# diarrhoea / runs / trots / shits / squits / skitters (etc. etc. etc.)



## Paulfromitaly

Hello,

Are "to have the shits" or "to have the skitters"  acceptable expressions to describe a bout of diarrhoea if just in a colloquial context? are they too slangy or too rude?

Thanks.


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## Lora44

'to have the shits' is too rude I think.

I've never heard 'to have the skitters' but I know 'to have the trots' is fine in a colloquial context.

Oh, 'to have the runs' is another possibility.


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## winklepicker

Lora44 said:


> 'to have the shits' is too rude I think.
> 
> I've never heard 'to have the skitters' but I know 'to have the trots' is fine in a colloquial context.
> 
> Oh, 'to have the runs' is another possibility.


 
Or, a favourite from my father's RAF slang,   'I can't trust my arse with a fart'.


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## panjandrum

This is but one of the various uses of the word skitter - and indeed it is not the one that sprang first into my mind.

Around here "ye wee skitter" is a general term of abuse.  "He's a sleekit wee skitter."
The adjective, skittery, generally means small, inadequate or insubstantial.  A skittery wee bit of fish is hardly worth cooking, never mind eating.  It also may be applied to people, "Ye skittery wee git!"

Those come higher up my list than "a dose of the skitters."
Source: Norn Iron A til Azed


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## AngelEyes

AE English slang terms:

1. The turkey trots
2. Montezuma's Revenge
3. "the runs"

British people make everything sound positively perky and jolly. 

Americans tend to just use crappy words that make you suffer when only hearing them. Sorry, I couldn't resist using that word.

I think "the runs" is really the frontrunner for usage here in America.

My advice: try a little tenderness.  



AngelEyes


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## bamboo--tw

I've got the run!
I've got a diaheria!


Hi,
Do both of the above sound right and mean about the same to you? Thanks.


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## Ecossaise

They are both wrong.

"I have got the runs" [informal]

"I have got diarrhoea" [formal]


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## panjandrum

Neither is quite correct.
I've got the runs.
I've got diarrhoea.

There are other more colourful expressions.


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## Macunaíma

panjandrum said:


> Neither is quite correct.
> I've got the runs.
> I've got diarrhoea (the spelling of this word is quite awe-inspiring!)
> 
> There are other more colourful expressions.


 
Please, tell us what they are.


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## lablady

For the record, in AE it's spelled diarrhea.


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## out2lnch

Macunaíma said:


> Please, tell us what they are.


 
_The shits_  is quite common. There's also _the trots_. There are others, but they're not coming to me at the moment.


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## ewie

Hello Paul. My Glaswegian mother uses the phrase _have the skitters_ in ordinary everyday speech (well, perhaps not _every day_ ... you know what I mean). It's a step *up* from _have the shits, _but three or four *down* from _have diarrhoea.  _(I could fill a book with her attempts at *spelling* the word _diarrhoea_)


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## bibliolept

I agree with AngelEyes: "the runs" is the most common euphemisms--give or take--in AE. To be polite, I'd just say that I have an upset stomach.


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## timpeac

Paulfromitaly said:


> Hello,
> 
> Are "to have the shits" or "to have the skitters"  acceptable expressions to describe a bout of diarrhoea if just in a colloquial context? are they too slangy or too rude?
> 
> Thanks.


"To have the shits" is very rude - I'd only use it in very informal company (am I right in thinking also that in Australian English it means to be in a bad mood and is not so rude then?). I've never heard of "to have the skitters". The informal phrases I would use are "to have the runs" or "to have the trots".


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## JamesM

ewie said:


> Hello Paul. My Glaswegian mother uses the phrase _have the skitters_ in ordinary everyday speech (well, perhaps not _every day_ ... you know what I mean). It's a step *up* from _have the shits, _but three or four *down* from _have diarrhoea. _(I could fill a book with her attempts at *spelling* the word _diarrhoea_)


 
As a note, the AE spelling is "diarrhea" (no "o").  



> "To have the shits" is very rude - I'd only use it in very informal company


 
Honestly, I wouldn't use it at all.  I think it's very rude.  "The runs" is about as collouqial as I would get.


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## ewie

I think _the trots_ would be my own choice: it has a jolly-horsey feel to it.


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## se16teddy

timpeac said:


> "To have the shits" is very rude


Well yes, the word _shit _is simply taboo in many social contexts. I wouldn't use it at work or in front of my parents or in front of children.


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## jesusguime

out2lnch said:


> _The shits_ is quite common. There's also _the trots_. There are others, but they're not coming to me at the moment.


