LiDLIEU #1: Super Duper

Here's a new series of posts I like to call literal definitions lost in everyday use. Over the course of however long I feel like doing these, we'll explore the literal and/or actual meaning of common phrases, many of which have been lost or reappropriated.

For the inaugural entry we'll be looking at the phrase "party pooper". The accepted definition is more or less someone who makes shared activities less enjoyable for others, often by refusing to participate, or being the lone dissenter. The literal definition is someone who shows up to parties with the sole intention of taking a massive shit and making the place smell like holy hell, often while making loud, awkward grunts. An alternative definition involves a person who goes to a party, then very quietly and calmly shits their pants. Said person then walks around the party with a duce in their pants, making the other party goers very confused and uncomfortable.

Although the general and literal definitions are similar, everyday use of the term party pooper just doesn’t have the crisp, pungent potency of its literal counterpart.