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How “pissed” come to mean “drunk” or “angry”?


“Pissed” vs “Pissed off”How do you get from the literal meaning of “all bets are off” to the idiom?When and how did “momentarily” come to mean “in a moment”, rather than “for a moment”?What does “enough” mean in expressions like “Fair enough” or “Funny enough”?“running a fever” originWhere does describing something as “the gold standard” come from?Defining the word EnterpriserDoes “express” mean fast or cheap?Does “discreet” mean “tactful” or “euphemistic”?Changing meaning of osmosis to mean symbiosisWhen and where did “clam” come to mean a missed note in a musical performance?






.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;








4















How "pissed" come to mean "drunk" or "angry" in expressions such as: "I'm pissed" OR "I'm pissed off"? I
looked it up and all dictionaries just say it means so. So, does it have anything to do, even though figuratively, with "urine" —i.e. the literal meaning of "piss"???
———
P.S.: Also for the expressions "Piss off!", meaning "Go away!" & "take the piss(out the someone)", meaning "make fun of someone": Do they have anything to do with the literal meaning of "piss" —"urine"— , even if figuratively????
————— **EDITED: If there is a relation, then what is it?










share|improve this question



















  • 4





    I should probably point out that the "drunk" sense is primarily UK; in the USA, the "angry" sense predominates. No doubt it has something to do with urination, somehow, as does piss off in the imperative (another primarily UK usage; in the USA, the phrasal verb is mostly used in the angry sense, as a participle).

    – John Lawler
    9 hours ago






  • 2





    Of related interest: “Pissed” vs “Pissed off”

    – choster
    8 hours ago

















4















How "pissed" come to mean "drunk" or "angry" in expressions such as: "I'm pissed" OR "I'm pissed off"? I
looked it up and all dictionaries just say it means so. So, does it have anything to do, even though figuratively, with "urine" —i.e. the literal meaning of "piss"???
———
P.S.: Also for the expressions "Piss off!", meaning "Go away!" & "take the piss(out the someone)", meaning "make fun of someone": Do they have anything to do with the literal meaning of "piss" —"urine"— , even if figuratively????
————— **EDITED: If there is a relation, then what is it?










share|improve this question



















  • 4





    I should probably point out that the "drunk" sense is primarily UK; in the USA, the "angry" sense predominates. No doubt it has something to do with urination, somehow, as does piss off in the imperative (another primarily UK usage; in the USA, the phrasal verb is mostly used in the angry sense, as a participle).

    – John Lawler
    9 hours ago






  • 2





    Of related interest: “Pissed” vs “Pissed off”

    – choster
    8 hours ago













4












4








4








How "pissed" come to mean "drunk" or "angry" in expressions such as: "I'm pissed" OR "I'm pissed off"? I
looked it up and all dictionaries just say it means so. So, does it have anything to do, even though figuratively, with "urine" —i.e. the literal meaning of "piss"???
———
P.S.: Also for the expressions "Piss off!", meaning "Go away!" & "take the piss(out the someone)", meaning "make fun of someone": Do they have anything to do with the literal meaning of "piss" —"urine"— , even if figuratively????
————— **EDITED: If there is a relation, then what is it?










share|improve this question
















How "pissed" come to mean "drunk" or "angry" in expressions such as: "I'm pissed" OR "I'm pissed off"? I
looked it up and all dictionaries just say it means so. So, does it have anything to do, even though figuratively, with "urine" —i.e. the literal meaning of "piss"???
———
P.S.: Also for the expressions "Piss off!", meaning "Go away!" & "take the piss(out the someone)", meaning "make fun of someone": Do they have anything to do with the literal meaning of "piss" —"urine"— , even if figuratively????
————— **EDITED: If there is a relation, then what is it?







meaning word-usage etymology phrase-meaning offensive-language






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 8 hours ago







OS1799

















asked 9 hours ago









OS1799OS1799

575




575







  • 4





    I should probably point out that the "drunk" sense is primarily UK; in the USA, the "angry" sense predominates. No doubt it has something to do with urination, somehow, as does piss off in the imperative (another primarily UK usage; in the USA, the phrasal verb is mostly used in the angry sense, as a participle).

