Crosswords0 min ago
Git from Hell
7 Answers
I heard this expressiion many times in my youth. Frequently directed at me. Not a term of endearment I assure you. I often felt those who uttererd it did not know really what it ment. It did not mean lovely child. I am talking about the 1940/50 era.
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I'm not sure whether you are even asking this, but 'git' is a variant of 'get' - both derived from the word 'beget' meaning to cause to give birth to. It referred specifically to animals or illegitimate human offspring...ie the 7-letter word beginning 'bas' and ending 'tard'.
Those who used it of you may well, as you say, not have been aware of its true meaning, of course!
Those who used it of you may well, as you say, not have been aware of its true meaning, of course!
Sorry, Al, but it seems your explanation of the origin is just another of those 'likely-sounding' bits of folk etymology....etymythology, as such descriptions have been called.
According to The Oxford English Dictionary - the 'bible' in such matters - 'git' is first recorded in the 1940s and is a variant of the noun 'get'. That has meant exactly what I said it meant - 'offspring' - in my opening response above since the early 14th century. It has been used contemptuously as the b-word since the 16th century.
Apart from anything else, if it did come from 'illegitimate', wouldn't we have to pronounce it 'jit'? Sorry, mate!
According to The Oxford English Dictionary - the 'bible' in such matters - 'git' is first recorded in the 1940s and is a variant of the noun 'get'. That has meant exactly what I said it meant - 'offspring' - in my opening response above since the early 14th century. It has been used contemptuously as the b-word since the 16th century.
Apart from anything else, if it did come from 'illegitimate', wouldn't we have to pronounce it 'jit'? Sorry, mate!
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