 
Hi,
Do you mean _I got the shits_ and _I got the trots_?


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## Juan Jacob Vilalta

All wrong!
I've got the _turista. _


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## jesusguime

Juan Jacob Vilalta said:


> All wrong!
> I've got the _turista. _


 
Thanks, Juan.
Your version seems very rare and interesting!!!
BTW, how should I use shits and trots in the similar condition?


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## Imber Ranae

jesusguime said:


> Thanks, Juan.
> Your version seems very rare and interesting!!!



Hi, jesusguime. That's not an actual English expression, as far as I know. Juan was making a joke: _turista_ means "tourist" in Spanish.


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## jesusguime

Imber Ranae said:


> Hi, jesusguime. That's not an actual English expression, as far as I know. Juan was making a joke: _turista_ means "tourist" in Spanish.


Thanks, Imber, for your kindness.
Then how should I use "the shits" and "the trots" in the similar context?


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## Juan Jacob Vilalta

I've heard it.
You go to a foreign country, eat some _spicy_ food, you've got the _turista_!


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## Imber Ranae

jesusguime said:


> Thanks, Imber, for your kindness.
> Then how should I use "the shits" and "the trots" in the similar context?



I'm not sure what you mean. What context are you talking about?



Juan Jacob Vilalta said:


> I've heard it.
> You go to a foreign country, eat some _spicy_ food, you've got the _turista_!



Sure. But it would only apply to that particular context.


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## jesusguime

out2lnch said:


> _The shits_ is quite common. There's also _the trots_. There are others, but they're not coming to me at the moment.


 


Imber Ranae said:


> I'm not sure what you mean. What context are you talking about?


Thanks, Imber.
I was referring to the post by out2Inch!


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## Imber Ranae

jesusguime said:


> Thanks, Imber.
> I was referring to the post by out2Inch!



Oh, okay. "The shits" and "the trots" mean the same thing as "the runs". "The shits" is more vulgar than the other two, however.

These are all very informal. If you're in polite company and have to mention it at all, just say "I have diarrh[o]ea".


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## jesusguime

Thanks, Imber.

I have another related question, that is, if my stomach is aching and I'm not sure if it's diarrhea, is it to say the following:

I got a stomache; I got to run (for the toilet.)
My belly is killing me; I got to go to the john in a hurry!


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## Imber Ranae

jesusguime said:


> Thanks, Imber.
> 
> I have another related question, that is, if my stomach is aching and I'm not sure if it's diarrhea, is it to say the following:
> 
> I got a stomache; I got to run (for the toilet.)
> My belly is killing me; I got to go to the john in a hurry!



Assuming you mean "stomach ache", a person might say those things if they were with their family or friends in an informal situation. In a public place, like at a restaurant, you'd probably just excuse yourself without bringing attention to your intestinal malady.


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## mplsray

Imber Ranae said:


> Hi, jesusguime. That's not an actual English expression, as far as I know. Juan was making a joke: _turista_ means "tourist" in Spanish.



It's an English term as well, as can be seen in the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary entry turista.

That term dates to 1962 and is more seriously referred to as traveler's diarrhea. A similar term, from 1960, is Montezuma's revenge, which is defined as "traveler's diarrhea especially when contracted in Mexico." The Encarta World English Dictionary, North American ed., notes that it is an offensive term, which is understandable. On the other hand I've heard Montezuma's revenge used as a euphemism for diarrhea presumed to be caused by microorganisms even when no travel was involved.


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## Gwan

In general polite company most people would say (if they said anything at all) something like "I have an upset stomach" rather than come out and specify that it was diarrhoea/the trots/the runs whatever. This has the advantage of being unspecific i.e. it doesn't narrow it down to diarrhoea/vomiting/stomach ache. e.g. "I can't come in to work today, I have an upset stomach" would be generally sufficient!


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## Dimcl

jesusguime said:


> I *"I have" ("I've")* got a stomache *stomach ache*; I *"I have" ("I've")* got to run (for the toilet.)
> My belly is killing me; I *"I have" ("I've")* got to go to the john in a hurry!


 
As others have noted, it is not necessary (or adviseable) to explain why you have to go to the toilet.  If there seems some need to explain, you would just say "My stomach is upset" or "I don't feel well."


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## ewie

*Modnote: *_Two threads on the same pretty subject now merged_


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## Rover_KE

I've not heard _skitters_ before, but my family and friends commonly say _squitters_ or _squits_.

Rover


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## pickarooney

The squits
Delhi Belhi
Arse gravy

The list is endless really


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## natkretep

pickarooney said:


> Delhi Belhi



It's a phrase I hear, though I would spell it _Delhi belly_.