    – John Lawler
    9 hours ago






  • 2





    Of related interest: “Pissed” vs “Pissed off”

    – choster
    8 hours ago












  • 4





    I should probably point out that the "drunk" sense is primarily UK; in the USA, the "angry" sense predominates. No doubt it has something to do with urination, somehow, as does piss off in the imperative (another primarily UK usage; in the USA, the phrasal verb is mostly used in the angry sense, as a participle).

    – John Lawler
    9 hours ago






  • 2





    Of related interest: “Pissed” vs “Pissed off”

    – choster
    8 hours ago







4




4





I should probably point out that the "drunk" sense is primarily UK; in the USA, the "angry" sense predominates. No doubt it has something to do with urination, somehow, as does piss off in the imperative (another primarily UK usage; in the USA, the phrasal verb is mostly used in the angry sense, as a participle).

– John Lawler
9 hours ago





I should probably point out that the "drunk" sense is primarily UK; in the USA, the "angry" sense predominates. No doubt it has something to do with urination, somehow, as does piss off in the imperative (another primarily UK usage; in the USA, the phrasal verb is mostly used in the angry sense, as a participle).

– John Lawler
9 hours ago




2




2





Of related interest: “Pissed” vs “Pissed off”

– choster
8 hours ago





Of related interest: “Pissed” vs “Pissed off”

– choster
8 hours ago










3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes


















1














To answer the angry part of this. I believe some say that the phrase originates from "Pissing Blood", which is where someone gets so angry that they rupture a blood vessel which causes them to urinate.



It was the early 19th Century when the word came to mean drunk, but it is unclear why. I suspect it was just used by an author in a book or play and became a popular turn of phrase. (Charles Dickens and William Shakepear were both well known for making up many words and phrases which took off and are still used today.)






share|improve this answer








New contributor



Bee is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.



















  • Perhaps because drinking beer famously makes you have to pee?

    – Stephen R
    56 mins ago


















1














The application of piss or pissed to anger was first documented as an expression just after World War II. In two articles from American Speech in the same year, Fred Eikel, Jr. and Joseph W. Bishop, Jr. each documented the usage.



Here is Eikel, Fred. “An Aggie Vocabulary of Slang.” American Speech, vol. 21, no. 1, 1946, pp. 29–36. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/487347, p. 33.




HE PISSED (or PEED) ME OFF. An expression used of a person who in any way disappointed the speaker.




This usage comes from Texas A&M, which at the time had a major military presence.



Here is Bishop, Joseph W. “American Army Speech in the European Theater.” American Speech, vol. 21, no. 4, 1946, pp. 241–252. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/487320. p.249.




a. Pissed-off (or P'd off). This means, roughly, fed-up, irritated, depressed. I have no idea of its history. The British say browned off and it may be that the Americans who borrowed the phrase simply felt that 'browned' was not strong enough. The superlative is, for some reason, highly pissed off, which may also be a Briticism.




Bishop is an amateur recording slang from his time in service. His note - "I have no idea of its history" - carries over to explaining why this usage appeared, or what its precise relation to micturation is. The guess of an association with "brown off" is possible, as is an attraction to the vulgarity of "piss" or an affinity for another figurative usage of "piss."






share|improve this answer


















  • 1





    Any information on the UK 'drunk' meaning?

    – Mitch
    4 hours ago






  • 1





    @Mitch Honestly I'm confused about the "drunk" meaning. I didn't find any early sources describing it like I did "pissed off." The OED places it in the 1920s (after a nonce usage in the 1820s). Like "pissed off," there could be several explanations for its use. I've got one connection between the two meanings, but it's pretty oblique - pissant and pisspot can refer to someone who is drunk or someone who is highly irritating or contemptible. I need to think about how to get from there to pissed.

    – TaliesinMerlin
    3 hours ago












  • The UK meaning is just pissed. No off.

