I dont give a rats arse origin

Details Written by Jeff Mayhew

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Origin of Phrases - I

It's just general slang that started up sometime during the 20th century. While nobody knows for sure how it came about, it's believed that a rat was used in the expression because of the way people view the rodent (annoying and small).

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Rat’s arse

This is a modern form of Tinker’s cuss and dates from the late 20th century. The expression, not to give a rat’s arse (ass) means that one could not care less. In idiomatic speech down the years, animals of all kinds come and go according to whim or fashion. One would imagine that the arse or ass of a rat is fairly small and insignificant compared to some animals, hence the expression.

DON’T GIVE A RAT’S ASS

Origin:  20th Century, American English -This expression belongs to a whole group of idioms most likely stemming from “not giving a damn”. It’s a strong way to indicate that you seriously do not care about something. It is common in English to use expletives such as damn and stronger ones to emphasize the speaker’s point of view. In this case the concept is to use a word or phrase about something that is considered worthless. There is a whole range of words that could be substituted for damn, not all printable here. For some reason “hoot” and “fig” are sometimes used. Rats are frequently associated with strong negative feelings, and they are considered worthless; even more worthless would be the hind quarters or “ass”/”arse” of a rat. The OED cites the 1953 novel Battle Cry as the first appearance in print, but Mark Twain in Huckleberry Finn already has a character saying “I don’t give a dead rat”.

Usage: Informal, spoken, general American  English. Considered somewhat vulgar.

Idiomatic Meaning: To seriously not care about something

Literal Meaning: This phrase assumes that someone might actually want the hind-quarters of a rat. That being the case, the expression means to refuse to give it to someone.

Why is this funny? In the cartoon, we see a gentleman sitting at a table in a restaurant. He has a bottle and a glass of wine in front of him and he is eyeing the platter in the center of the table which appears to have a whole rat on it. We don’t know if it’s raw or cooked, but the patron says it looks delicious, so clearly he’s ready to dig in and have himself a feast. Nevertheless he complains to the waiter that the rear end of the rat is missing. Perhaps that’s the most tender part. The waiter, in his turn, responds that he doesn’t care whether the rat’s rear is missing or not. The patron can take it or leave it because that’s how the restaurant serves rats, that is with no buttocks. The diner wants the rat’s ass, or rear end, but the waiter tells him that they don’t serve a rat’s ass in this establishment. And by not caring it also means that he “doesn’t give a rat’s ass” that they “don’t give a rat’s ass”!

                                                                                                               Sample sentence: I broke up with my girlfriend last night. I don’t give a rat’s ass if I never see her again!

1. annie01candy liked this

Where did the term rat someone out come from?