# shit oneself from = get scared



## MedaBeda

Hello,

If I want to show that one team respected some other team too much, and that it was the reason they lost, could I say:

Watford shat themselves from Liverpool. That is why they started the match so slow, playing so bad. They were scared man.


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## Thomas Tompion

No, I don't think you could say that.

I wouldn't know what "They shat themselves from Liverpool" might mean.  I wouldn't have the first idea what you were trying to say.


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## ewie

Ermmmm ... _no_.
Firstly, shitting oneself is to do with *fear*: it's entirely possible to respect someone without shitting oneself.
Secondly, shitting oneself happens when the fear is *sudden*.
You could say _Watford shat themselves when they saw all the Liverpool players were seven feet tall and had six legs_, for instance.


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## MedaBeda

ewie said:


> Ermmmm ... _no_.
> Firstly, shitting oneself is to do with *fear*: it's entirely possible to respect someone without shitting oneself.
> Secondly, shitting oneself happens when the fear is *sudden*.
> You could say _Watford shat themselves when they saw all the Liverpool players were seven feet tall and had six legs_, for instance.



based on this comment I would say that my sentence "*Watford shat themselves from Liverpool*" makes sense right? If I want to convey the sudden fear (e.g. The Watford players suddenly realised that the Liverpool team would be way too strong for them) the sentence is correct right?


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## Thomas Tompion

MedaBeda said:


> I would say that my sentence "*Watford shat themselves from Liverpool*" makes sense right?[...]


No, wrong, I'm afraid.  I told you so earlier.

Ewie has given you an example of how the expression could be used in this context.

Please take our comments seriously.

Ewie and I are old hands; we don't make these comments lightly.


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## guitarist41

As a native speaker, I would totally understand what you were saying.

It's similar to "bricked it", "bottled it", etc. - getting scared, and so failing to perform as well as they could.


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## Myridon

Why would they suddenly find out about their well-known opponent?

If it made sense we might say:
They shat themselves from fear of being beaten by Liverpool.  
but not
They shat themselves from Liverpool.  

It sounds like they were on a journey from Liverpool to somewhere else and had diarhea the whole time.


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## london calling

Myridon said:


> They shat themselves from Liverpool.
> 
> It sounds like they were on a journey from Liverpool to somewhere else and had diarhea the whole time.


And that was my immediate reaction when I read it.


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## guitarist41

Myridon said:


> Why would they suddenly find out about their well-known opponent?
> 
> If it made sense we might say:
> They shat themselves from fear of being beaten by Liverpool.
> but not
> They shat themselves from Liverpool.
> 
> It sounds like they were on a journey from Liverpool to somewhere else and had diarhea the whole time.



Context would make it clear.


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## Zareza

Watford shat themselves when they saw all the Liverpool players were seven feet tall and had six legs.

It sounds like they were on a journey from Liverpool to somewhere else and had diarhea the whole time.

Simply magnificent !!!  (crying with laughter)


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## Thomas Tompion

guitarist41 said:


> As a native speaker, I would totally understand what you were saying.
> 
> It's similar to "bricked it", "bottled it", etc. - getting scared, and so failing to perform as well as they could.


This is the second time in the last several days that I've been made to wonder what sort of English you speak.

The last time someone asked you where you had learnt your English, and you didn't reply.

The language you are condoning is not a language I have heard any native speak.

I'm pleased that other English speakers have indicated what they would think the expression was supposed to mean:_ It sounds as though they were on a journey from Liverpool to somewhere else and had diarrhea the whole time. _

I'd assumed that this was not what MedaBeda wished her sentence to mean.


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## guitarist41

Thomas Tompion said:


> I'm pleased that other English speakers have indicated what they would think the expression was supposed to mean:_ It sounds as though they were on a journey from Liverpool to somewhere else and had diarrhea the whole time. _



That's because you're all disregarding the likely context in which it would be said. It would probably said to another football fan who is aware that Watford played against Liverpool and lost.

I am a native English speaker. British English.


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## Myridon

guitarist41 said:


> That's because you're all disregarding the likely context in which it would be said. It would probably said to another football fan who is aware that Watford played against Liverpool and lost.
> 
> I am a native English speaker. British English.


