# sod it



## taraa

*Sod it*
used to rudely express anger or annoyance at something or someone

sod it/that | meaning of sod it/that in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English | LDOCE

Why is that rude?


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## Sutemi

It seems that the verb "to sod" it connected with the verb "to sodomize", although it can also refer to cursing without any sexual connotations. Whatever may the case may be, to curse something or to suggest that the thing that has made you annoyed should be inserted into one's anal cavity (i.e. to sodomize) is rather vulgar and hence rude.

See here: sod - Wiktionary


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## lingobingo

It’s not aimed at someone else, nor can it refer to a person rather than a thing. It’s normally just an exclamation, like “Damnation!” or, more crudely, “Shit!” or the f-word.

Sod it, I’ve cut my finger!​
But it’s also often used when you give up on something because you’re fighting a losing battle with it:

It’s no good. I’ll never manage this. Sod it! I’m off to the pub…​


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## taraa

Thank you both. 


lingobingo said:


> It’s not aimed at someone else, nor can it refer to a person rather than a thing. It’s normally just an exclamation, like “Damnation!” or, more crudely, “Shit!” or the f-word.
> 
> Sod it, I’ve cut my finger!​
> But it’s also often used when you give up on something because you’re fighting a losing battle with it:
> 
> It’s no good. I’ll never manage this. Sod it! I’m off to the pub…​


Sorry lingobingo, is "to sod" connected with the verb "to sodomize"  for you too?


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## Sutemi

taraa said:


> Thank you both.
> 
> Sorry lingobingo, is "to sod" connected with the verb "to sodomize"  for you too?



Several sources state that it's about sodomizing, but the meaning is also leaning towards cursing without any sexual connotation. See here:
Speaking of insults: "sod off!" meaning and origin
"give a sod" / "sod off": vulgar?


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## lingobingo

taraa said:


> Sorry lingobingo, is "to sod" connected with the verb "to sodomize" for you too?


That’s totally irrelevant, and there is no verb, as such. But the noun sod as an insulting description of a person ultimately derives from the word Sodomite.


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## taraa

Thank you both.


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## Riyan

lingobingo said:


> That’s totally irrelevant, and there is no verb, as such. But the noun sod as an insulting description of a person ultimately derives from the word Sodomite.


No verb as 'sodomise'?
When I first saw 'sod' in British slangs, it caught my attention to 'sodomise'. I thought the main verb 'sodomise' was clipped to form 'sod'.

_Clipping: a process of word formation in which we reduce a word to a shorter form without changing its meaning or shorten a word, in simple terms. For instance: examination -> exam, mathematics -> maths etc._

Cambridge English dictionary has explained 'sodomise' explicitly.
See 'sodomize' here (from Cambridge English dictionary):
SODOMIZE | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary


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## Keith Bradford

riyanswat said:


> No verb as 'sodomise'?  ...



There's no such verb as "to sod", so the phrase "Oh, sod it!" doesn't have the same structure as "Oh, damn it!" or "Oh, blast it!"  

It does however have the same meaning.


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## taraa

Keith Bradford said:


> There's no such verb as "to sod", so the phrase "Oh, sod it!" doesn't have the same structure as "Oh, damn it!" or "Oh, blast it!"


Can I ask what you mean by  the phrase "Oh, sod it!" doesn't have the same structure as "Oh, damn it!" or "Oh, blast it!", please?


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## Riyan

Keith Bradford said:


> There's no such verb as "to sod", so the phrase "Oh, sod it!" doesn't have the same structure as "Oh, damn it!" or "Oh, blast it!"
> 
> It does however have the same meaning.


Oops. I thought Lingobingo was talking about the verb 'sodomise'.


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## taraa

riyanswat said:


> Oops. I thought Lingobingo was talking about the verb 'sodomise'.


I really thought exactly like you.

If we don't have "to sod", what is "sod" in "sod it", please? How can that be a noun?


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## lingobingo

It’s an idiom that has evolved over time. You can’t force it into a grammatical construction to which it doesn’t belong! In effect, it’s the same as saying “to hell with”:

Sod this for a lark / To hell with this
Oh sod it! / Oh, to hell with it!


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## Riyan

taraa said:


> Can I ask what you mean by  the phrase "Oh, sod it!" doesn't have the same structure as "Oh, damn it!" or "Oh, blast it!", please?


'Sod' as a noun refers to something/ someone unpleasant or disgusting.
For example: He slapped his son, he's such a sod. (made it up)

'Sod' is also an exclamation which expresses anger like the 'f' word or 'shit' or 'crap'.

Cambridge dictionary has also explained its various uses:
SOD | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary


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## Andygc

Keith Bradford said:


> There's no such verb as "to sod",


As it's the pantomime season: "Oh yes there is!" In fact there are three distinct verbs "To sod"

The etymology for "sod it!" is pretty clear. It's the third verb "sod" in the OED. 





> slang (originally British).
> transitive. Chiefly derogatory and offensive. To engage (a person) in a form of sexual intercourse (esp. homosexual anal intercourse) characterized as unnatural or immoral, or otherwise culturally stigmatized.


