[General] Shoot (interjection)

[thedaffodils]

Oh!Uh,shoot. Pretend you didn't see that.

Is 'shoot' euphemism for 'sh*t'? Is it slightly vulgar? A woman said it in an informal party. Can I say this word without any offending people?

Thanks!

[Neillythere]

Hi thedaffodils

As a Brit, I wouldn't be offended by the use of the word "Shoot!" as an obvious replacement for the offending word.

Another euphemism would be "Sugar!" - and I'm sure that no NES would be really offended by its use.

They both represent an acknowledgement that the user is specifically trying to avoid giving offence.

Hope this helps

Best regards
NT

[Barb_D]

Shoot is ENTIRELY appropriate as an interjection by anyone of any age.
So is "Dang it!"

(Lately, my younger daughter has started say "Crap!" which is my favorite interjection. I've got to get her to stop doing that. It's certainly less vulgar than sh*t, but not okay for a 9-year-old yet.)

[thedaffodils]

Neillythere & Barb_D,

Thank you very much for your answers.

Neillythere, I haven't seen you on the board for a while. I hope you are doing well.

Have a good day!

All the wishes,

TD

[Ouisch]

"Shoot" is absolutely not profane or offensive, even though it is technically a euphemism for "sh*t." The late comedian George Carlin used to mention his very strict Irish Catholic mother uttering "shoot!" when she burned herself on a hot pot in the kitchen or spilled something onto the floor. He realized that that was her way of cursing and said "You can't fool me - 'shoot' is 'sh*t' with two o's."

[thedaffodils]

Hi Ouisch,

Thanks a bunch for your answer.

I still have a question haunting in my mind. I don't know whether it is explainable for you guys.

In Chinese slang, we have similar euphemism for offensive or obscene words. For instance, 'kao' or 'dao', which serves as an euphemism, refers to 'cao' (f**k) in Chinese. If someone says that to me, I still feel slightly offended, even if he doesn't target at me but only his tag.

Why do native speakers not mind some offensive euphemism?

[Ouisch]

Originally Posted by thedaffodils

Hi Ouisch,


Why do native speakers not mind some offensive euphemism?

Some do. It depends upon the individual. For example, in AmE, "frickin'" or "friggin'" is a common euphemism for "fu**ing." These versions of the expletive are mild enough that they are used on US television, but there are still some folks (my mother, for one) who are extremely offended by them.

In the end, it depends upon the individual and his beliefs/morals. My best friend went to a parochial (Catholic) school, and her teacher found the word "leg" to be suggestive and sexualized, and always said "limb" instead.

[thedaffodils]

Hi Ouisch,

Thank you very much for your help again.

[BobK]

Originally Posted by Barb_D

Shoot is ENTIRELY appropriate as an interjection by anyone of any age.
...

...and sometimes it's not a euphemism at all; you need to be aware of the context:

[Someone hits their thumb with a hammer] Shoot. Euphemism
[In the middle of a phone-call, someone has said "Hang on, let me get my diary.... <pause>"] OK, shoot. Metaphor

b

[BobK]

PS - Of course, they might drop the pencil, and say 'OK, shoot...Shoot'.

b