No mom, it’s a scumbag!” People within earshot burst out laughing. I wasn’t born when this happened but both my brother and mother swear it happened. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-douchebag-an-insult/460054.md?page=2)