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Glite Dictionary
😠 To annoy 💩 To cause diarrhea
to give the shits

to give the shits

9.9
To make someone feel worried, angry, or very annoyed
  • idiom
  • /ɡɪv ðə ʃɪts/
  • Offensive
translation icon : cabrear
  • That rude comment really gave me the shits all day.

Examples

  • Dealing with bureaucracy can truly give you the shits after a while.

  • The news about the layoffs really gave the shits to everyone.

  • Heavy traffic on my way to work always gives the shits to everyone.

  • Don't give the shits!

  • The constant delays in the project are starting to give me the shits.

  • Her constant complaining about trivial issues really gives the shits to the team.

  • Don't let his negativity give you the shits; focus on the positive.

Synonyms

to give someone a hard time
vsto give the shits
  • Informal
90 3.9

Make someone feel bad by criticizing or teasing them

is about causing anxiety or distress rather than intentional hardship
to give hell
vsto give the shits
  • Informal
1 8.1

To scold or punish someone angrily for something they did wrong

is more about causing anxiety and distress than formal punishment
to give someone the shits
vsto give the shits
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To make someone very annoyed or angry

causes worry or deeper distress beyond mere irritation
to give (someone) the shits
vsto give the shits
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To make someone very angry or upset

leans more toward causing anxiety and lasting distress
to get someone's back up
vsto give the shits
  • UK
1 7.9

To annoy someone or make them feel defensive

can instead produce anxious worry or deeper distress rather than anger
to give grief
vsto give the shits
  • Informal
6.9

To cause someone trouble or make them upset

emphasizes anxiety and significant irritation rather than general trouble
to shit in someone's cereal
vsto give the shits
  • Offensive
9.9

To spoil someone's good mood or stop them enjoying something

focuses more on causing worry, distress, or strong irritation
to piss in someone's cornflakes
vsto give the shits
  • Offensive
9.9

To spoil someone's good mood by being negative or critical

instead causes anxiety or distress rather than only spoiling fun
to give what-for
vsto give the shits
  • Informal
9.5

To scold someone strongly for doing something wrong

tends to create anxiety and lasting irritation rather than just scolding

Antonyms

to please
216 1.0

To make someone happy or satisfied

to comfort
172 1.0

To make someone feel less upset or in pain

How Upsetting

to traumatize
87 6.9
to distress
32 4.1
to give the shits
  • Offensive
9.9
to upset
362 1.0
to annoy
246 1.0

Surface Forms

give the shits infinitive
gave the shits past
given the shits past participle
giving the shits present participle
gives the shits third person singular

Morphology

give + the + shit

The causative verb 'give' combined with the vulgar noun 'shit' (here used in a nominalized plural form 'the shits' = diarrhoea) yields a directly inferable meaning: 'to cause diarrhoea.' The construction follows a common causative pattern ('give someone X' = cause X) and would be predictable to a B1 learner who knows the constituents, though it is slang/vulgar in register.

Etymology

Give the shits may come from the literal image of getting a bad stomach: something that 'gives you the shits' makes you feel unwell, stressed and annoyed. So it began to be used to mean 'to annoy, upset, or make someone anxious'.