That gives us "sod it". 





> transitive. sod it: (originally) expressing exasperation or frustration; (in later use especially) expressing resignation, or a decision to act indiscriminately, abandon one's scruples, etc.


This verb "sod" is itself derived from the noun "sod", also British slang and this time the third version of the noun, derived from the noun "sodomite", which in turn is a borrowing from a French noun.


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## taraa

Thank you both.


lingobingo said:


> It’s an idiom that has evolved over time. You can’t force it into a grammatical construction to which it doesn’t belong!


So "sod" is a noun in "sod it", right?


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## Andygc

taraa said:


> Thank you both.
> 
> So "sod" is a noun in "sod it", right?


NO.


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## lingobingo

No. It works like a verb but makes no real sense as one. It’s not required to!


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## Rover_KE

Yes, there is a verb 'to sod'. [link]

I was amused to see a sign outside a garden centre in Orlando, FL on top of a pile of cut turves, exhorting customers thinking of creating a lawn:

DON'T SEED IT—SOD IT!


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## heypresto

You might occasionally hear the colourful expression 'Sod this/that for a game of soldiers!', which means something like 'This/that looks far too taxing or bothersome for me. I won't do it.'

Please don't ask how it evolved as an expression. I don't know.


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## sound shift

When I weigh up whether to say "Sod it!", I don't think about etymology. I know instinctively who is likely to be shocked by it and who is not, and I act accordingly.


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## Sutemi

Rover_KE said:


> Yes, there is a verb 'to sod'. [link]
> 
> I was amused to see a sign outside a garden centre in Orlando, FL on top of a pile of cut turves, exhorting customers thinking of creating a lawn:
> 
> DON'T SEED IT—SOD IT!



Of course "to sod" is a verb.

Compare:
Oh, damn it! I have damned it! I have to stop damning things.
to
Oh, sod it! I have sodded it! I have to stop sodding things.


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## heypresto

Sutemi said:


> Of course "to sod" is a verb.





Sutemi said:


> I have sodded it! I have to stop sodding things.


What do these mean? In what context would you say them?


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## Sutemi

heypresto said:


> What do these mean? In what context would you say them?



I never use "sod", so the question is too hypothetical for me to answer accurately.


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## Riyan

Sutemi said:


> Oh, sod it! I have sodded it! I have to stop sodding things.


Perhaps it means 'to mess up'?
"I have sodded it! I have to stop sodding things."
"I have messed it up! I have to stop messing things up."
I said that instinctively. Is it correct?


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## heypresto

No. But I have no idea what it does mean.


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## lingobingo

It doesn’t mean anything literal. It’s valid syntactically but not semantically – like Chomsky’s famous “Colorless green ideas sleep furiously”.


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## JulianStuart

Many "swear words or expressions" do not bear "analysis" and should be considered "idioms"


> id•i•om /ˈɪdiəm/  n. [countable] _Linguistics_ an expression or phrase that does not follow regular rules of grammar, or one whose meaning cannot be predicted from the meaning of its individual parts: The expression _kick the bucket_, meaning "to die,'' is an idiom in English.


 This frequently means that they bear little reationship to their literaal/original meaning or that they cannot be used in different ways (The existence of Sod it! does not mean it is used outside the expression He sodded it  ) Just like "bloody hell" no longer has any literal meaning or "Fuck you" etc. Learinng their _literal_ meaning or origin will not help understanding of how people use them (native speakers don't know them anyway!). Just add them to your passive vocabulary


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## GreenWhiteBlue

Rover_KE said:


> Yes, there is a verb 'to sod'. [link]
> 
> I was amused to see a sign outside a garden centre in Orlando, FL on top of a pile of cut turves, exhorting customers thinking of creating a lawn:
> 
> DON'T SEED IT—SOD IT!



The only meaning that "sod" has in American English is the turf version.  While it is possible that the person who wrote the sign was aware of the British usage, I am quite certain that 99% of those who saw the sign were not, and therefore found the sign innocent, without any double meaning.


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## taraa

Thank you all. 
I understand that it's an idiom and that it has lost its literal meaning. But if "to sod" is a verb, why  It works like a verb but* makes no real sense as one*? It's a verb + it, why it makes no sense, for me it does.


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## heypresto

taraa said:


> for me it does.


So what does it mean?


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## taraa

heypresto said:


> So what does it mean?


Sorry Heypresto. I know that it doesn't, but just wanted to know how, since for me it's exactly like "fuck it".


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## Ponyprof

It's very much British English. No one says it in North America.


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## sdgraham

taraa said:


> Thank you all.
> I understand that it's an idiom and that it has lost its literal meaning. But if "to sod" is a verb, why  It works like a verb but* makes no real sense as one*? It's a verb + it, why it makes no sense, for me it does.


Once again, attempts to disassemble idioms usually fail.


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## taraa

Ponyprof said:


> It's very much British English. No one says it in North America.


