There are very few words that offend, and even fewer words you cannot say, or should not say, on television and radio. I have already written articles on the words "fuck" and "nigger", so now I turn my attention to the last of the nasties... SHIT.
The word shit is a noun (I stepped in shit!) a verb (I shit myself!), and sometimes transformed into an adjective (Who listens to that shit music anyway?) The word shit, comes from the Old English word shite, which in turn comes from the German word schite. All these words, though, are derived from the ancient Greek word skatos, which is where we get scatology, "the study of shit". It is believed that even this word has a beginning in the Indo-European language (which gave us Greco-Roman, Latin, German, etc.) as the word skei, meaning "to separate from one's body".
The word shit is used so variously because it can be used as a collective, whereas turd is countable. When one says, "A pile of shit," you cannot tell how many shits there are, but you cannot say "A pile of turd, " without having to pluralize the word "turd." So you can have a "pile of shit, " a "crock of shit," you can "take a shit" or "not give a shit." On the other hand, you can hold as many turds as you like.
There are certain words, which are in shit's field, but only a few are exact synonyms. Dung and manure are usually used when speaking of animals. Stool, excrement, and feces are medical terms. Only crap seems to be a true synonym, because it can be used as a noun (I stepped in crap!), verb (I crapped myself!) and adjective (Who listens to that crap music anyway?).
In our language today, the word shit has the same literal meaning it has always had, but quite a few figurative meanings as well, because the connotations of the word shit range from outright pejorative to somewhat negative and then to neutral or even lightly, positive use.
In the neutral corner, we use the word shit as literally meaning excrement, as in to "take a shit", "scarred shitless, ", "having a shit fit," or "shit my pants." Later coming to the more negative aspect of the word shit, we have "eat shit, " "up shit's creek without a paddle," "shit out of luck," and "not knowing shit." Finally coming to the outright nasty, "shit for brains, " "shit head," or "beat the shit out of you."
As of the late 60s, the word shit has lost most of it's literal meaning and is used to describe things other than excrement, such as; drugs (That's some good shit.) a personal life (Get your shit together.) or even wrong ideas (He's full of shit.), and so on.
We also have animal compounds of the word shit, but only horseshit, bullshit, and chickenshit seems to have any common use. Often, someone will use dogshit, but it is not used as much as the aforementioned three.
Fact of the matter is that the word shit is losing it's taboo. Just as we now hear the words asshole, faggot and dickhead on late-night television, we shall soon hear the word shit. So forget the euphemisms like poop, number two, doo-doo, caca, bowel movement, or cow chips. Say it loud, say it proud...
America take a shit.

Originally for Issue 8. This article was never released.