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?
How did students remember what to practise between lessons without any sheet music?
What risks are there when you clear your cookies instead of logging off?
What should the arbiter and what should have I done in this case?
Which comes first? Multiple Imputation, Splitting into train/test, or Standardization/Normalization
Can anyone identify this tank?
PhD - Well known professor or well known school?
Do simulator games use a realistic trajectory to get into orbit?
How did they achieve the Gunslinger's shining eye effect in Westworld?
Watts vs. Volt Amps
Why would future John risk sending back a T-800 to save his younger self?
How to build suspense or so to establish and justify xenophobia of characters in the eyes of the reader?
Where does "0 packages can be updated." come from?
Was there a priest on the Titanic who stayed on the ship giving confession to as many as he could?
Can Platform License Users access the Standard Order Object?
Was the output of the C64 SID chip 8 bit sound?
Was the Tamarian language in "Darmok" inspired by Jack Vance's "The Asutra"?
How to officially communicate to a non-responsive colleague?
Using a found spellbook as a Sorcerer-Wizard multiclass
Why doesn't Adrian Toomes give up Spider-Man's identity?
The eyes have it
Movie about a boy who was born old and grew young
Taxi Services at Didcot
How to project 3d image in the planes xy, xz, yz?
Comparing and find out which feature has highest shape area in QGIS?
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;
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
add a comment |
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
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
add a comment |
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
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
meaning word-usage etymology phrase-meaning offensive-language
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
add a comment |
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
add a comment |
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
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.)
New contributor
Perhaps because drinking beer famously makes you have to pee?
– Stephen R
56 mins ago
add a comment |
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."
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
|
show 1 more comment
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.
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
add a comment |
Your Answer
StackExchange.ready(function()
var channelOptions =
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "97"
;
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function()
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled)
StackExchange.using("snippets", function()
createEditor();
);
else
createEditor();
);
function createEditor()
StackExchange.prepareEditor(
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader:
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
,
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
);
);
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fenglish.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f500658%2fhow-pissed-come-to-mean-drunk-or-angry%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
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.)
New contributor
Perhaps because drinking beer famously makes you have to pee?
– Stephen R
56 mins ago
add a comment |
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.)
New contributor
Perhaps because drinking beer famously makes you have to pee?
– Stephen R
56 mins ago
add a comment |
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.)
New contributor
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.)
New contributor
New contributor
answered 8 hours ago
BeeBee
1113
1113
New contributor
New contributor
Perhaps because drinking beer famously makes you have to pee?
– Stephen R
56 mins ago
add a comment |
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
add a comment |
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."
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
|
show 1 more comment
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."
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
|
show 1 more comment
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."
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."
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
|
show 1 more comment
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
|
show 1 more comment
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.
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
add a comment |
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.
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
add a comment |
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.
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.
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
add a comment |
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
add a comment |
Thanks for contributing an answer to English Language & Usage Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fenglish.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f500658%2fhow-pissed-come-to-mean-drunk-or-angry%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
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