Another "$100 Misunderstanding" (1)

[Laurence Horn]

At 12:49 PM -0400 8/13/04, Dennis R. Preston wrote:
>>Neither of these corresponds to  my 'shit' which is just like my
>>'hit' - hit, hit, hit and shit, shit, shit.
>
>dInIs
>
>PS: Like Wilson, I was also flabbergrasted by 'shat' and also use it
>to poke fun, although I'm not sure at who (maybe at people who would
>say "at whom"?).
>
I've always had "shat" (for the preterit; not sure about the
participle) but never regarded it as in the same category as "whom".
It is a nice, strong verb, after all.  For those interested in other
variants, see my "Spitten Image" paper, p. 44 of AS 79:1 for some
19th c. cites on the participial form "shitten", including the
evocative "shitten-end-up" ('upside-down'; 'having a foetid breath').

larry