to know one's shit
- idiom
- Offensive
:
[Ofensivo] saber mucho
- The new employee really knows his shit when it comes to software development.
Examples
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Yeah, he seems to know his shit, you know?
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- I know my shit.
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Plus, you could teach them a lot, because you know your shit.
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- Wow, he knows his shit.
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This guy knows his shit.
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She really knows her shit.
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Ortiz sure knows his shit.
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He really knows his shit.
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Unfortunately, when it comes to politicians and the media, Roger Ailes knows his shit.
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- True, but the dude knows his shit, and like I said, he's in town filming a new episode.
Synonyms
15
6.7
To understand a situation or subject well
10
6.0
Knowing a place or subject very well
To be an expert in a subject like cooking or computers
Antonyms
How Knowledgeable
Surface Forms
Morphology
There is a clear link from 'know' + a possessive to being familiar with something, and the phrase maps onto the non-vulgar pattern 'know one's stuff', so part of the meaning is derivable. However, 'shit' here is vulgar slang meaning 'stuff/skills' rather than its literal sense of excrement, a register-sensitive metaphor that a B1 learner who only knows the literal word is unlikely to predict without prior exposure.
Etymology
The idiom know one's shit comes from the older phrase know one's stuff. People used the rude word shit to mean 'things' or 'facts', so the phrase gives a picture of someone who has all their facts ready. That's why know one's shit means 'to be very knowledgeable' about a topic.