bullshit

English

Etymology

bull +‎ shit. In use since the 1920s.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbʊlʃɪt/

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

Noun

bullshit (uncountable)

1. (literally) The faeces of a bull.
2. (vulgar, slang) False or exaggerated statements made to impress and deceive the listener rather than inform; nonsense.

   Don't pay any attention to him. He talks a lot of bullshit.

3. (rhetoric) Statements that may be true but misleading nonetheless.
4. (vulgar, slang) A card game in which the object is to bluff about cards laid down and to determine when one's opponents are bluffing; also known as "BS", "Cheat" or "I Doubt It".

   Anyone want to play a few hands of bullshit?

5. (vulgar, slang) An object of frustration and/or disgust, often caused by a perceived deception.

   That's total bullshit! I called your office and they said you never came in!

6. (philosophy) Statements made without any particular reference to their truth value.

Synonyms

• BS
• bull
• bulldada
• bullpucky
• bull puckey
• bushwah
• malarkey
• (card game): cheat, I doubt it

Derived terms

• bullshido
• bullshit bingo
• bullshit job
• bullshitter
• bullshitty
• bullshoot
• bullshot
• money talks, bullshit walks

 

Translations

deceitful statements, etc

• Albanian: please add this translation if you can
• Arabic:

  Gulf Arabic: خَرَابِيط (χɐˈrɑːbitˁ), حَچِي فَاضِي (ħɐʃ͡ʒi fɑːðˤi)

• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
• Catalan: collonades f pl
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 廢話／废话 (zh) (fèihuà), 废话 (zh) (fèihuà), 狗屁 (zh) (gǒupì), 放屁 (zh) (fàngpì)

• Czech: kecy m, kravina (cs) f, nesmysl (cs) m
• Danish: pis (da) n
• Dutch: lulkoek (nl), onzin (nl), bullshit (nl)
• Esperanto: fekaĵo
• Finnish: paskapuhe (fi), hevonpaska (fi), soopa (fi)
• French: conneries (fr) f pl
• Georgian: ყლეობა (q̇leoba)
• German: Quatsch (de) m
• Greek: μαλακίες (el) f pl (malakíes)
• Hungarian: süketelés, duma (hu), süket duma, hülyítés, kamu (hu), blöff (hu), humbug, mese habbal, szófosás (hu)
• Icelandic: kjaftæði (is) n, bull n, þvættingur m
• Indonesian: cuma ngomong gede, omong besar, omong kosong (id)
• Irish: cacamas
• Italian: cazzata (it) f (vulg.), stronzata (it) f (vulg.), coglionata (it) f (rare)(vulg.), minchiata (it) f (vulg.)
• Japanese: でたらめ (ja) (detarame)
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: 헛소리 (ko) (heotsori)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latvian: please add this translation if you can
• Lithuanian: nesąmonė f pl
• Macedonian: срање n (sranje)
• Malay: mengarut
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Navajo: łį́į́ʼ bichąąʼ, dóola bichąąʼ, tʼáá ádzaagóó
• Nepali: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian: pisspreik, okseavføring, bull (no)
• Persian: کسشعر (kosešer, kosšer)
• Polish: gówno prawda (pl), pierdoły (pl) pl, pieprzenie (pl) n, sranie (pl) c (vulgar), bzdura (pl) f, pierdolenie (pl) c (vulgar)
• Portuguese: besteira (pt) f, asneira (pt) f, merda (pt) f
• Romanian: rahat (ro), căcat (ro) n, vrăjeală f
• Russian: фигня́ (ru) f (fignjá), хуета́ (ru) f (xujetá) (vulgar), пиздёж (ru) m (pizdjóž) (vulgar), хуйня́ (ru) m (xujnjá) (vulgar), херня́ (ru) m (xernjá) (vulgar), чепуха́ (ru) m (čepuxá), бред си́вой кобы́лы (ru) m (bred sívoj kobýly) (lit.: delirium of a grey mare), чушь соба́чья f (čušʹ sobáčʹja)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: срање n

  Roman: sranje (sh) n

• Spanish: tontería (es) f, pendejadas (es) f, idiotez f, huevada (es) f, mierda (es) f, caca (es) f, chamullo (es) m, gilipollez, leseras f (Chile), chorrada f, bosta (es), mierda de toro
• Swedish: skitsnack (sv), strunt (sv)
• Thai: ล้อเล่น (th) (lór lên)
• Turkish: saçmalık (tr), palavra (tr)
• Ukrainian: маячня (uk) f (majačnja)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can
• Welsh: cachu rwtsh m

card game

• Finnish: fusku (fi)
• Greek: σκατά (el) n pl (skatá)
• Icelandic: lygari (is) m
• Japanese: ダウト (dauto)
• Romanian: trombon (ro) n
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: верю-не-верю (verju-ne-verju) (I believe - I don't believe)
• Spanish: desconfío (es) m, mentiroso (es) m
• Swedish: bluffstopp
• Turkish: blöf (tr)

object of frustration

• Arabic: هُرَاء (hurāʔ)

