to give someone the shits
- idiom
- Offensive
- If you keep asking, you're going to give him the shits sooner or later.
Examples
-
His constant complaining really gives me the shits whenever we work together.
-
Loud neighbors at night give her the shits every weekend.
-
His arrogance really gives me the shits sometimes.
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The way she talks down to everyone gives him the shits.
-
Ignoring my requests gives her the shits and makes her frustrated.
Synonyms
Make someone very annoyed or upset
Make someone slightly angry or bothered by small repeated actions
Make someone very annoyed or upset
Make someone feel annoyed because they cannot do something
To make someone feel annoyed or unhappy
To annoy someone again and again so they feel bothered
To bother someone again and again until they feel angry
To annoy someone a lot by small things another person does
To do or say something on purpose to annoy someone
To make someone very angry or upset
To make someone feel very annoyed or upset
To annoy someone or make them feel defensive
To make someone feel unhappy or annoyed
To make someone feel worried, angry, or very annoyed
To annoy someone by doing the same small things again and again
To annoy someone so they become defensive
To annoy someone or make them angry
To cause someone trouble or make them upset
Antonyms
How Annoying
- Offensive
- Offensive
Surface Forms
Morphology
Although the verbs and pronouns are transparent, the noun phrase 'the shits' is vulgar slang with multiple meanings (excrement, upset stomach, or general nuisance) and its idiomatic sense 'to greatly annoy' is not derivable from the literal parts. This is a colloquial, idiomatic usage that a B1 learner who knows the individual words would likely not predict.
Etymology
Give someone the shits may come from a simple image: making someone sick with an upset stomach, the shits, which leaves them miserable and easily angry. That's why it now means 'to annoy or irritate someone greatly'.