    – Lambie
    3 hours ago











  • @Lambie I've also seen "up."

    – TaliesinMerlin
    1 hour ago






  • 1





    Stop pissing (me) about, mate. :) I think when you get drunk, especially on beer, there's a lot of pissing that goes on, right?. It's a synecdoche, kind of. Ha ha.

    – Lambie
    1 hour ago


















1














From the etymology of piss (v.): etymonline




late 13c., from Old French pissier "urinate" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin
*pissiare, of imitative origin.




indeed reveals its literal association to urine. As @johnlowler noted in a comment on the variation in AmE and BrE, but I can find no facts as to the "what is the relation" (the when is easy). There are many phrases and phrasal verbs using piss, most dating to the middle ages.






share|improve this answer




















  • 2





    Surely the question wasn't whether 'piss' means 'urine', but how a word concerning piss has come to mean drunk or angry? I don't see that this answers the question.

    – Spagirl
    9 hours ago






  • 1





    I stated such. I posted to ?: "So, does it have anything to do, even though figuratively, with "urine" ."

    – lbf
    8 hours ago






  • 1





    @Ibf Thanks of course, but I already know the literal meaning and knew from you all that there is a relation or association between these expressions and the literal meaning of the word "piss". But the question is: What is the relation???

    – OS1799
    8 hours ago











Your Answer








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3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes








3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes









1














To answer the angry part of this. I believe some say that the phrase originates from "Pissing Blood", which is where someone gets so angry that they rupture a blood vessel which causes them to urinate.



It was the early 19th Century when the word came to mean drunk, but it is unclear why. I suspect it was just used by an author in a book or play and became a popular turn of phrase. (Charles Dickens and William Shakepear were both well known for making up many words and phrases which took off and are still used today.)






share|improve this answer








New contributor



Bee is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.



















  • Perhaps because drinking beer famously makes you have to pee?

    – Stephen R
    56 mins ago















1














To answer the angry part of this. I believe some say that the phrase originates from "Pissing Blood", which is where someone gets so angry that they rupture a blood vessel which causes them to urinate.



It was the early 19th Century when the word came to mean drunk, but it is unclear why. I suspect it was just used by an author in a book or play and became a popular turn of phrase. (Charles Dickens and William Shakepear were both well known for making up many words and phrases which took off and are still used today.)






share|improve this answer








New contributor



Bee is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.



















  • Perhaps because drinking beer famously makes you have to pee?

    – Stephen R
    56 mins ago













1












1








1







To answer the angry part of this. I believe some say that the phrase originates from "Pissing Blood", which is where someone gets so angry that they rupture a blood vessel which causes them to urinate.



It was the early 19th Century when the word came to mean drunk, but it is unclear why. I suspect it was just used by an author in a book or play and became a popular turn of phrase. (Charles Dickens and William Shakepear were both well known for making up many words and phrases which took off and are still used today.)






share|improve this answer








New contributor



Bee is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









To answer the angry part of this. I believe some say that the phrase originates from "Pissing Blood", which is where someone gets so angry that they rupture a blood vessel which causes them to urinate.



It was the early 19th Century when the word came to mean drunk, but it is unclear why. I suspect it was just used by an author in a book or play and became a popular turn of phrase. (Charles Dickens and William Shakepear were both well known for making up many words and phrases which took off and are still used today.)







share|improve this answer








New contributor



Bee is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.








share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer






New contributor



Bee is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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answered 8 hours ago









BeeBee

1113




1113




New contributor



Bee is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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New contributor




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Check out our Code of Conduct.














  • Perhaps because drinking beer famously makes you have to pee?

    – Stephen R
    56 mins ago

















  • Perhaps because drinking beer famously makes you have to pee?

    – Stephen R
    56 mins ago
















Perhaps because drinking beer famously makes you have to pee?

– Stephen R
56 mins ago





Perhaps because drinking beer famously makes you have to pee?

