does the Pope shit in the woods
- idiom
- Offensive
:
¿Acaso el Papa caga en el bosque?
- Of course he loves ice cream; does the Pope shit in the woods?
Examples
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You really think she won't go? Does the Pope shit in the woods!
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"Are you coming to the party tonight?" "Does the Pope shit in the woods!"
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"Will it rain if those clouds keep moving in?" "Does the Pope shit in the woods?"
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If you ask him whether he's hungry, he'll probably reply with, "does the Pope shit in the woods?"
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"Are you coming to the party tonight?" "Does the Pope shit in the woods!"
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"Will it rain if those clouds keep moving in?" "Does the Pope shit in the woods?"
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If you ask him whether he's hungry, he'll probably reply with, "does the Pope shit in the woods?"
Synonyms
∞
5.6
A casual way to say yes to show agreement
636
7.7
A casual way to say yes when speaking
199
8.2
A casual way to say yes
To say yes strongly in an informal, rude way
A question asked to show the answer is obviously yes
A sarcastic question people ask to say the answer is obviously yes
A question people ask to show the answer is clearly yes
Surface Forms
Morphology
do + the + Pope + shit + in + the + woods
This is a vulgar, sarcastic rhetorical question whose communicative force ('obviously/ emphatically yes') is pragmatic and idiomatic rather than compositional; the literal meanings of 'Pope', 'shit', and 'woods' do not yield that sense. A B1 learner who knows the words would likely interpret it literally or miss the emphatic idiomatic function, so prior exposure is needed to understand the intended meaning.
Etymology
Does the Pope shit in the woods is a funny mix of two old questions: 'Is the Pope Catholic?' and 'Does a bear shit in the woods?'. The silly image of the Pope in the woods doing that makes it a loud, joking way to answer 'yes'.