You understood it. That's nice, but that doesn't mean that a native speaker would ever say it - i.e. it's not a good sentence in the English language.
If the bears scared us, we don't say we shat ourselves from bears.


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## london calling

Myridon said:


> You understood it. That's nice, but that doesn't mean that a native speaker would ever say it - i.e. it's not a good sentence in the English language.
> If the bears scared us, we don't say we shat ourselves from bears.


Exactly.


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## guitarist41

Myridon said:


> You understood it. That's nice, but that doesn't mean that a native speaker would ever say it - i.e. it's not a good sentence in the English language.
> If the bears scared us, we don't say we shat ourselves from bears.



Eh, I could definitely hear a native speaker saying it. But it depends on context.

"John shat himself from Mark" could be uttered when talking about a situation in which somebody called John refused to fight somebody called Mark because he (John) was too scared.

If the football game has already taken place and the person being addressed knows this, Watford shat themselves from Liverpool makes total sense.

EDIT: It might be idiomatic or whatever, but I've definitely heard it before.


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## london calling

guitarist41 said:


> Eh, I could definitely hear a native speaker saying it. But it depends on context.


Seriously? Where are you from, exactly? There's no way in hell I could ever use it that way (I'm from London).


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## MedaBeda

Thomas Tompion said:


> This is the second time in the last several days that I've been made to wonder what sort of English you speak.
> 
> The last time someone asked you where you had learnt your English, and you didn't reply.
> 
> The language you are condoning is not a language I have heard any native speak.
> 
> I'm pleased that other English speakers have indicated what they would think the expression was supposed to mean:_ It sounds as though they were on a journey from Liverpool to somewhere else and had diarrhea the whole time. _
> 
> I'd assumed that this was not what MedaBeda wished her sentence to mean.



I am a man, but it is not as important as finding out whether I can use the sentence that was mentioned at the beginning of this thread Love your conversation guys  Méďa Béďa means Yogi Bear


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## london calling

Right, we'll call you Yogi from now on. And that makes Myridon's post even more relevant:



Myridon said:


> If the bears scared us, we don't say we shat ourselves from bears.


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## guitarist41

london calling said:


> Seriously? Where are you from, exactly? There's no way in hell I could ever use it that way (I'm from London).



I would never tell somebody on the Internet exactly where I'm from.

Meda/Yogi, I think it makes sense; other people here disagree. The only way to know for sure is to use it in a real situation.

Like I said earlier, the context, and being familiar with the figurative meaning of "shit oneself", would make it very clear.


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## MedaBeda

london calling said:


> Right, we'll call you Yogi from now on. And that makes Myridon's post even more relevant:





I dont want to be anyhow disrespectful guys, but is it possible that guitarist41 is a younger guy (so he would use this as a slang expression) and london calling might be older so to his ears it sounds wrong?

Probably I am wrong but it crossed my mind


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## london calling

''*HER* ears". And I'm definitely 'older'.

I don't see this as slang, Yogi. It's quite simply incorrect. 

PS guitarist, I wasn't asking for your address......


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## MedaBeda

guitarist41 said:


> I would never tell somebody on the Internet exactly where I'm from.
> 
> Meda/Yogi, I think it makes sense; other people here disagree. The only way to know for sure is to use it in a real situation.
> 
> Like I said earlier, the context, and being familiar with the figurative meaning of "shit oneself", would make it very clear.



Yep, I would definitely use it in some context.

e.g. The Czech Republic loses against England 5:0 in football and I would say: "I think our players shit themselves from the English players."


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## london calling

MedaBeda said:


> e.g. The Czech Republic loses against England 5:0 in football and I would say: "I think our players shit themselves from the English players."


Please don't. It's incorrect. We don't use it that way.


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## Zareza

MedaBeda you are probably right.

to shit oneself from something is a slang expression


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## guitarist41

I know for a fact that the "[name] shat themselves from [other name]" is used when talking about somebody who was too scared to fight.

london calling, would you find "I think our players shit themselves *against* the English players" more acceptable?