– Stephen R
56 mins ago













1














The application of piss or pissed to anger was first documented as an expression just after World War II. In two articles from American Speech in the same year, Fred Eikel, Jr. and Joseph W. Bishop, Jr. each documented the usage.



Here is Eikel, Fred. “An Aggie Vocabulary of Slang.” American Speech, vol. 21, no. 1, 1946, pp. 29–36. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/487347, p. 33.




HE PISSED (or PEED) ME OFF. An expression used of a person who in any way disappointed the speaker.




This usage comes from Texas A&M, which at the time had a major military presence.



Here is Bishop, Joseph W. “American Army Speech in the European Theater.” American Speech, vol. 21, no. 4, 1946, pp. 241–252. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/487320. p.249.




a. Pissed-off (or P'd off). This means, roughly, fed-up, irritated, depressed. I have no idea of its history. The British say browned off and it may be that the Americans who borrowed the phrase simply felt that 'browned' was not strong enough. The superlative is, for some reason, highly pissed off, which may also be a Briticism.




Bishop is an amateur recording slang from his time in service. His note - "I have no idea of its history" - carries over to explaining why this usage appeared, or what its precise relation to micturation is. The guess of an association with "brown off" is possible, as is an attraction to the vulgarity of "piss" or an affinity for another figurative usage of "piss."






share|improve this answer


















  • 1





    Any information on the UK 'drunk' meaning?

    – Mitch
    4 hours ago






  • 1





    @Mitch Honestly I'm confused about the "drunk" meaning. I didn't find any early sources describing it like I did "pissed off." The OED places it in the 1920s (after a nonce usage in the 1820s). Like "pissed off," there could be several explanations for its use. I've got one connection between the two meanings, but it's pretty oblique - pissant and pisspot can refer to someone who is drunk or someone who is highly irritating or contemptible. I need to think about how to get from there to pissed.

    – TaliesinMerlin
    3 hours ago












  • The UK meaning is just pissed. No off.

    – Lambie
    3 hours ago











  • @Lambie I've also seen "up."

    – TaliesinMerlin
    1 hour ago






  • 1





    Stop pissing (me) about, mate. :) I think when you get drunk, especially on beer, there's a lot of pissing that goes on, right?. It's a synecdoche, kind of. Ha ha.

    – Lambie
    1 hour ago















1














The application of piss or pissed to anger was first documented as an expression just after World War II. In two articles from American Speech in the same year, Fred Eikel, Jr. and Joseph W. Bishop, Jr. each documented the usage.



Here is Eikel, Fred. “An Aggie Vocabulary of Slang.” American Speech, vol. 21, no. 1, 1946, pp. 29–36. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/487347, p. 33.




HE PISSED (or PEED) ME OFF. An expression used of a person who in any way disappointed the speaker.




This usage comes from Texas A&M, which at the time had a major military presence.



Here is Bishop, Joseph W. “American Army Speech in the European Theater.” American Speech, vol. 21, no. 4, 1946, pp. 241–252. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/487320. p.249.




a. Pissed-off (or P'd off). This means, roughly, fed-up, irritated, depressed. I have no idea of its history. The British say browned off and it may be that the Americans who borrowed the phrase simply felt that 'browned' was not strong enough. The superlative is, for some reason, highly pissed off, which may also be a Briticism.




Bishop is an amateur recording slang from his time in service. His note - "I have no idea of its history" - carries over to explaining why this usage appeared, or what its precise relation to micturation is. The guess of an association with "brown off" is possible, as is an attraction to the vulgarity of "piss" or an affinity for another figurative usage of "piss."






share|improve this answer


















  • 1





    Any information on the UK 'drunk' meaning?

    – Mitch
    4 hours ago






  • 1





    @Mitch Honestly I'm confused about the "drunk" meaning. I didn't find any early sources describing it like I did "pissed off." The OED places it in the 1920s (after a nonce usage in the 1820s). Like "pissed off," there could be several explanations for its use. I've got one connection between the two meanings, but it's pretty oblique - pissant and pisspot can refer to someone who is drunk or someone who is highly irritating or contemptible. I need to think about how to get from there to pissed.