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## pickarooney

natkretep said:


> It's a phrase I hear, though I would spell it _Delhi belly_.


  I didn't even realise I'd done that!


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## spatula

For me, I've got the runs / the squits / Delhi Belly are all perfectly polite euphemisms for the more ordinary 'upset stomach'.  The one I'd be most upset to hear someone tell me is that they're suffering from 'diarrhoea' - too much information.


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## Gwan

spatula said:


> For me, I've got the runs / the squits / Delhi Belly are all perfectly polite euphemisms for the more ordinary 'upset stomach'. The one I'd be most upset to hear someone tell me is that they're suffering from 'diarrhoea' - too much information.


 
But surely you're getting the same amount of information from 'the runs' etc. as you are from 'diarrhoea'; it's only the word that's changed. Maybe I'm over-sensitive, but I'd rather not be told that kind of detail at all. The vaguer "I had food poisoning" or "an upset stomach" are as much as I'd be happy to hear from anyone.


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## spatula

Gwan said:


> But surely you're getting the same amount of information from 'the runs' etc. as you are from 'diarrhoea'; it's only the word that's changed. Maybe I'm over-sensitive, but I'd rather not be told that kind of detail at all. The vaguer "I had food poisoning" or "an upset stomach" are as much as I'd be happy to hear from anyone.


 
I was expressing a personal and completely subjective preference, not speaking on behalf of anyone else.  To my ears, the actual medical term sounds more detailed than the euphemisms I quoted.  I'd have to have an equally strong stomach to listen to someone regale me with stories of when they 'had the shits'.  'Upset stomach' is undoubtedly the best for those of us who are a tad squeamish though.


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## Ann O'Rack

Being told that someone has diarrhoea is probably a bit too "medical" for general conversation, especially where you're trying to excuse yourself from the dinner table - Brits don't handle being direct about bodily functions terribly well!

There is a cultural element to consider. Some cultures are perfectly happy discussing physical well-being (or not), whereas the British (don't know about Americans) are a lot more reticent and use euphemisms at every opportunity. In a similar vein, a woman explaining why she's grumpy or not feeling well is very unlikely to explain to her boss that she's having her period, she will more likely just mumble something vague about "women's problems" and her boss, particularly if male, will run a mile!


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## se16teddy

On the travel theme, there is also _gippy tummy_ (Egypt).  The OED traces it back to 1943 forces' slang.


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## natkretep

Also _Karachi crouch_.


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## timpeac

se16teddy said:


> On the travel theme, there is also _gippy tummy_ (Egypt).  The OED traces it back to 1943 forces' slang.



Thanks for that teddy! I can't think how often I've heard of a gippy tummy and never realised that we only use gippy with tummy or that it had anything to do with Egypt!


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## Gwan

timpeac said:


> Thanks for that teddy! I can't think how often I've heard of a gippy tummy and never realised that we only use gippy with tummy or that it had anything to do with Egypt!



Never had a gippy knee? (etc.)


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## timpeac

Gwan said:


> Never had a gippy knee? (etc.)



No - but I might say my knee is giving me gip (gyp?).


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## spatula

Hmmmm.  Following a rather unfortunate incident this weekend, I can now provide another expression that came to mind when I ended up with a, erhem, *dicky tummy.*


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## cuchuflete

Let us hope that spatula's ailment was limited to the tummy, and didn't result in
_bowels looser than creamed corn.  _I don't know where that expression, errr, sits
on the rudeness scale, but it's pretty graphic.


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## Bruinwaterjeugd

Ironic! I am currently as of writing this comment, down with my second day of having a norovirus infection! (*NO* fun! I am fatigued from lack of sufficient sleep as a result from frequent visits to the loo day _and_ night!) That of course means that I have been experiencing _<< Not English >>_ ...or to use an American expression; 'I have the Hershey Squirts'! Norfolk: squits! _<< Not English >>_ Uh hem... I think you do get the point! No?


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## hushhush77

Hi, what's the appropriate way to say you are having a diarrhea? I think diarrhea is kind of formal, right? So what's the idiomatic and proper way to say that? Thank you.

<Merged with earlier threads. Please scroll up. Nat>


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## ewie

Hullo HH77.  I'm fairly certain that _to have the runs_ is understood and used everywhere; it's fairly informal and can be used in polite company ~ though polite people probably won't appreciate your talking about it


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## sdgraham

In AE, diarrhea is common at all levels, although colorful expressions are also common.

Note, however, that you cannot have *a* diarrhea, since it's uncountable.


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