bullshit

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈbʊl.ʃɪt/^[1]

Etymology

It is a compound of bull and shit, first recorded in American slang,^[2][3][4] probably because the thing smells.^[2] The shorter bull “trivial or false statements” is recorded from the same year, and it may continue Middle English bull “false talk, fraud”.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Eloquent and insincere talk, nonsense: 1914 in Etymonline and MWU, about 1915 in the OED, and about 1910 in the Historical Thesaurus.^[2][3][5][6]

Semantic evolution

A second sense, mere conventional observance or fussy routine, the same as bull, is from 1930.^[5][6] The verb, to talk nonsense to or bluff one's way through, is from 1942 in the OED and Etymonline, 1917 in the Historical Thesaurus.^[5][2][6]

Timeline

• 1914 – noun, nonsense.^[2][3]
• 1930 – fussy routine.^[5]
• 1942 – verb.^[5][2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. (vulgar slang) Foolish, insincere or false talk; nonsense.

Verb

1. (vulgar slang) To talk nonsense, or to try to deceive someone with exaggerated or false talk.

Word family

• bullshitter

Related words

• bull
• shit

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)