    – TaliesinMerlin
    3 hours ago












  • The UK meaning is just pissed. No off.

    – Lambie
    3 hours ago











  • @Lambie I've also seen "up."

    – TaliesinMerlin
    1 hour ago






  • 1





    Stop pissing (me) about, mate. :) I think when you get drunk, especially on beer, there's a lot of pissing that goes on, right?. It's a synecdoche, kind of. Ha ha.

    – Lambie
    1 hour ago













1












1








1







The application of piss or pissed to anger was first documented as an expression just after World War II. In two articles from American Speech in the same year, Fred Eikel, Jr. and Joseph W. Bishop, Jr. each documented the usage.



Here is Eikel, Fred. “An Aggie Vocabulary of Slang.” American Speech, vol. 21, no. 1, 1946, pp. 29–36. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/487347, p. 33.




HE PISSED (or PEED) ME OFF. An expression used of a person who in any way disappointed the speaker.




This usage comes from Texas A&M, which at the time had a major military presence.



Here is Bishop, Joseph W. “American Army Speech in the European Theater.” American Speech, vol. 21, no. 4, 1946, pp. 241–252. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/487320. p.249.




a. Pissed-off (or P'd off). This means, roughly, fed-up, irritated, depressed. I have no idea of its history. The British say browned off and it may be that the Americans who borrowed the phrase simply felt that 'browned' was not strong enough. The superlative is, for some reason, highly pissed off, which may also be a Briticism.




Bishop is an amateur recording slang from his time in service. His note - "I have no idea of its history" - carries over to explaining why this usage appeared, or what its precise relation to micturation is. The guess of an association with "brown off" is possible, as is an attraction to the vulgarity of "piss" or an affinity for another figurative usage of "piss."






share|improve this answer













The application of piss or pissed to anger was first documented as an expression just after World War II. In two articles from American Speech in the same year, Fred Eikel, Jr. and Joseph W. Bishop, Jr. each documented the usage.



Here is Eikel, Fred. “An Aggie Vocabulary of Slang.” American Speech, vol. 21, no. 1, 1946, pp. 29–36. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/487347, p. 33.




HE PISSED (or PEED) ME OFF. An expression used of a person who in any way disappointed the speaker.




This usage comes from Texas A&M, which at the time had a major military presence.



Here is Bishop, Joseph W. “American Army Speech in the European Theater.” American Speech, vol. 21, no. 4, 1946, pp. 241–252. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/487320. p.249.




a. Pissed-off (or P'd off). This means, roughly, fed-up, irritated, depressed. I have no idea of its history. The British say browned off and it may be that the Americans who borrowed the phrase simply felt that 'browned' was not strong enough. The superlative is, for some reason, highly pissed off, which may also be a Briticism.




Bishop is an amateur recording slang from his time in service. His note - "I have no idea of its history" - carries over to explaining why this usage appeared, or what its precise relation to micturation is. The guess of an association with "brown off" is possible, as is an attraction to the vulgarity of "piss" or an affinity for another figurative usage of "piss."







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered 7 hours ago









TaliesinMerlinTaliesinMerlin

10.7k2043




10.7k2043







  • 1





    Any information on the UK 'drunk' meaning?

    – Mitch
    4 hours ago






  • 1





    @Mitch Honestly I'm confused about the "drunk" meaning. I didn't find any early sources describing it like I did "pissed off." The OED places it in the 1920s (after a nonce usage in the 1820s). Like "pissed off," there could be several explanations for its use. I've got one connection between the two meanings, but it's pretty oblique - pissant and pisspot can refer to someone who is drunk or someone who is highly irritating or contemptible. I need to think about how to get from there to pissed.

    – TaliesinMerlin
    3 hours ago












  • The UK meaning is just pissed. No off.

    – Lambie
    3 hours ago











  • @Lambie I've also seen "up."

