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Asshole (or arsehole in British English) is slang for the anus and can be used as a derisive descriptor of an unpleasant person. It is formed from arse, which according to the Oxford English Dictionary has been used since the 11th century to refer to the rump of an animal and since the 14th century to refer to a person's buttocks. The combined form arsehole is first attested from 1500 in its literal use to refer to the anus. The metaphorical use of the word to refer to the worst place in a region (e.g., "the arsehole of the world") is first attested in print in 1865; the use to refer to a contemptible person is first attested in 1933.^[1] But as with other vulgarities, these uses of the word may have been common in oral speech for some time before their first print appearances. Look up asshole in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... British English (BrE, BE, en-GB) is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere in the Anglophone world. ... For other uses, see Slang (disambiguation). ... This article is about the bodily orifice. ... The Oxford English Dictionary print set The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a dictionary published by the Oxford University Press (OUP), and is the most successful dictionary of the English language, (not to be confused with the one-volume Oxford Dictionary of English, formerly New Oxford Dictionary of English, of...

Semantics

The word is mainly used as a profanity towards someone the speaker does not like or whose behavior is hurtful, self-centered, or particularly abrasive. Usually, the term is directed at a male (in female anatomy, the focus is deflected to the nearby genitals; see cunt). It may also sometimes be used to describe people who are viewed as stupid or useless or even meaningless, similar to wanker. In cartoons, profanity is often depicted by substituting symbols for words, as a form of non-specific censorship. ... The vagina, (from Latin, literally sheath or scabbard ) is the tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles. ... Cunt is an English language vulgarism most commonly used in reference to vulva or vagina and, more generally, the pubis, from the mons veneris to the perineum. ... Look up wanker in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

This word or its literal translation is found in colloquial speech in a number of cultures (in both English and other languages). This is because it describes an organ of elimination that is considered a taboo region (since it belongs to the intimate parts) of the body in many societies. For other uses, see Culture (disambiguation). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... This article is about the biological unit. ... Anatomy of the anus and rectum For the death metal band Defecation, see Defecation (band). ... This article is about cultural prohibitions in general; for other uses, see Taboo (disambiguation). ... An intimate or private part is a place on the human body. ... Young people interacting within an ethnically diverse society. ...

The English word ass (meaning donkey, a cognate of its zoological name Equus asinus) may also be used as a term of contempt, referring to a silly or stupid person. In North America, the words arse and ass have become synonymous; however, in the rest of the English-speaking world, ass still only refers to the donkey, rather than the arse (buttocks). It is worth noting that speakers of some varieties of English “drop their Rs” before consonants, leading to a pronunciation of arse that is quite similar to ass. Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758 For other uses, see Donkey (disambiguation). ... North American redirects here. ... Bith buttocks. ... Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ...

Until the early 1990s, the word was considered one of a number of words that could not be uttered on commercial television in the United States. Comedian Andrew Dice Clay caused a major shock when he uttered the word during a televised awards show in the 1980s. However, there were PG-13 and R rated films in the 1980s that featured use of the word, such as "The Terminator" (1984) and the PG-13 "National Lampoon Christmas Vacation" (1989) and "Back to The Future II" (1989). By 1994, however, the word was considered less vulgar and was featured in dialog on the long-running television series NYPD Blue, though it has yet to become anything close to commonplace on network TV. It is important to note that while the word arse has found a place on broadcast television, arsehole is not used, probably due to its more vulgar connotation. In some broadcast edits (such as the syndication airings of South Park), the word is partially bleeped out—ironically, as "arseh---", with the profane half of the word intact. Andrew Dice Clay (born on September 29, 1957, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American comedian and actor. ... NYPD Blue was an Emmy Award-winning hour long-running American television police drama set in New York City. ... This article is about the TV series. ...

