Street voices
Hugues
·
United States
"Bullshit, a word used to refer to something that you think is completely fake or dishonest. Alternatively, it can also be used as a verb when you want to say that someone is lying to you or misleading you. Dude, did you hear about that dork Rufus? Apparently, he got completely shitfaced the other night. What? That's bullshit. Come on, dude. You're bullshitting me, dude."
What it means
A blunt everyday swear word for something you think is nonsense, a lie, a dodgy excuse, or a story that just doesn't pass the smell test. You can use it for the claim itself, like That's bullshit, or as a verb in You're bullshitting me. Common across casual English, especially when you're calling cap with zero patience.
Usage examples
"Dude, that guy says he met Beyoncé at a gas station and taught her jiu jitsu. That’s bullshit, quit bullshitting the whole bar."
"The whole story about the deer in the back seat was complete bullshit, my brother told it for three Christmases in a row, and we only realised when the original photo turned up showing a stuffed animal from the toy store on Main Street."
"The contractor said the bathroom would be done in three days, total bullshit, we are at day twelve, the tiles are still in their box on the landing, and the plumber has not answered his phone since last Thursday at half past four."
"Nah, that's bullshit. He said he'd quit for good, then showed up outside the pub with a vape and a kebab at 1 a.m."
"The email says our refund is processing, but they've been saying that for two weeks. Absolute bullshit."
Where it comes from
It began as the literal word for bull dung in American English around the early 1900s. Not long after, it slid into slang for nonsense, lies, and empty talk. That jump makes sense since the word already smelled of something foul, useless, and not worth stepping into twice.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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