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## MedaBeda

london calling said:


> ''*HER* ears". And I'm definitely 'older'.
> 
> I don't see this as slang, Yogi. It's quite simply incorrect.
> 
> PS guitarist, I wasn't asking for your address......



hmmmm not slang

*HIS *ears - I am definitely a Yogi Bear


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## Thomas Tompion

guitarist41 said:


> I would never tell somebody on the Internet exactly where I'm from.


Perhaps you live on a remote island where


MedaBeda said:


> I dont want to be anyhow disrespectful guys, but is it possible that guitarist41 is a younger guy (so he would use this as a slang expression) and london calling might be older so to his ears it sounds wrong?
> 
> Probably I am wrong but it crossed my mind


No, it's not possible, Meta.

It's clear that many of us think you are being given misleading advice, and, from what you say, you are happy to be misled by it.

Perhaps we should leave it at that.


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## guitarist41

I don't know the exact definition of slang, but it's a widely-used informal, coarse, figurative expression.

Meda isn't going to use it in a job application or something like that. It's fine for him to _try_ it.

Again, as a native speaker, I think it makes total sense.


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## london calling

guitarist41 said:


> I know for a fact that the "[name] shat themselves from [other name]" is used when talking about somebody who was too scared to fight.
> 
> london calling, would you find "I think our players shit themselves *against* the English players" more acceptable?


You know for a fact? We need evidence of this. I mean you can shit yourself (from) laughing  but not from (another name), as far as I'm concerned but I am willing to be corrected.

And no, "I think our players shit themselves *against* the English players" isn't acceptable, in my opinion.


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## london calling

MedaBeda said:


> hmmmm not slang
> 
> *HIS *ears - I am definitely a Yogi Bear


You were talking about me: I'm a woman.


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## guitarist41

london calling said:


> You know for a fact? We need evidence of this. I mean you can shit yourself (from) laughing  but not from (another name), as far as I'm concerned but I am willing to be corrected.
> 
> And no, "I think our players shit themselves *against* the English players" isn't acceptable, in my opinion.



https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/shit
Look at verb definition 1.2.


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## Zareza

to shit oneself from something is a slang expression


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## MedaBeda

Thomas Tompion said:


> Perhaps you live on a remote island where
> 
> No, it's not possible, Meta.
> 
> It's clear that many of us think you are being given misleading advice, and, from what you say, you are happy to be misled by it.
> 
> Perhaps we should leave it at that.



Yep, I am happy to be mislead by it because I am not a native speaker and the expression I mentioned at the beginning of the thread sounds well to my ears (maybe it is an utter rubbish), but my ears cant tell  so when guitarist41 says that I can say it - and when he says that he is a native - what would you think if you were me ? I just dont know who of you is correct guys  - English is not my language - so when one native says yes and the others say no - I think it is not nonsencial to pick whichever of these two "options". Yes, my ears feel very happy to be misled. I created the sentence, so logically, it sounds ok to my non-native ears, so when someone says I can use it - it is difficult to disagree


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## london calling

1.2 *shit oneself *with object. Be very frightened. 

I'm not debating that it means to be very frightened. What I'm saying is that 'shit yourself from someone' is not something we say.



MedaBeda said:


> Yep, I am happy to be mislead by it because I am not a native speaker and the expression I mentioned at the beginning of the thread sounds well to my ears (maybe it is an utter rubbish), but my ears cant tell  so when guitarist41 says that I can say it - and when he says that he is a native - what would you think if you were me ?


So you're willing to accept the opinion of *one* poster? When the rest of us (and all of us are native speakers) have told you it isn't English?


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## Andygc

Curious. I've often heard the phrase "to shit oneself". I have never heard anybody say anything remotely resembling "Watford shat themselves from Liverpool" or "I think our players shit themselves against the English players". The first is, to me, complete gibberish *. The second appears to mean that the English players become covered in shit provided by "our players".

* On second thoughts, I suppose it might mean that Watford players were in Liverpool and had such forceful diarrhoea that they propelled themselves out of the city. But that does seem a very odd thing to want to say.


