Screw the Pooch

Discussion in 'Linguistics' started by Orleander, Dec 30, 2007.

  1. Orleander OH JOY!!!! Valued Senior Member

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    what does that mean?? is it a British saying?
     
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  3. Neildo Gone Registered Senior Member

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    Well if you can picture someone screwing a pooch, what would you call that act? You fucked someone by screwing the pooch. Or in more PC terms, they messed up.

    - N
     
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  5. Enmos Valued Senior Member

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  7. invert_nexus Ze do caixao Valued Senior Member

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    Would be interesting to find the etymology of the phrase.

    edit:

    The term "screw the pooch" means to mess up a situation, "To make a
    major mistake, particularly one that will have serious ramifications."
    (SOURCE: "Unofficial Dictionary for Marines" compiled and edited by
    Glenn B. Knight, as quoted at
    <http://www.answers.com/screw+the+pooch&r=67>).

    The term, indeed, originates in the military, as the site WordOrigins
    explains: "The phrase screw the pooch, meaning to mess up, commit a
    grievous error, was made famous in Tom Wolfe's book The Right Stuff.
    The phrase is a euphemism from US military slang. The original
    expression was fuck the dog and meant to waste time, to loaf on the
    job.

    Fuck the dog dates appears in print for the first time in 1935, but in
    1918 another euphemistic version, feeding the dog, appears. The
    original sense dates to 1918. Over the decades, the meaning shifted to
    the current sense and the screw the pooch wording took the place of
    the original phrasing."
    (SOURCE: Word Origins.org <http://www.wordorigins.org/wordors.htm>).

    A British site adds that "you'll find an earlier reference in Tom
    Wolfe's "The Right Stuff." He reports it as slang used by test pilots
    in the California desert during the '50s, as jet fighter aircraft were
    being developed and tested. The pilot who "screwed the pooch" was the
    one who died in the wreckage of his plane." (SOURCE: Phrases,.org,
    <http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/5/messages/1097.html>).

    There are several other sites with the same explanation (such as
    "Jennifer's History and Stuff" Ask Jen, October 23, 2003
    <http://jenlars.mu.nu/archives/004760.html>), but nothing really
    brings up anything new.

    I hope this answered your question. Please contact me if you need any
    further clarifications on this answer before you rate it. My search
    terms have been:
    "screw the pooch" etymology (and without that last word).

    http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=474661



    Yeah. It sounds like something from the military.
    Kinda like a monkey fucking a football.
     
  8. Enmos Valued Senior Member

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    43,184
    "The term, indeed, originates in the military, as the site WordOrigins
    explains: "The phrase screw the pooch, meaning to mess up, commit a
    grievous error, was made famous in Tom Wolfe's book The Right Stuff.
    The phrase is a euphemism from US military slang. The original
    expression was fuck the dog and meant to waste time, to loaf on the
    job.

    Fuck the dog dates appears in print for the first time in 1935, but in
    1918 another euphemistic version, feeding the dog, appears. The
    original sense dates to 1918. Over the decades, the meaning shifted to
    the current sense and the screw the pooch wording took the place of
    the original phrasing."
    (SOURCE: Word Origins.org <http://www.wordorigins.org/wordors.htm>)."
    http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=474661
     
  9. Enmos Valued Senior Member

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    43,184
    Damn, you beat me to it lol
     
  10. Neildo Gone Registered Senior Member

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    5,306
    It's just a simple colloquialism. I can think up similar phrases that mean the same thing. Heh, that'd be a fun game, to come up with some of our own. =p

    - N
     
  11. invert_nexus Ze do caixao Valued Senior Member

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  12. BenTheMan Dr. of Physics, Prof. of Love Valued Senior Member

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    Is that a commentary about spuriousmonkey's tenure here?

    \banned for flaming
     
  13. MetaKron Registered Senior Member

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    I would think that someone had written it up this way: Some guy gets home sloppy drunk and falls into bed. He snuggles up to his wife and being drunk, doesn't realize that the dog is in bed with him and the wife is still at her sister's. She arrives home to find the pair going at it hammer and tongs. The wife's angry voice arouses the drunk from his stupor enough for him to say these fateful words: "Honey, I thought she was YOU!"

    He and the dog now both sleep outside.
     
  14. Orleander OH JOY!!!! Valued Senior Member

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    25,817
    but why say it? Why not say "messed up" or "screwed up"

    And why would 'screw' mean sex?
     
  15. Neildo Gone Registered Senior Member

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    5,306
    It's just a different way of saying it. People say all sorts of unique things to stand out from one another. Look how many synonyms we have in the English language. This is just an extension to be rather than one word being similar, it's phrases.

    Screw, drill.. two long hard things going inside a hole. Just another analogy phrase for uniqueness. Anything that may do an act similar to sex, you can substitute it for sex. Think of anything where a long item gets put into a hole and there ya go. Or anything where two objects bump against one another, there ya go. Or any object that oozes goo, there ya go. Just look in a thesaurus and see how many similar words can be used to mean the same thing. It applies here to, except these are phrases rather than one word.

    Planting the hotdog in the bun, doing the horizontal mambo, bumpin' uglies, assault with a friendly weapon, bang like a shithouse door in the wind, slippin a tube steak, park the car in the garage, play hide the salami, put his snake through her grass, take a wild ride the baloney pony, score between the posts, sheath the sword to the hilt, dip your stinger in the honey, squat jump in the cucumber patch, up to your nuts in guts, etc etc. Picture all of those with the act of sex in mind and there ya go.

    - N
     
  16. invert_nexus Ze do caixao Valued Senior Member

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    Man.
    Who wants a fish taco?
    I know I do.
     
  17. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    I always thought that was one of the more picturesque euphemisms. Unlike many of them which are very violent (what person in her right mind wants to be "banged"???), it conjures up an image of slow, precise, collaborative motion with great attention to the welfare of the screwee and bringing the action to a successful conclusion.
     
  18. Neildo Gone Registered Senior Member

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    5,306
    It's the, ahem, balls smacking against a ladies mmhmm. Smack smack smack, bang bang bang like a knocker on a door. As you mentioned, it's picturesque, or even a bit of aural sensation when both are wet. It doesn't have to be "violent", those parts of the body are gonna do that regardless of speed when it comes to deep penetration.

    There's reasons why these phrases exist, as weird or crude as some of them may seem.

    I can't believe we're talking about this. Are you really that naive Orleander or are ya just stirrin' up some mischief? =p

    - N
     
  19. Orleander OH JOY!!!! Valued Senior Member

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    25,817
    screw always seemed crass and low brow to me.
    Of course, when I'm in the mood I always say to my hubby "so, ya wanna go knock one out"
    Not much better, I suppose.

    I wonder how a dog got involved in the saying. I always thought a monkey or sheep were the favorite animals when it came to sex sayings.
     
  20. Orleander OH JOY!!!! Valued Senior Member

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    25,817
    I'm only naive til I learn about it. Sorry, but "screw the pooch" isn't a common phrase here. My husband hadn't even heard it. :shrug:
     
  21. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    24,690
    I've only heard it a couple of times in my long life. I think it was from people with military experience.

    People come to SciForums to learn. One person's naivete is another's opportunity to show off.

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  22. Neildo Gone Registered Senior Member

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    Sorry, I didn't mean to literally call you naive, was just playin with ya due to the way the conversation branched off, hence the smiley tongue at the end. I guess I screwed the pooch on that one.

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    - N
     
  23. Orleander OH JOY!!!! Valued Senior Member

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    so saying I was naive...well, I guess you screwed the pooch then huh?

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