Shit Happens
Two days ago I posted about the phrase Taking the Piss, let’s continue our journey in toilet phrases today. Today’s phrase is shit happens. This phrase says that life is unpredictable. It is often used to show our powerlessness. The phrase is usually applied to unfavorable situations that you could not foresee.
Example: I’m sorry to hear that your bicycle was stolen. Shit happens.
What I found interesting about this phrase is how recent it is (in print). It is just as old as I am. It was “first recorded” in 1983. A professor at University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, named Connie Eble recorded things she heard her students say. She produced an annual book of phrases based on what she heard students say. In 1983, she recorded a female student using the phrase shit happens. It appears that the student was referring to a failed test when she said, “That shit happens.” Shit is still used as a vulgar stand-in for “stuff.”
Example: The police are coming. Quick, get that shit out of here.
Even though Prof. Eble is often cited as the first recorded use of shit happens, the phrase appears in the 1978 Dictionary of Modern American Proverbs. The phrase has likely been in colloquial use for much longer. The entry in the Dictionary of Modern American Proverbs cites a 1944 usage. The phrase shit happens has spread widely across the English-speaking world and beyond. Perhaps the most famous use of the phrase is from Forrest Gump (1994). I will leave a link to a YouTube video at the end of this post. Forrest Gump is what I think of when I hear this phrase.
Life is full of unpredictable events. Shit happens is just one way to describe the fruitlessness of trying to control life. Another phrase is borrowed from French, “C’est la vie” (Pronounced SAY-LA-VEE). It literally means, “that’s life.” To me these phrases are a good way to express resignation.
Perhaps you have heard of Murphy’s Law. It states that anything bad that CAN happen WILL happen. The way in which things go wrong is often unexpected or humorous. For example, two weeks ago our institute was running an online English Camp with small groups of students. One of my students was a very low level. I knew that she would not be able to do the regular lessons, so during the weekend, I had prepared an extra lesson for her. I made different versions of the lesson trying to anticipate what would work best. Well, on that day I injured my leg, went to the hospital and she didn’t even show up for the lesson. I wasn’t upset. Shit happens.
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Reference:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/meet-the-professor-behind-the-first-printed-use-of-shit-happens#:~:text=who%20replies%20with%3A-,%E2%80%9CShit%20happens.%E2%80%9D,into%20a%20pile%20of%20feces.
https://stronglang.wordpress.com/2015/08/18/shitlike-stuff-happens/