crap in English: A mild rude word for rubbish, or for anything bad or untrue. Said on its own it is a small cry of annoyance. This is the bottom step of the swearing ladder: it shocks almost nobody, but it is still too rude for school or work. Recognise it, do not use it. (noun)

Translation

A mild rude word for rubbish, or for anything bad or untrue. Said on its own it is a small cry of annoyance. This is the bottom step of the swearing ladder: it shocks almost nobody, but it is still too rude for school or work. Recognise it, do not use it.

Word origin

An old English word for waste and leftovers, written down since the 1400s. The rude modern sense grew in the 1800s.

Origin: Middle English
Root: crappe

Examples

! .

On its own it is a small cry of annoyance, the kind a stranger would forgive.

.

Here it means very bad. A friend would say this; a written review would say "poor".

.

Here it means nonsense: things that are not true.

Related words

bad

Not good; of low quality, or causing harm or trouble.

shit

The solid waste the body passes out, and one of the most common swear words in English. Said on its own when something goes wrong, and used of anything bad or worthless. Medium strength: ordinary among friends, clearly wrong at work, at school, or with people you do not know. Recognise it, do not use it.

rude

Not kind or polite; speaking or acting in a way that upsets other people.

word

A sound or group of letters that has a meaning when you say or write it.

wrong

Not right, or not correct.

piss

A rude word for the liquid the body passes out, and for passing it. Mild, but it belongs among friends and family: a doctor says "urinate". It also carries two very common phrases, "piss off" (go away) and "piss someone off" (make them angry). Recognise it, do not use it.

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