Git (slang): Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Revision as of 04:03, 17 June 2010

Git is a relatively mild^[1] slang term used in British English to denote a silly, incompetent, stupid, annoying, senile elderly or childish person.^[2] It is usually an insult, more severe than twit but less severe than a true obscenity like wanker or arsehole.^[1]^[3]

The word has been ruled by the Speaker of the House of Commons to be unparliamentary language.^[4]^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b "TV's most offensive words". The Guardian. Monday 21 November 2005 08.26. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
^ Ayto, John; Simpson, John (April 28, 2005). The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198610521.
^ Geoffrey Hughes, An encyclopedia of swearing: the social history of oaths, profanity, foul language, and ethnic slurs in the English-speaking world, p. 200
^ Geoffrey Hughes, An encyclopedia of swearing: the social history of oaths, profanity, foul language, and ethnic slurs in the English-speaking world, p. 477
^ M. Hunt, Alison Maloney, Joy of Swearing

[TV-1] "TV's most offensive words". The Guardian. Monday 21 November 2005 08.26. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

[2] Ayto, John; Simpson, John (April 28, 2005). The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198610521.

[3] Geoffrey Hughes, An encyclopedia of swearing: the social history of oaths, profanity, foul language, and ethnic slurs in the English-speaking world, p. 200

[4] Geoffrey Hughes, An encyclopedia of swearing: the social history of oaths, profanity, foul language, and ethnic slurs in the English-speaking world, p. 477

[5] M. Hunt, Alison Maloney, Joy of Swearing

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{dicdef}}
 {{Wiktionary|git }}
-'''''Git''''' is mild<ref name=TV>{{Cite news
+'''''Git''''' is  a relatively mild<ref name=TV>{{Cite news
   | title = TV's most offensive words
   | newspaper = The Guardian
   | date = Monday 21 November 2005 08.26
-  | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2005/nov/21/broadcasting.uknews }}</ref> [[bad language]] used in [[British English]] for a silly, incompetent, stupid, annoying, senile elderly or childish person.<ref>{{Cite book
+  | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2005/nov/21/broadcasting.uknews }}</ref> [[slang]] term used in [[British English]] to denote a silly, incompetent, stupid, annoying, senile elderly or childish person.<ref>{{Cite book
   | last = Ayto
   | first = John
@@ Line 14: / Line 15: @@
 | publisher = Oxford University Press
   | isbn = 0198610521  }}</ref>
-It is usually an insult, more severe than ''[[wiktionary:twit|twit]]'' or ''[[idiot]]'' but less severe than ''[[wanker]]'' or ''[[asshole|arsehole]].''<ref name=TV/><ref>{{citation |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?ei=FcoKTLHdGMuU4gaM_aWeAQ&ct=result&id=tN7WAAAAMAAJ |title=An encyclopedia of swearing: the social history of oaths, profanity, foul language, and ethnic slurs in the English-speaking world |author=Geoffrey Hughes |page=200}}</ref><ref>{{citation |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=xWrDyKkLL6QC&pg=PA120 |title=Swearing in English: bad language, purity and power from 1586 to the present |author=Tony McEnery |page=30}}</ref>
+It is usually an insult, more severe than ''[[wiktionary:twit|twit]]'' but less severe than a true obscenity like ''[[wanker]]'' or ''[[asshole|arsehole]].''<ref name=TV/><ref>{{citation |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?ei=FcoKTLHdGMuU4gaM_aWeAQ&ct=result&id=tN7WAAAAMAAJ |title=An encyclopedia of swearing: the social history of oaths, profanity, foul language, and ethnic slurs in the English-speaking world |author=Geoffrey Hughes |page=200}}</ref>
-The word ''git'' first appeared in print in 1946, but is undoubtedly older.{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}}  It is originally an alteration of the word ''get'', dating back to the 14th century.{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}}  A shortening of ''beget'', ''get'' insinuates that the recipient is someone's misbegotten offspring and therefore a [[Illegitimacy|bastard]].<ref>{{OEtymD|git}}</ref> In parts of northern England, [[Northern Ireland]] and [[Scotland]] ''get'' is still used in preference to ''git''.
 The word has been ruled by the [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker of the House of Commons]] to be [[unparliamentary language]].<ref>{{citation |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=tN7WAAAAMAAJ |title=An encyclopedia of swearing: the social history of oaths, profanity, foul language, and ethnic slurs in the English-speaking world |author=Geoffrey Hughes |page=477}}</ref><ref>{{citation |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=awERFb65TuwC |title=Joy of Swearing |author=M. Hunt, Alison Maloney}}</ref>
-In the sitcom ''[[Till Death Us Do Part]]'', [[Alf Garnett]] (played by [[Warren Mitchell]]) often described his [[son-in-law]] (played by [[Anthony Booth|Tony Booth]]) as a "[[Scouse]] git".  For example, in the episode ''The Bird Fancier'', the word was used twice.<ref>{{citation |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=xWrDyKkLL6QC&pg=PA120 |title=Swearing in English: bad language, purity and power from 1586 to the present |author=Tony McEnery |page=120}}</ref>  [[Micky Dolenz]] penned the [[Monkees]] song "[[Randy Scouse Git]]" after hearing the phrase on the programme.  The group's British record company felt uncomfortable with the use of the word so the song was issued as "Alternate Title" in the United Kingdom.
-The word ''git'' was also frequently used in the British science fiction comedy ''[[Red Dwarf]]'', mainly by [[Arnold Rimmer]].
-[[John Lennon]] also uses it in the song "[[I'm So Tired]]", in the line "And curse [[Sir Walter Raleigh]], he was such a stupid get," using the archaic version to rhyme with ''cigarette''.
-The word was used self-deprecatingly by [[Linus Torvalds]] in naming the [[git (software)|git source control package]].<ref>[http://git.or.cz/gitwiki/GitFaq#head-90fa13ebe170116f1586156e73b549cc2135b784 GitFaq: Why the 'git' name?].</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.infoworld.com/article/05/04/19/HNtorvaldswork_1.html |title=After controversy, Torvalds begins work on git |journal=InfoWorld |issn=0199-6649 |date=2005-04-19 |accessdate=2008-02-20}}</ref>
-The word had become sufficiently inoffensive by the 1990s to occur many times in the ''[[Harry Potter]]'' books.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-git1.htm |title=World Wide Words: Git |author=Michael Quinion}}</ref>
 ==References==