Thank you. 


sdgraham said:


> Once again, attempts to disassemble idioms usually fail.


Yes, you are right. Thank you.


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## Sutemi

Okay, I'm game for trying to define the verb "to sod". Context was requested by heypresto, so here we go.

A man comes to Mr. Rude's Automobile Repair Shop.
"Oh, it's you again," sighs mister Rude.
"My car's shifter is stuck again," says the customer.
"HAVE YOU TRIED TO SOD IT?" exclaims mister Rude.

So there you have it: "To sod" used as a verb.


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## JulianStuart

Sutemi said:


> Okay, I'm game for trying to define the verb "to sod". Context was requested by heypresto, so here we go.
> 
> A man comes to Mr. Rude's Automobile Repair Shop.
> "Oh, it's you again," sighs mister Rude.
> "My car's shifter is stuck again," says the customer.
> "HAVE YOU TRIED TO SOD IT?" exclaims mister Rude.
> 
> So there you have it: "To sod" used as a verb.


Ummm - no.  That is not anything a native speaker woud think of, let alone say.  Yes, it is used grammatically as a verb but it has no intelligible meaning.


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## heypresto

I admire your tenacity and creativity, but I still haven't a clue what that would mean. And neither, I suspect, would the customer.  

Cross-sodded.


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## Sutemi

heypresto said:


> I admire your tenacity and creativity, but I still haven't a clue what that would mean. And neither, I suspect, would the customer.
> 
> Cross-sodded.



Very well, I will collect the points for tenacity and creativity and take my leave.


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## heypresto




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## Andygc

How can this go on so long?

Sod v1 transitive. To cover or build up, to provide or lay, with sods or turfs; to turf.

Sod v2 Now dialect. intransitive. To become sodden or soaked; to stick together through wetness.

I've given Sod v3 previously and it is British slang.

Of course "Sod it!" is a normal sentence with a verb, and is as meaningful as "damn it", "bother it, and all such expressions. "May it be sodded", "may it be damned", "may it be bothered".

As for sod v3 being used like any other transitive verb:





> 1982   I. Everton Alienation iii. 49   ‘Where do you think they've gone to?’ Peter asked. ‘Andrew's probably sodding him by now,’ Stephen said.


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## taraa

Andygc said:


> How can this go on so long?
> 
> Sod v1 transitive. To cover or build up, to provide or lay, with sods or turfs; to turf.
> 
> Sod v2 Now dialect. intransitive. To become sodden or soaked; to stick together through wetness.
> 
> I've given Sod v3 previously and it is British slang.
> 
> Of course "Sod it!" is a normal sentence with a verb, and is as meaningful as "damn it", "bother it, and all such expressions. "May it be sodded", "may it be damned", "may it be bothered".
> 
> As for sod v3 being used like any other transitive verb:


Thank you for the good explanation!


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## Sutemi

taraa said:


> Thank you for the good explanation!



I told you it was a verb


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## taraa

Sutemi said:


> I told you it was a verb


Yes. Thank you for your help


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## Chasint

Has anyone thought of looking this up in the WR dictionary?



> sod3, +v.t.,  *sod•ded, sod•ding.* [Chiefly Brit. Slang.]
> 
> British Terms to damn: Sod the bloody bastard!
> British Terms *sod off,* to leave (usually as an imperative):Why don't you just sod off!
> 
> sod - WordReference.com Dictionary of English



________________________________________________________________________

Also, despite what others have said, we can use it of/to a person, e.g. "Sod you!"

Of course it is a verb. It works exactly the same as _damn you, f*ck you, etc._

That having been said, it doesn't have a literal meaning. If I say "Sod you!" then I simply mean, "I have no respect for you!" or "May bad things happen to you!"  I suppose it could be interpreted as, "May you be sodomised!" but I doubt many people would have this in mind.


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## taraa

Chasint said:


> Has anyone thought of looking this up in the WR dictionary?
> 
> 
> 
> ________________________________________________________________________
> 
> Also, despite what others have said, we can use it of/to a person, e.g. "Sod you!"
> 
> Of course it is a verb. It works exactly the same as _damn you, f*ck you, etc._
> 
> That having been said, it doesn't have a literal meaning. If I say "Sod you!" then I simply mean, "I have no respect for you!" or "May bad things happen to you!"  I suppose it could be interpreted as, "May you be sodomised!" but I doubt many people would have this in mind.


Thank you for the good explanation.


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## glamorgan

Chasint said:


> That having been said, it doesn't have a literal meaning. If I say "Sod you!" then I simply mean, "I have no respect for you!" or "May bad things happen to you!"  I suppose it could be interpreted as, "May you be sodomised!" but I doubt many people would have this in mind.


 Similarly, if I say “Sod me!”, I intend to express surprise, incredulity or a similar emotion and not a desire to be sodomised.

I'll sod off now.


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## taraa

glamorgan said:


> Similarly, if I say “Sod me!”, I intend to express surprise, incredulity or a similar emotion and not a desire to be sodomised.
> 
> I'll sod off now.


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