shitstorm
an emotional discussion involving very bad language
TRANSLATION
shitstorm = Welle der Empörung — eine Diskussion, bei der sich Argumente mit Beleidigungen und Bedrohungen mischen --- GOOGLE INDEX shitstorm: approximately 1,600,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
The Dark Knight Rises opens in cinemas tonight, and already it’s causing problems. Before the movie is even out in general release, review website Rotten Tomatoes has had to disable comments due to the veritable SHITSTORM generated by the negative reviews.
(gizmodo.com)
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The video did go viral, racking up so many negative reviews and generating such a PR SHITSTORM that the EC removed it from the European Commission website after just 30 hours.
(adweek.com)
(gizmodo.com)
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The video did go viral, racking up so many negative reviews and generating such a PR SHITSTORM that the EC removed it from the European Commission website after just 30 hours.
(adweek.com)
Did you
know?
shitstorm
noun, vulgar slang
- a situation marked by violent controversy
(Oxford English Dictionary)
---
Much to the annoyance of some purists, the German language has adopted a wealth of so-called "loan words" from English. The tech world has given Germans terms like computer, download, chat, tweet,
Some of these words are then turned into Denglish (Deutsch/English) by applying German grammar rules, thus creating new expressions like downloaden, chatten and performen. Even worse are the past tense forms such as "performt" and "downgeloaded" (or is it gedownloaded?).
Now comes "shitstorm," a compound noun that combines "shit" and "storm." In this context "shit" is used in the sense of trouble. Shitstorm was selected by a German jury as the 2011 "Anglicism of the Year." The jury justified their selection by saying that it fills a gap in the German vocabulary that has become apparent through changes in the culture of public debate."
They pointed out that with the financial crisis in Greece and several high-level plagiarism scandals, German words such as Kritik (criticism) were simply not descriptive enough. A far more likely explanation is that younger Germans simply think vulgar English words like shit are really cool.
Technically speaking, shitstorm is a so-called dysphemism, which is defined as the substitution of a more offensive word or phrase for one considered less offensive. For instance, animal names like old bat, pig, chicken and snake are dysphemisms when applied to people. A dysphemism is the opposite of a euphemism, which is making something sound better (as opposed to worse).
Many words have been both dysphemised and euphemised. Here are a few examples:
- to die = kick the bucket / pass away
- rich person = moneybags / a person of means
- toilet = pisspot / restroom
- militia = terrorists / freedom fighters
- used motor car = lemon / pre-owned vehicle
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation:
"The term 'shitstorm' should be used with caution, as it can offend some people."
noun, vulgar slang
- a situation marked by violent controversy
(Oxford English Dictionary)
---
Much to the annoyance of some purists, the German language has adopted a wealth of so-called "loan words" from English. The tech world has given Germans terms like computer, download, chat, tweet,
Some of these words are then turned into Denglish (Deutsch/English) by applying German grammar rules, thus creating new expressions like downloaden, chatten and performen. Even worse are the past tense forms such as "performt" and "downgeloaded" (or is it gedownloaded?).
Now comes "shitstorm," a compound noun that combines "shit" and "storm." In this context "shit" is used in the sense of trouble. Shitstorm was selected by a German jury as the 2011 "Anglicism of the Year." The jury justified their selection by saying that it fills a gap in the German vocabulary that has become apparent through changes in the culture of public debate."
They pointed out that with the financial crisis in Greece and several high-level plagiarism scandals, German words such as Kritik (criticism) were simply not descriptive enough. A far more likely explanation is that younger Germans simply think vulgar English words like shit are really cool.
Technically speaking, shitstorm is a so-called dysphemism, which is defined as the substitution of a more offensive word or phrase for one considered less offensive. For instance, animal names like old bat, pig, chicken and snake are dysphemisms when applied to people. A dysphemism is the opposite of a euphemism, which is making something sound better (as opposed to worse).
Many words have been both dysphemised and euphemised. Here are a few examples:
- to die = kick the bucket / pass away
- rich person = moneybags / a person of means
- toilet = pisspot / restroom
- militia = terrorists / freedom fighters
- used motor car = lemon / pre-owned vehicle
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation:
"The term 'shitstorm' should be used with caution, as it can offend some people."
