pdogg Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 In another thread my buddy Rickshaw asked, "What's the origin of dipshit"? What better way to kick off an etymology thread! The origin of words and phrases is fascinating. William Safire, one of Nixon's former speechwriters, wrote a great column, On Language, in the NY Times Magazine uncovering the first use of words which have entered the popular lexicon. But don't think dipshit was discussed in his column. Deep Throat's research into dipshit reveals: The word dipstick, from which dipshit was taken, was invented in 1927, and refers to one of several devices dipped into a liquid to perform some kind of chemical test or measurement of the quantity of the liquid.British English, certainly a more refined expression of the language than American English, uses the word "Dipstick" to refer to someone whose intellectual bulb is a little dim. "That referee is a right dipstick."It took us creative Americans, however, to invent dipshit. I don't know the precise circumstance that led the first American (probably a teenage male) to gaze at his friend and say, "You are a real dipshit," but we do know that the first literary attestation of the world was in the 1963 book American Speech. It meant a stupid, inept, or contemptible person; an idiot. Here is the inaugural sentence: "Pejorative expressions traditionally directed at the supposedly less sophisticated rural resident: country bumpkin, dipshit, etc." By the time we get to 1970 we definitely have an American usage of the term: "It's not the dumb, jerkoff dipshits that are doing it.." And then, from Rolling Stone in 2003, a magazine put out by Wenner publications (where my daughter worked for a while): "A cowboy isn't some dipshit with a ten-gallon hat and a dinner plate on his belt." Well, since there are more than 600,000 other attestations of the term, there is no need for me to multiply references to it. But you get the point. "Dipshit" emerged at a time when the language of invective or insult was undergoing dramatic change in America.* Quote Link to comment
Kahuna Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 What a great question posed by Rickshaw and a great response by DT... And what a great word...Dipshit...I think I've worn that label a few times in my life...And likely will a few times more... Quote Link to comment
SiamSam Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 You a dipshit Kahuna!?!?!? Never. That would be an oxymoron. Quote Link to comment
farangbah Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 William Safire, one of Nixon's former speechwriters, wrote a great column, On Language, in the NY Times Magazine uncovering the first use of words which have entered the popular lexicon. That's a goocher! I was wondering what happened to that column not twenty-four hours ago, dude! Quote Link to comment
Hefe Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 I've always been fascinated by the origin of phrases or how word usage evolves. Just in the last 2 weeks I read an article about the phrase "the whole nine yards" & how nobody seems to know what it refers to. The earliest references are quite recent, iirc the 50s. I never heard it growing up in & near NYC in the 50s or 60s.... When I moved to the Midwest in the 70s I heard it for the 1st time & assumed it was regional, not so. I always casually assumed it was a football reference, but of course then it would be the whole "10" yards. This kind of shit fascinates me... So yes I am a nerd! Quote Link to comment
SiamSam Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 Hefe, It may have something to do with beer/ale. Ale use to be drawn into a long vessel called a "yard". You could also order half yards. In some pubs you can still order yards Undoubtedly if someone consumed 9 yards of beer they were quite intoxicated. Hence the saying "the whole 9 yards" implying it was a lot. A yard of ale A yard of ale or yard glass is a very tall beer glass used for drinking around 2.5 imperial pints (1.4 l) of beer, depending upon the diameter. The glass is approximately 1 yard long, shaped with a bulb at the bottom, and a widening shaft which constitutes most of the height.[1] The glass most likely originated in 17th-century England where the glass was known also as a "Long Glass", a "Cambridge Yard (Glass)" and an "Ell Glass". It is associated by legend with stagecoach drivers, though was mainly used for drinking feats and special toasts.[2][3] Drinking a yard glass full of beer as quickly as possible is a traditional pub game; the bulb at the bottom of the glass makes it likely that the contestant will be splashed with a sudden rush of beer towards the end of the feat. The fastest drinking of a yard of ale (1.42 litres) in the Guinness Book of Records is 5 seconds.[4] Contents [hide] 1 Description 2 History 3 Usage 4 Boot of beer 5 See also 6 References Quote Link to comment
bumblebee Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 Dipshit is surely how you feel after partaking of an LB's back door, when she has not used the butt hose. Quote Link to comment
SiamSam Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 How about "son of a gun"? Story I heard about its origin was sailor related. In days of old when a ship came into port often times the captain would anchor in the bay rather than docking. The reason being he feared once his crew landed he would lose them to women and drink and not have a full crew assembled once he had to set sail. Obviously this did not go over big with the crew so to compensate the captain had the whores and booze rowed out to the ship. Most of the crew slept in hammocks slung between cannons and this is where they would fuck the ladies. The phrase "son of a gun" is derogatory and an insult. When someone called you a "son of a gun" they were implying your mother was a whore who slept with a sailor in his hammock slung between the cannons (guns). Makes sense to me. I lot of sayings are marine based. Like 3 squares (meals) a day. Anyone know the origin? Quote Link to comment
Kahuna Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 It may have something to do with beer/ale. In a pig's eye... Quote Link to comment
Hefe Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 Undoubtedly if someone consumed 9 yards of beer they were quite intoxicated. Undoubtedly they would be "3 sheets to the wind!" Quote Link to comment
pacman Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 Just in the last 2 weeks I read an article about the phrase "the whole nine yards" & how nobody seems to know what it refers to. The earliest references are quite recent, iirc the 50s. I did read about the origin of this term once. It's from the military & the 9 yards refers to the length of a machine gun bullet belt. It might have been a Bren gun but I can't recall. Anyway, no prizes for guessing what was meant when the gunner was ordered to "give 'em the whole 9 yards". Ouch! So yes I am a nerd! You're in good company... Quote Link to comment
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