What Does the Urinary Tract Have to do with Anger?

[mso489]

I hope this linguistic question won't piss anybody off, but can anyone explain to me why getting mad/angry/enraged is equated with the urinary functions of the body? Many idioms and sayings have sensible origins. They paint an image or have a derivation that makes sense of their otherwise cryptic qualities. But getting pissed off seems all wrong.

Taking a pee usually requires a fairly relaxed attitude. Some people stressed in a public restroom can't even pass their urine. So an unleashed torrent of anger hardly seems to equate with emptying ones bladder, which requires a relaxation of those particular muscles.

So the idiom to "get pissed off" irritates me. No, it really pisses me off. Please explain the idiom if you can. If you decide you agree with me, let's stop using this contrary saying and think of a better one, maybe.

 

[mso489]

As an example, I think getting torqued off makes sense. Torque is the pounds of force involved in a rotation, as from a drive shaft or applying force to a wrench tightening a bolt. So this has to do with tightening and force. That equates nicely with getting angry. That makes sense.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Better to be pissed off than pissed on.
But, I have no answers. I just think it is so weird how the word "piss" went from being a "cuss" word to ok to use in everyday communication. This turn seems to have happened in the 90's. Personally I think it should have remained a foul word. But, what the fuck do I know?

 

[mso489]

Yup, poor old copulation, the way we all got here in the first place. It turns out, it is an obligatory interjection at the White House, to show you're in with the in crowd and one of the boys/girls. What the fuck?

 

[lraisch]

I guess I never thought about it but I imagine it's similar to the old joke where a drill Sargent says to an obviously angry recruit " I bet you're one of those guys who are going to wait till I die and piss on my grave." To which the recruit replied "Sir, no sir, when I get out of the army I'm never going to wait in line again! "

 

[anotherbob]

I have two answers ready to go.
first one: I would guess it might have to do with the British term pissed which means really sloppy drunk. If that's the case pissed off could either be about the kind of rage a drunk can express, or mean pissed (drunk) off of (anger, outrage, etc.)
2nd answer is it makes sense when you consider the short lived but colorful colony fad of piss canon transportation. Which used an extract from urine to make a explosive powder and well you can figure out the rest (including that's completely made up).

 

[didimauw]

This actually made me laugh out loud. I have no idea, and your right MSO, it makes no sense. Kind of like the term LOL. I never use it when I actually laugh out loud, its only used when I laugh in my head.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

piss off | Etymology, origin and meaning of phrase piss off by etymonline

PISS OFF Meaning: "go away," chiefly British; the transitive meaning "annoy (someone)" is by 1968, chiefly U.S.; from piss… See origin and meaning of piss off.

www.etymonline.com

1946 (or possible 1937) WW2 soldiers used the term to mean angry or fed up. Why? it doesn't say.
1958 was the first reference of the word piss being used to mean "go away." These were British people saying "piss off."
1968 is was used to mean "annoyed." (You're pissing me off.)

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Here we go...

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In some Indo-European language that I forgot to note, urine has a root etymologically close to the meaning "sour". Thus compare for analogy German sauer ("sour"), stinkig ("stinky")--both figurative for anger. An analogy might be visible in the theory of humors, if a bad liver causes urine to stink--cf. choleric.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Many other etymology websites refer to just the sound of the word "piss" as being the reason it has historically used as slang/slur, and probably the nastiness of it.

But, Fuck has always been more of a magical word. For something that refers to the closest two humans can get in love and hate, it has amazing uses. First off, the word derives from the Germanic meaning "to stab."
Plus, it can be used as any part of speech...
Noun- Tell that F to get out of here.
Verb- F off you swine.
Pronoun- give this to F over there.
adverb- He was fast as F.
Adjective- He is F'n crazy.
Conjunction- etc... F'n etc...

 

[telescopes]

Idioms are interesting because they are more often than not phrases that DONOT literally mean what they say. Sometimes there is a correlation, but often there isn’t. What is wonderful about them that as a phrase, they take on a greater meaning than just a word. Having someone angry with you is much different than if they are pissed off at you.

 

[brian64]

Better to be pissed off than pissed on.

Some people seem to like it.

 

[mso489]

Along the same lines, I doubt anyone who isn't at least a covert believer gets much satisfaction from taking sacred figures' names in vain. Like, my saying Zeus sleeps with his mother is not an outlet at all for me. Maybe the ancients got a lift from saying that. Of course many of us don't always know what we believe, which confuses things.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

My wife says it's three little letters - UTI - you want to see angry . . . . . .

 

[mso489]

I've heard that urinary tract infections can cause a simulated dementia, and if the urinary tract infection is successfully treated, a person can return to perfectly normal brain functioning, with no impaired memory. So that should always be ruled out before a person is diagnosed. It can be treated with a course of antibiotics.

 

[timt]

It pisses me off when I help someone out and they don't give a shit. Fuck em....and the horse they rode in on.

 

[telescopes]

I've heard that urinary tract infections can cause a simulated dementia, and if the urinary tract infection is successfully treated, a person can return to perfectly normal brain functioning, with no impaired memory. So that should always be ruled out before a person is diagnosed. It can be treated with a course of antibiotics.

And I should note, running low on potassium will do much the same.

 

[verporchting]

And just for fun being pissed in England (or the UK generally) indicates drunkenness not anger.

So, yeah, go figure.

 

[Winnipeger]

Many other etymology websites refer to just the sound of the word "piss" as being the reason it has historically used as slang/slur, and probably the nastiness of it.

But, Fuck has always been more of a magical word. For something that refers to the closest two humans can get in love and hate, it has amazing uses. First off, the word derives from the Germanic meaning "to stab."
Plus, it can be used as any part of speech...
Noun- Tell that F to get out of here.
Verb- F off you swine.
Pronoun- give this to F over there.
adverb- He was fast as F.
Adjective- He is F'n crazy.
Conjunction- etc... F'n etc...

Prefix - Fuckwit
Intefix - Abso-fucking-lutely
Suffix - ? can't think of one

 

[TheIronMonkey]

Prefix - Fuckwit
Intefix - Abso-fucking-lutely
Suffix - ? can't think of one

Clusterfuck?