Git

[mulberryrd]

What does it mean when someone is called 'git ' ? I see this word often in British novels and I don't know what it means. Also, is it pronounced with a J or a G sound? As a guess, is it a short term for 'idiot' ? Thank you.

[gazzawazza]

It's definitely pronounced with a G, but what it means I don't know, I always take it as being an "almost but not quite a swear word" in the same way as NNW is almost north but very slightly to the west of north if you know what I mean...?! It's definitely becoming more acceptable to use on radio as is "ar*e" apparently.

[j2buttonsw]

OK gazza, so is GET worse or just a difference in pronunciation?

[Quizmonster]

'Git' and 'get' - both with a hard 'g' pronunciation as in 'golf' - are just alternative spellings of the same word. To 'beget', in the Authorised Version of the Bible, meant 'to bear a child' and the noun 'get', taken from that, simply meant 'offspring'. It then took on the pejorative meaning of illegitimate offspring...ie the 7-letter 'b' word. Nowadays, it seems to have recovered a little and is usually employed to mean 'idiot', as you suggested. (The word 'brat' meant much the same originally, though it has never gone quite so far downhill.)

[gazzawazza]

Erm... j2, I don't know if you're asking me coz you've made a mistake coz of the wonky threads and you really mean Quizzy who gave a much fullerer answer including (possibly) a conjugation of the verb "beget" but if you aren't and you think I may have some knowledge on this subject(!) then in my opinion(!!!) get is the same as git only different.

Hope that's been cleared up.

[xyzzyplugh]

Have a star, Quizmonster.

[darth vader]

Its a broad Yorkshire term (North England) and is a friendly but derogatory term to mean a fool or idiot. as in "Yer daft git". You were less likely to lose your front teeth when saying it, than saying "You daft b@$t@ard", for example.

[darth vader]

...sorry i didn't explain where the word comes from. Originally the phrase was "yer daft eejit" meaning "you daft idiot" - the word eejit (prounounced "Egypt" without the p) then was shortened to git (but pronounced "get")

[mikewall01]

Collins Dictionary confirms that "git" is English slang for a contemptible person, often a fool, or, secondly a b@st@rd, from GET as in the sense "to beget". "get" is an archaic abbreviation for "beget or conceive" so could be used similar to "git" Get it?