A conversation with a friend, via email, in which we were discussing blogging:
Friend: A bird just shat on my sunroof. A sign that I should or should not blog?
Me: The obvious sign is to keep your sunroof closed. However, there’s no harm in further extrapolating that you should not blog. The gods have not smiled on you, choosing instead that you be shat upon.
The past tense form is so less vulgar than the present. Why does the present tense sound so much worse? If it happens in the past, does that not make it a swear word?
Friend: Must be some sort of statute of limitations thing once it’s done. But does it work for “fack”? Maybe for “fock.”
Me: No. That’s just f**ked. It’s not the same kind of word.
Dictionary.com tells me that there are two alternatives to “shat,” and they both sound as vulgar as the present form.
So given the three choices, why would your friend elect to use the least vulgar sounding one? That is so fornicated.
It’s nice to have a fact checker in my comments.
No, really, it is.
In our email conversations, we also use the words “whilst” and “dreamt” and so forth. “Shat” fits in. Plus, there’s the Star Trek thing.
Why so crude?
F-bombs? Really? Is that who you are?
Your wit was what drew me to your website, but there’s no wit in f-bombs and crudeness.
I can imagine that I’ll be invited with invective and vitriole not to return.
I can live with that. Dave
It was more a post about word usage than anything, and not intended to offend. Unfortunately, just by the nature of writing and everyone’s different standards, I probably will continue to do so, regardless, unintentionally.
I think a re-read of this post would be in order, particularly the part about readers forming a partial story on who the writer is.
Again, thanks for reading. I don’t know you, and I simply can’t care about everyone’s opinion. I am sure that you understand that. I hope you have more success in reading other’s blogs. Have a nice day. Sorry you couldn’t stay.
I don’t get the Star Trek thing.
One of the two alternatives to “shat” also ends with a t. In fact, just like “hit,” the past tense is the same as the present tense in this case.
This has been the most extensive word study I have done on the s-word in my 30 years as an English learner. Nobody before you has spurred me to explore not just the conjugation of the word, but also its etymology. Thank you.
The check’s in the mail.
Shat, as in William Shatner. He’s The Shat.
Shat is kind of an Old English sounding way of saying it in past tense. Like “whilst” instead of “while” and so forth.
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