Taking the piss

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

To take the piss is an expression meaning to mock, tease, ridicule or scoff.[1] Take the mickey (or variations) are euphemistic ways of conveying this expression where the word "piss" may be vulgar.

Contents

[edit] Usage

The term sometimes refers to a form of mockery in which the mocker exaggerates the other person's characteristics; pretending to take on his or her attitudes, etc., in order to make them look funny. Or it may be used to refer to a ruse where a person is led to believe something is true that isn't (usually a fairly unbelievable story) for the purpose of ridicule of the "victim".


The phrase is in common usage throughout British society, employed by headline writers in broadsheet gazettes[2] and tabloids[3] as well as colloquially and is also used in English speaking countries such as Australia.[4][5]

In colloquial usage, 'taking the piss' is also used to refer to someone or something that makes a claim which is not in line with a recognised agreement e.g. an invoice that is double the quoted price with no explanation for the added charge could be said to 'take the piss', or likewise if something consistently misses a deadline.

[edit] Origin

"Take the mickey" is an abbreviated form of the Cockney rhyming slang "take the mickey bliss"[6], meaning to "take the piss [out of someone]". The phrase has been noted since the 1930s.

[edit] Alternate theories of origin

An alternate, unverified, and unlikely theory of etymology is that "mickey" is a contraction of "micturition" (i.e., piss),[7] "mickey" being a suitable alternative when in the company of those liable to be offended by "piss".

[edit] References

  1. ^ Chris Roberts, Heavy Words Lightly Thrown: The Reason Behind Rhyme, Thorndike Press,2006 (ISBN 0-7862-8517-6)
  2. ^ Waxwork sculptor lampoons Sootchi in new book | UK news | The Observer
  3. ^ Are Jordan and Peter taking the Mickey? | the Daily Mail
  4. ^ Taking the Mickey - smh.com.au
  5. ^ To mitigate Gibbs outburst is simply taking the Mickey - Cricket - Sport
  6. ^ Martin, Gary. "Take the Mickey". The Phrase Finder. http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/344000.html. Retrieved 2008-01-30. 
  7. ^ Origins of British Swear-words at BBC

[edit] External links

Search Wiktionary Look up take the mickey in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
This culture-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taking_the_piss"