asshat

noun

ass·hat | \ ˈas-ˌhat

plural asshats

Definition of asshat

vulgar slang

: a stupid, annoying, or detestable person : asshole “My boyfriend does that all the time,” she said. “Stays up all night playing Call of Duty, and then he's a grumpy asshat all day … ”— Tom Clancy and Peter Telep, Against All Enemies, 2011

History and Etymology for asshat

ass entry 4 + hat entry 1

Note: The seemingly nonsensical linking of ass and hat has a curious earlier history as a sort of cultural meme. Examples of the linkage can be found in dialogue lines from recent films: “Anyone found bipedal in five wears his ass for a hat!” (addressed to the employees of a bank as the robbers leave, Raising Arizona, 1987, script by Ethan and Joel Coen); “I like your ass. Can I wear it as a hat?” (a character’s parody of a flirtatious advance, City Slickers, 1991, script by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel). Of more immediate etymological relevance may be this dialogue sequence from the television series That ‘70’s Show: “RED: Eric, if you don't want to wear your ass for a hat, you'll get up here, pronto! DONNA: You better go. You know how that ass-hat screws up your hair” (“Red Fired Up,” Episode 24 of Season 2, script by Dave Schiff, first aired May 8, 2000). The current meaning of asshat may be a reanalysis, perhaps in part based on the expression “have one’s head up one’s ass” (meaning “to be obtuse, be insufficiently conscious of one’s surroundings”), perhaps in part due to simple phonetic similarity to asshole. A more precise history will depend on the location of further attestations.

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asshat

Definition of asshat

First Known Use of asshat

History and Etymology for asshat

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