(Canadian) shit-disturbers

[Alice Faber]

In hockey discussions, the general bowldlerization of this is "shift
disturber". And, of course, google shows plenty of hits, mostly from
Canada. At least on the first page, the context is, indeed, hockey, and
for non-hockey hits, where I can identify a geographical locale, it's
Canada (e.g., an edgy Toronto ad agency).

On 9/21/12 11:01 AM, Laurence Horn wrote:
> I noticed this opener for an article in the Halifax Chronicle Herald (31 August 2012) when I was up there a little while ago:
>
> ============
> 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.
> ============
>
> What struck me was
> (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.
>
> 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)
>
> ===============
> shit disturber
> — n
> informal  ( Canadian ) a person who enjoys causing controversy or upsetting people
>
> usage: Although considered vulgar, this phrase [sic] is nonetheless commonly used and is generally not thought offensive enough to be considered taboo
> ===============
>
> LH
> ------------------------------------------------------------
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>

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org