Shows using the word asshole

In 1972, Jonathan Richman's Modern Lovers recorded his song "Pablo Picasso," which includes the immortal line "Pablo Picasso never got called an asshole." The song was not released until 1976, after the break-up of the original Modern Lovers. In 1976, Chinga Chavin released the single "Asshole from El Paso" from his album Country Porn. Chavin's song was a parody of Merle Haggard's "Okie from Muskogee." In 1993, actor Denis Leary enjoyed some success with a comedic song called "Asshole", which opened his stage play No Cure for Cancer and was featured in a music video. It topped the Triple J Hottest 100, 1993 in Australia and subsequently reached #2 on the charts in that country in 1994. Alternative rock artist Beck has written and recorded a song called "Asshole", one of his most acclaimed compositions. The British ska-punk band Snuff also have a song named "Arsehole", while Canadian comedy troupe Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie have had a song called "The Asshole Song" in their repertoire since the late 1980s. In 2004 (see 2004 in music), the song “"arsehole" by the band Jim’s Big Ego was used as the soundtrack to a popular internet filmstrip about the Bush administration. Gene Simmons of rock band Kiss released his solo album under the name Asshole which also featured a song of the same name. August Campbell & The Spur Of The Moment Band wrote "The Asshole Song", sung about a person who purportedly cut him off while driving his car, prominently features the word as well (i.e. "Were you born an asshole, or did you work at it your whole life?"). ^[2] Jonathan Richman (born 16 May 1951) is an American proto-punk musician. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Pablo Picasso is a song written by Jonathan Richman for his proto punk group The Modern Lovers. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Nick Chinga Chavin achieved a bit of notoriety in the mid-1970s with his release of a raunchy album entitled Country Porn. ... Okie From Muskogee is an album by Merle Haggard and the Strangers. ... Denis Leary (born Denis Colin Leary on August 18, 1957) is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award-nominated American actor, comedian, writer and director. ... Asshole is the first and only single from Denis Learys 1993 album No Cure for Cancer. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... The 1993 Triple J Hottest 100, counted down in January 1994, was the first countdown of the most popular songs of the year, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J. As opposed to previous incarnations of the poll where listeners could vote on any track or song... This article is about the musician. ... Snuff is a British punk rock band formed in 1986. ... Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie are a Canadian comedy group from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. ... See also: 2004 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 2004 Record labels established in 2004 2000s in music. ... Chaim Witz (חיים וויץ), (born August 25, 1949 in Haifa, Israel), better known by his stage name Gene Simmons, is an Israeli-American hard rock bass guitarist and vocalist. ... Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. ... Asshole is the second solo album release by KISS member Gene Simmons. ...

Similar compounds with ass

Asshat is a slightly trendier and less severe variation of asshole, graphically describing someone who has his “head up his own ass” (i.e., not knowing what’s going on): one is wearing one’s ass for a hat. A more modern usage of asshat describes a person doing something stupid, and can apply to anyone: “The boss is up to asshattery because he broke the computer even though he knew he was doing the wrong thing.” This meaning was popularized by Something Awful character Jeff K. The word is popular in many online communities, serving as a more palatable version of its antecedent. According to Google’s Usenet statistics, the word only saw a token appearance every day or two starting in July 1999, but following a slow rise in 2002, it entered popular usage in May 2003. As it continued to grow in popularity, asshat began to be used by online gamers, in first person shooter and massively multiplayer role playing games. It was a commonplace word on servers where vulgar language was not allowed. Something Awful, often abbreviated to SA, is a comedy website housing a variety of content, including blog entries, forums, feature articles, digitally edited pictures, and humorous media reviews. ... This article is about the corporation. ... Look up popularity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The term vulgar originally meant of the common people, from the Latin vulgus. ...

The insult assclown is used in a similar fashion, although it is not as common. Assclown has become well known among fans of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) due to wrestler Chris Jericho using it during his promos, especially his “Highlight Reel”. The term was also used in the film Office Space to describe singer-songwriter Michael Bolton. “Assclown” is also used by radio personality Todd Schnitt. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ... Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian actor, radio host, rock musician, and professional wrestler. ... Office Space is an American comedy film written and directed by Mike Judge. ... Michael Bolotin (born February 26, 1953), better known as Michael Bolton, is an American singer-songwriter, known for his soft rock ballads and tenor vocals. ... Todd Andrew MJ Schnitt (born January 24, 1966) is a radio host whose two shows are based in Tampa, Florida. ...

Asstard is another rarer variant upon the ass- theme. It is possibly a portmanteau of asshole and retard and has almost the same meaning as asshole, but with a greater implied connotation of stupidity. An identically spelled version of the same word is a contraction of asshole and bastard, with a commensurately more abusive meaning. Mental retardation (also called mental handicap[1] and, as defined by the UK Mental Health Act 1983, mental impairment and severe mental impairment[2]) is a term for a pattern of persistently slow learning of basic motor and language skills (milestones) during childhood, and a significantly below-normal global intellectual... Illegitimacy is the status that was once commonly ascribed to individuals born to parents who were not married. ...

asspit is a descriptive noun following this construction, used to describe places that are run-down or dirty, as in: “This house is an asspit.” It has a generally pejorative connotation.

ass-end or asshole can also be used to describe a location that is extremely remote, decrepit or seen to be without value - for example " (placename) is the asshole of the world"

Asshole as an example of Calculator Spelling

The word asshole is, in fact, one of the limited number of words possible in Calculator Spelling. If one types "3704559" on to a calculator and then turns the device upside-down, the word asshole appears. Calculator spelling (also known as beghilos) is a technique of spelling words by reading characters upside-down from calculators equipped with certain kinds of seven-segment displays. ...

See also

• Arse
• Cornhole

Arse is an English term referring to the buttocks, first recorded circa 1400 (in arce-hoole) and is commonly used in English speaking countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, parts of Canada and former parts of the British Empire. ... Cornhole can refer to: Corntoss, a game also known as Cornhole Corntoss bag, the projectile used in the game A slang term for anus, because corn cobs were often used in outhouses in lieu of toilet paper A slang term for a gathering of online friends The Great Cornholio Category...

Footnotes