    – TaliesinMerlin
    1 hour ago






  • 1





    Stop pissing (me) about, mate. :) I think when you get drunk, especially on beer, there's a lot of pissing that goes on, right?. It's a synecdoche, kind of. Ha ha.

    – Lambie
    1 hour ago












  • 1





    Any information on the UK 'drunk' meaning?

    – Mitch
    4 hours ago






  • 1





    @Mitch Honestly I'm confused about the "drunk" meaning. I didn't find any early sources describing it like I did "pissed off." The OED places it in the 1920s (after a nonce usage in the 1820s). Like "pissed off," there could be several explanations for its use. I've got one connection between the two meanings, but it's pretty oblique - pissant and pisspot can refer to someone who is drunk or someone who is highly irritating or contemptible. I need to think about how to get from there to pissed.

    – TaliesinMerlin
    3 hours ago












  • The UK meaning is just pissed. No off.

    – Lambie
    3 hours ago











  • @Lambie I've also seen "up."

    – TaliesinMerlin
    1 hour ago






  • 1





    Stop pissing (me) about, mate. :) I think when you get drunk, especially on beer, there's a lot of pissing that goes on, right?. It's a synecdoche, kind of. Ha ha.

    – Lambie
    1 hour ago







1




1





Any information on the UK 'drunk' meaning?

– Mitch
4 hours ago





Any information on the UK 'drunk' meaning?

– Mitch
4 hours ago




1




1





@Mitch Honestly I'm confused about the "drunk" meaning. I didn't find any early sources describing it like I did "pissed off." The OED places it in the 1920s (after a nonce usage in the 1820s). Like "pissed off," there could be several explanations for its use. I've got one connection between the two meanings, but it's pretty oblique - pissant and pisspot can refer to someone who is drunk or someone who is highly irritating or contemptible. I need to think about how to get from there to pissed.

– TaliesinMerlin
3 hours ago






@Mitch Honestly I'm confused about the "drunk" meaning. I didn't find any early sources describing it like I did "pissed off." The OED places it in the 1920s (after a nonce usage in the 1820s). Like "pissed off," there could be several explanations for its use. I've got one connection between the two meanings, but it's pretty oblique - pissant and pisspot can refer to someone who is drunk or someone who is highly irritating or contemptible. I need to think about how to get from there to pissed.

– TaliesinMerlin
3 hours ago














The UK meaning is just pissed. No off.

– Lambie
3 hours ago





The UK meaning is just pissed. No off.

– Lambie
3 hours ago













@Lambie I've also seen "up."

– TaliesinMerlin
1 hour ago





@Lambie I've also seen "up."

– TaliesinMerlin
1 hour ago




1




1





Stop pissing (me) about, mate. :) I think when you get drunk, especially on beer, there's a lot of pissing that goes on, right?. It's a synecdoche, kind of. Ha ha.

– Lambie
1 hour ago





Stop pissing (me) about, mate. :) I think when you get drunk, especially on beer, there's a lot of pissing that goes on, right?. It's a synecdoche, kind of. Ha ha.

– Lambie
1 hour ago











1














From the etymology of piss (v.): etymonline




late 13c., from Old French pissier "urinate" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin
*pissiare, of imitative origin.




indeed reveals its literal association to urine. As @johnlowler noted in a comment on the variation in AmE and BrE, but I can find no facts as to the "what is the relation" (the when is easy). There are many phrases and phrasal verbs using piss, most dating to the middle ages.






share|improve this answer




















  • 2





    Surely the question wasn't whether 'piss' means 'urine', but how a word concerning piss has come to mean drunk or angry? I don't see that this answers the question.

    – Spagirl
    9 hours ago






  • 1





    I stated such. I posted to ?: "So, does it have anything to do, even though figuratively, with "urine" ."

    – lbf
    8 hours ago






  • 1





    @Ibf Thanks of course, but I already know the literal meaning and knew from you all that there is a relation or association between these expressions and the literal meaning of the word "piss". But the question is: What is the relation???

