to stir shit
1
9.9
- phrasal verb
- /stɜr ʃɪt/
- Offensive
:
meter mierda (vulgar, informal)
- Could it be that these secession requests are the product of the Mossad or their 'helpers' in order to stir up shit?
He likes to stir shit up and butt heads and all that stuff.
- He likes to stir shit up and butt heads and all that stuff.
Examples
-
-So, why would I stir shit?
-
And if that chief starts stirring up any shit about it, you let me talk to that prick myself, and we'll get it sorted out.
-
I'm not gonna let him stir shit up between us.
-
You know, for a ghost, you sure have been stirring up some shit.
-
He likes to stir shit up and butt heads and all that stuff.
-
It stirred shit up, you know ?
-
Now shut up and take that racism card and stuff it up your racist butt; then every time you want to use it, you will have to smell and handle your own shit before you can stir the shit up.
Blog text (28) -
Well, Tia—who used to write for DomainGang—perhaps we can't all just get along when some of us stir shit at the request of others.
Blog text (30) -
Your posts here echo exactly some of those RW trolls who come here to stir up shit and complain that Kos should write more of this or more of that.
Blog text (28) -
He tends to stir shit in every group discussion by making controversial comments.
Synonyms
165
4.8
To start a fight or argument by annoying someone
131
3.7
To make someone feel a strong emotion
103
3.2
To do things that make problems for other people
48
4.8
To make people feel strong emotions like anger or fear
15
7.9
Behave loudly and angrily to cause trouble
13
7.6
To cause people to argue or become divided on purpose
8
8.0
To cause trouble by saying things to make people argue
6
4.0
Make people feel excited or upset and attract attention
5
5.3
To cause fights or problems between people on purpose
2
6.4
Complain loudly about something small
1
7.0
To cause many people to show strong public anger or criticism
1
7.4
Make people more angry and cause conflict between groups
1
7.7
To make many people feel angry or shocked about something
1
5.4
Cause strong arguments about a topic, often on public issues
To say or do things that cause arguments and make people angry
To cause trouble between people to get attention
To post low-quality content online to get a reaction, often to annoy or amuse people
To say or do something that causes strong reactions and confusion among people
To cause a lot of trouble and anger among people
To cause a strong public argument that divides people
To cause disagreement between people or groups
Antonyms
How Provocative
- NSFW
72
7.7
36
6.9
- Offensive
1
9.9
- Informal
8
8.0
- Informal
9
7.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'stir' (to provoke or agitate) combined with the vulgar noun 'shit' (nonsense/trouble) yields a fairly direct sense of provoking trouble, so part of the meaning is inferable from the parts. However, the expression is colloquial and relies on slang usage and the collocation pattern (compare 'stir up trouble'), so a B1 learner who knows the separate words may not reliably predict the exact idiomatic sense or the register, making it only partially transparent.
Etymology
The verb stir shit comes from the image of someone who literally stirs a filthy pot of shit, making the mess splash everywhere. That's why it means 'to cause trouble on purpose' or 'to provoke people'.