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## guitarist41

*Context.

The person being addressed is likely to be familiar with the result of the game.* If they also know the figurative meaning of "shit oneself", it would make sense I think.

Meda would be saying "I think they lost because they were too scared, too timid, etc." Watford (*clearly referring to a football team and not the place Watford*) shit themselves from/against Liverpool (*also clearly referring to a team and not the place*).


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## london calling

But it isn't grammatically correct......


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## Andygc

I don't see that knowing the result of the game makes the slightest difference, "shit themselves from/against Liverpool" is still gibberish.


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## london calling

Andygc said:


> I don't see that knowing the result of the game makes the slightest difference, "shit themselves from/against Liverpool" is still gibberish.


Indeed.


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## guitarist41

london calling said:


> But it isn't grammatically correct......



The meaning of an utterance can be clear without the utterance being grammatically correct.

I think it is _definitely _grammatically correct if you use 'against' instead of 'from'. 'From' may not be grammatically correct, but I think the meaning is still clear.


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## MedaBeda

london calling said:


> So you're willing to accept the opinion of *one* poster? When the rest of us (and all of us are native speakers) have told you it isn't English?



I am not willing to accept it when it is only one against the others - but he is a native speaker as well, and who is to say that his opinion is less important than yours? And to my non-native ears his reasoning sounds fine.


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## guitarist41

Andygc said:


> I don't see that knowing the result of the game makes the slightest difference, "shit themselves from/against Liverpool" is still gibberish.



"shat themselves" = "were scared"

"They were scared against Liverpool"

They were so scared that they played poorly and so lost.

< Off topic comment removed. Cagey, moderator >


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## MedaBeda

guitarist41 said:


> The meaning of an utterance can be clear without the utterance being grammatically correct.
> 
> I think it is _definitely _grammatically correct if you use 'against' instead of 'from'. 'From' may not be grammatically correct, but I think the meaning is still clear.



Yep, my question wasn´t about whether it is grammatically correct or not.

It is important whether people would understand it or not  

In my language, people say so many things that are grammatically wrong, but these things are part of the everyday usage and everyone understands it.


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## london calling

guitarist41 said:


> "shat themselves" = "were scared"
> 
> "They were scared against Liverpool"
> 
> They were so scared that they played poorly and so lost.
> 
> Honestly, you're all sounding mad.


Seriously?


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## guitarist41

MedaBeda said:


> Yep, my question wasn´t about whether it is grammatically correct or not.
> 
> It is important whether people would understand it or not
> 
> *In my language, people say so many things that are grammatically wrong, but these things are part of the everyday usage and everyone understands it.*



True for English also.

People should try and be grammatically correct (to avoid ambiguity, etc.), but the fact is the meaning *can be* totally clear in ungrammatical sentences.


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## guitarist41

london calling said:


> Seriously?



Seriously.


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## Zareza

Please, make a correct sentence using the expression *to shit oneself from something*.

Shit oneself from... (a thing)


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## Zareza

Here.


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## guitarist41

Zareza said:


> Make a correct sentence using the expression *to shit oneself from something*.



"Anthony Joshua shit himself from Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder."

Anthony Joshua was too scared of Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder to fight them.

BUT if were are talking about a contest that DID HAPPEN, it would mean that the person/team who shit themselves got too scared DURING the contest, and so didn't perform as well as they could.


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## london calling

Zareza said:


> Here.


Sorry. I meant you can't say 'shit yourself from someone'.


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## Zareza

No, guitarist41. The expression is *to shit oneself from something* /  *someone*

Those are some guys.


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## guitarist41

Hey, guys...I think "Watford shat themselves from Liverpool" makes sense.

Peace.


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## Zareza

Probably you see Liverpool like _something_.


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## Cagey

This thread is closed. 

The results have been summarized well:  One native speaker says they have heard and would use the expression 'shit themselves from/against someone [a person / a team, etc]'. Other native speakers say that they would not, though they would say 'shit themselves from something' [fear/laughing, etc.]

There is not going to be a consensus.  Anyone consulting this thread should read the discussion and decide which view makes sense to them. 

Cagey, moderator


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