    – OS1799
    8 hours ago















1














From the etymology of piss (v.): etymonline




late 13c., from Old French pissier "urinate" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin
*pissiare, of imitative origin.




indeed reveals its literal association to urine. As @johnlowler noted in a comment on the variation in AmE and BrE, but I can find no facts as to the "what is the relation" (the when is easy). There are many phrases and phrasal verbs using piss, most dating to the middle ages.






share|improve this answer




















  • 2





    Surely the question wasn't whether 'piss' means 'urine', but how a word concerning piss has come to mean drunk or angry? I don't see that this answers the question.

    – Spagirl
    9 hours ago






  • 1





    I stated such. I posted to ?: "So, does it have anything to do, even though figuratively, with "urine" ."

    – lbf
    8 hours ago






  • 1





    @Ibf Thanks of course, but I already know the literal meaning and knew from you all that there is a relation or association between these expressions and the literal meaning of the word "piss". But the question is: What is the relation???

    – OS1799
    8 hours ago













1












1








1







From the etymology of piss (v.): etymonline




late 13c., from Old French pissier "urinate" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin
*pissiare, of imitative origin.




indeed reveals its literal association to urine. As @johnlowler noted in a comment on the variation in AmE and BrE, but I can find no facts as to the "what is the relation" (the when is easy). There are many phrases and phrasal verbs using piss, most dating to the middle ages.






share|improve this answer















From the etymology of piss (v.): etymonline




late 13c., from Old French pissier "urinate" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin
*pissiare, of imitative origin.




indeed reveals its literal association to urine. As @johnlowler noted in a comment on the variation in AmE and BrE, but I can find no facts as to the "what is the relation" (the when is easy). There are many phrases and phrasal verbs using piss, most dating to the middle ages.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited 4 hours ago

























answered 9 hours ago









lbflbf

24.2k22979




24.2k22979







  • 2





    Surely the question wasn't whether 'piss' means 'urine', but how a word concerning piss has come to mean drunk or angry? I don't see that this answers the question.

    – Spagirl
    9 hours ago






  • 1





    I stated such. I posted to ?: "So, does it have anything to do, even though figuratively, with "urine" ."

    – lbf
    8 hours ago






  • 1





    @Ibf Thanks of course, but I already know the literal meaning and knew from you all that there is a relation or association between these expressions and the literal meaning of the word "piss". But the question is: What is the relation???

    – OS1799
    8 hours ago












  • 2





    Surely the question wasn't whether 'piss' means 'urine', but how a word concerning piss has come to mean drunk or angry? I don't see that this answers the question.

    – Spagirl
    9 hours ago






  • 1





    I stated such. I posted to ?: "So, does it have anything to do, even though figuratively, with "urine" ."

    – lbf
    8 hours ago






  • 1





    @Ibf Thanks of course, but I already know the literal meaning and knew from you all that there is a relation or association between these expressions and the literal meaning of the word "piss". But the question is: What is the relation???

    – OS1799
    8 hours ago







2




2





Surely the question wasn't whether 'piss' means 'urine', but how a word concerning piss has come to mean drunk or angry? I don't see that this answers the question.

– Spagirl
9 hours ago





Surely the question wasn't whether 'piss' means 'urine', but how a word concerning piss has come to mean drunk or angry? I don't see that this answers the question.

– Spagirl
9 hours ago




1




1





I stated such. I posted to ?: "So, does it have anything to do, even though figuratively, with "urine" ."

– lbf
8 hours ago





I stated such. I posted to ?: "So, does it have anything to do, even though figuratively, with "urine" ."

– lbf
8 hours ago




1




1





@Ibf Thanks of course, but I already know the literal meaning and knew from you all that there is a relation or association between these expressions and the literal meaning of the word "piss". But the question is: What is the relation???

– OS1799
8 hours ago





@Ibf Thanks of course, but I already know the literal meaning and knew from you all that there is a relation or association between these expressions and the literal meaning of the word "piss". But the question is: What is the relation???

– OS1799
8 hours ago

















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