# Word Change:How deep is whale poop?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-change-how-deep-is-whale-poop/97715>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [March 11, 2002, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-change-how-deep-is-whale-poop/97715 "2002-03-11T23:39:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\
**Post date:** [March 11, 2002, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-change-how-deep-is-whale-poop/97715/1 "2002-03-11T23:39:40Z")

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If you run the search for ‘whale’ on the main archive page search this column shows up:  
How deep is whale poop?  
URL: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_003c.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_003c.html)

But this links to:  
How deep is whale shit?  
[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_003c.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_003c.html)

Why did the word change from ‘poop’ to ‘shit?’

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**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:** [March 12, 2002, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-change-how-deep-is-whale-poop/97715/2 "2002-03-12T05:03:48Z")

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**handy** , both of your links are the same. But the most likely explanation, in any event, is that “poop” dates from the days when the online Straight Dope resided on AOL, where there are restrictions on vulgar language. Once the SD moved to its own site, with its own rules, it was changed back to what was presumably the original question.

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**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2002, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-change-how-deep-is-whale-poop/97715/3 "2002-03-12T16:04:57Z")

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Thanks, that makes sense.

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**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-change-how-deep-is-whale-poop/97715/4 "2002-03-21T09:28:49Z")

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The column can also be found on pages 3-4 of Cecil Adams’ book «[_The Straight Dope (1984; reissued 1986, 1998)_](https://securesite.chireader.com/cgi-bin/dopestore/buystuff.bat#tsd)».