give a shit

English

Etymology

From give +‎ a +‎ shit.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɪv ə ˌʃɪt/
• Hyphenation: give‧a‧shit

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Verb

give a shit (third-person singular simple present gives a shit, present participle giving a shit, simple past gave a shit, past participle given a shit)

1. (vulgar, chiefly in negative constructions) To care (about something or anything); especially, to care what someone else thinks or does, particularly in relation to what they think or say about the speaker.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:care

   You're going to get me fired? I don't give a shit!

   • 1982, Douglas Adams, Life, the Universe and Everything, page 114:

     "Do it badly," said the man, "who cares? Who gives a shit?"

   • 1997, George Carlin, “Hitchhiking Fun”, in Brain Droppings‎^[1], New York: Hyperion Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 222:

     There are some people who still hitchhike, although not as many as before. A lot of folks gave the practice up after being buried in shallow graves near the side of the road. But here's some fun you can have in case you still like to get out and hoist a thumb.[...]Or, when the guy stops, don't say anything; just jump in and sit down. When he says, "Where you going?" say, "I don't give a shit. Let's just ride around. I'm off till Thursday." Then make a lot of motor noises with your mouth.

Usage notes

• Used primarily in negative or interrogative contexts, as "Do you think I give a shit?"; in other words, this is usually a negative polarity item.
• Used to express indifference or disregard for the attitudes or acts of others.

Translations

to (not) care

• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 撚事 (negative sense, vulgar) (e.g.: 關我撚事)

  Mandarin: 屁事 (zh) (pìshì), 屌事 (negative sense, vulgar) (e.g.: 关我屁事)

• Danish: pisseligeglad, skideligeglad, skide på
• Dutch: kunnen schelen, kunnen bommen, uitmaken (nl)
• Esperanto: fajfi pri (negative sense), prifajfi (negative sense)
• Finnish: piitata (fi), välittää (fi)
• French: en avoir quelque chose à foutre (positive sense), n’en avoir rien à foutre (fr) (negative sense), s’en foutre (fr) (negative sense)
• Galician: importar un carallo (negative sense), importar un corno
• Georgian: ფეხებზე მკიდია (pexebze mḳidia) (vulgar), ყლეზე მკიდია (q̇leze mḳidia) (extremely vulgar)
• German: scheißegal (de) (negative sense) (e.g.: mir ist (es) scheißegal), Scheißdreck (de) (negative sense, vulgar) (e.g.: Das kümmert mich einen Scheißdreck)
• Greek: στ' αρχίδια μου (st' archídia mou), στα παπάρια μου (sta papária mou), χέστηκα (el) (chéstika), σκασίλα μου (skasíla mou)
• Hungarian: leszar (hu) (vulgar), rászar (vulgar)
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} fregarsene (it), (vulgar) ^{(please verify)} importarsene un cazzo , sbattersene, fottersene
• Jamaican Creole: mi nuh business a bloodclaat
• Japanese: 屁とも思う【...思わない】 (he to mo omou [neg. omowanai]), 一顧もする【...しない】 (ikko mo suru [neg. shinai])
• Middle English: yeven of a note
• Persian: اهمیت دادن (ahammiyyat dâdan)
• Polish: (negative sense) gówno obchodzić, (negative sense) mieć w dupie (pl), latać koło chuja (pl)
• Portuguese: dar a mínima, estar cagando para (vulgar), estar cagando e andando (vulgar), estar-se a cagar
• Romanian: băga pula (negative sense, vulgar), da doi bani, fute (ro) (negative sense, vulgar), pișa (ro) (negative sense, vulgar), căca (ro) (negative sense, vulgar), durea în pulă (negative sense, vulgar), durea în pizdă (negative sense, vulgar), durea în cur (negative sense, vulgar)
• Russian: (на)плева́ть (ru) ((na)plevátʹ) (negative sense) (e.g.: мне (на)плевать), начха́ть (ru) (načxátʹ) (negative sense), по́ фигу (ru) (pó figu) (negative sense), по́ хую (ru) (pó xuju), по хую́ (ru) (po xujú) (negative sense, vulgar) (e.g.: мне по хую), по́хуй (ru) (póxuj) (negative sense, vulgar) (e.g.: мне похуй), не еба́ть (ne jebátʹ) (negative sense) (e.g.: меня не ебёт), поеба́ть (ru) (pojebátʹ) (negative sense, vulgar) (e.g.: мне поебать), до пизды́ (ru) (do pizdý) (negative sense, vulgar) (e.g.: мне до пизды)
• Scottish Gaelic: bi suarach mu, coma
• Slovak: mať v riti, mať v piči (fpiči), srať na niečo, kašľať na niečo, mať na háku
• Spanish: importar una mierda (negative sense, vulgar), sudársela, refanfinflársela (Spain, vulgar), valer (es), no importar (es), chupar un huevo (es) (negative sense, vulgar), valerle madre, valerle un perejil
• Swedish: ge blanka fan (negative sense, vulgar), ge fan (negative sense, vulgar), strunta i (sv) (negative sense), skita i (sv) (negative sense, vulgar), bry sig (sv) (positive sense)
• Turkish: siklemek (tr), sikinde olmak