  Gulf Arabic: مَصْخَرَة (mɐsˤχɐrə), مَهْزَلَة (mɐhzɐlə)

• Finnish: paska (fi)
• Japanese: でたらめ (ja) (detarame)
• Korean: 엉터리 (ko) (eongteori)
• Portuguese: palhaçada (pt)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: пиздёж (ru) m (pizdjóž), хуйня́ (ru) m (xujnjá), херня́ (ru) m (xernjá)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: срање n

  Roman: sranje (sh) n

• Turkish: saçmalık (tr)

See also

• apeshit
• batshit
• bearshit
• birdshit
• bullcrap
• catshit
• chickenshit
• cowshit
• dogshit
• donkeyshit
• goat shit
• horseshit
• pigshit
• ratshit
• sheepshit
• whaleshit
• wormshit
• See also Thesaurus:nonsense

Adjective

bullshit (comparative more bullshit, superlative most bullshit)

1. (vulgar, slang) Absurd, irrational, or nonsensical. Most often said of speech, information, or content.

   That's the most bullshit excuse I've ever heard.

Verb

bullshit (third-person singular simple present bullshits, present participle bullshitting, simple past and past participle bullshitted or bullshit or (rare) bullshat)

1. (transitive, intransitive, vulgar, slang) To tell lies, exaggerate; to mislead; to deceive.

   I think you're bullshitting. Let’s just call your office and see if you even came in.

   You’re bullshitting me. I called your office and you never even came in.

   He caught my attention with irrelevant asides that didn’t quite make sense, but sounded very erudite if you didn’t think about it too much. In other words, I noticed that he was bullshitting. http://www.languagehat.com/archives/002815.php

2. (intransitive, vulgar, slang) To have casual conversation with no real point; to shoot the breeze

   I will probably just go and bullshit with Joe for awhile.

3. (intransitive, vulgar, slang) To come up with on the spot, to improvise poorly.

   We just went on stage and bullshitted the whole concert because we didn't know any songs.

Synonyms

• (all senses): crap (Indian English)

Translations

to tell lies, exaggerate

• Finnish: puhua paskaa
• French: ^{(please verify)} dire des conneries
• Greek: δουλεύω (el) (doulévo) (somebody)
• Indonesian: ngomong besar
• Italian: dire cazzate
• Javanese: nggedebus
• Latvian: diršana
• Maori: paraparau
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Polish: pierdolić (pl), pieprzyć (pl)
• Portuguese: enganar (pt) m
• Russian: пизде́ть (ru) (pizdétʹ), дури́ть (ru) (durítʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: srati (sh)
• Spanish: mentir (es), fanfarronear (es)
• Thai: เว่อ (wêr), โม้ (th) (móh)
• Turkish: saçmalamak (tr)

to have casual conversation with no real point

• Dutch: ouwehoeren (nl), lullen (nl)
• Finnish: puhua paskaa, jauhaa paskaa (fi)
• Italian: cazzeggiare (it)
• Latvian: sūdu gvelšana
• Polish: pierdolić (pl), pieprzyć (pl)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: bater papo (pt)
• Russian: пизде́ть (ru) (pizdétʹ), база́рить (ru) (bazáritʹ), чеса́ть языко́м (ru) (česátʹ jazykóm) (to scratch with tongue)
• Swedish: prata strunt, snacka skit (sv)
• Thai: ไร้สาระ (ráisăará)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Italian: ^{(please verify)} dire coglionate
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} huevear (es), ^{(please verify)} decir tonterías (es)

Interjection

bullshit!

1. (vulgar, slang) An expression of disbelief or doubt at what one has just heard.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:bullshit

Translations

expression of disbelief

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 狗屁 (zh) (gǒupì)

• Dutch: onzin (nl)
• Finnish: paskanmarjat (fi), ja paskat, vitut (fi), kissan viikset (fi), katin kontit (fi) (non-vulgar alternatives)
• French: mon œil (fr), n’importe quoi (fr)
• Greek: μαλακίες (el) (malakíes), πούτσες (poútses)
• Indonesian: cuma ngomong gede
• Latvian: nedirs
• Lithuanian: nesąmonė f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Macedonian: не сери (ne seri)
• Polish: pierdolisz!, gówno prawda! (pl)
• Portuguese: mentira (pt) f, nada a ver (pt)
• Russian: пизди́шь (ru) (pizdíšʹ), не пизди́ (ne pizdí), хуя́ (xujá)
• Serbo-Croatian: sereš!
• Spanish: tonterías (es) f pl, pendejadas (es) f pl, huevadas f pl, chorradas f pl, mierda (es) f, mierda de torro
• Swedish: skit (sv)
• Thai: ขี้โม้ (th) (kêe móh)

Anagrams

• shitbull