(Canadian) shit-disturbers

[Laurence Horn]

On Sep 21, 2012, at 11:11 AM, Charles C Doyle wrote:

> Possibly an allusion to the proverb "If you stir shit, you raise a stink"?
>
> --Charlie

I was reminded of the various versions of the joke with the punchline "Don't….make….waves"

--LH, wondering why my posts sometimes end up in 3D
>
> ________________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of Laurence Horn [laurence.horn at YALE.EDU]
> Sent: Friday, September 21, 2012 11:01 AM
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I noticed this opener for an article in the Halifax Chronicle Herald (31 =
> August 2012) when I was up there a little while ago:
>
> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
> People don't recognize Evan Brown anymore. One of Canada's most famous =
> activist shit disturbers and protagonist of the August 2000 pieing of =
> then-prime minister Jean Chretien at the Charlottestown Civic Center =
> during Old Home Week, he lives in a relative anonymity in Halifax =
> working as a theatre technician.
> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
>
> What struck me was=20
> (1) the apparent status of "shit disturber" (or perhaps "activist shit =
> disturber") as a term of art for, essentially, 'gadfly'
> (2) the appearance of this phrase in the kind of newspaper in which I =
> would not expect it to appear in the U.S.=20
>
> Googling for it, I find that indeed it is a Canadianism, as least =
> insofar as its usage status of "vulgar [but] not thought offensive =
> enough to be considered taboo"
>
> http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/shit+disturber (quoting Collins =
> English Dictionary)
>
> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
> shit disturber
> =97 n
> informal  ( Canadian ) a person who enjoys causing controversy or =
> upsetting people
> =20
> usage: Although considered vulgar, this phrase [sic] is nonetheless =
> commonly used and is generally not thought offensive enough to be =
> considered taboo
> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
> =20
> LH
>
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