Don't give (or get off your) rat's ass/arse/horse

[Joel S. Berson]

At 9/5/2010 05:18 PM, Robin Hamilton wrote:
>Is "rat's ass" present apart from the collocation, "Not give a rat's ass"?

Well, after including a few "-don't give" and other exclusions, I am
down to about 24,400 Google hits.  I looked at only the first five
and pass on only this one:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melfeasance/291765548/
"Get off your rat's ass and VOTE! Having trouble? Maybe this voting
information from DailyKos will be of help: Remind your friends and
family to vote!"

>As a better example of a non-commutative arse, how about "arsing around", as
>in "Stop arsing around."  Somehow, I can't get my ear around, "Stop assing
>around.")

I can understand that.  If you are rhotic, you can transform "Stop
horsing around" into "Stop arsing around."  (And both "horse" [from
1901]and "arse" [from 1664] have the necessary verbal "fooling
around" senses in the OED.)  But your ear (not eah)  wouldn't
transform it into the R-less "Stop assing around."  :-)

On the other hand:

The OED has ass, v., "nonce-wd. ...  2. intr. To act the ass. Now
freq. in (orig. schoolboys') slang: to fool about."  [What
"horse/arse about" also mean.]  And from 1592 !! (through
1933).  Predating "arse around"?

So this seems to be commutative too.

And one has (the OED do have) "grab-assing around".  "N. Amer. slang
(orig. Mil.).   intr. To engage in horseplay; to fool around. Also
with around."  First quote 1957.

Joel

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