AboutTed Nesbitt Expertise I have an interest in the meanings of words and phrases, as well as how and when they became part of the English language. I enjoy
researching idioms, colloquialisms, dialects, and obscurities of
all kinds. I prefer short questions on a particular subject, and
I will not accept lengthy research projects or term papers. NOTE: ALLEXPERTS CLAIMS THAT I TRANSLATE FROM ENGLISH TO LATIN AND FROM LATIN TO ENGLISH. I DO NOT. ALLEXPERTS REFUSES TO DELETE THE LATIN-TO-ENGLISH SERVICE -- ONE THAT I DO NOT PROVIDE.
TRUST ME ON THIS: ALLEXPERTS IS WRONG. I DO NOT TRANSLATE FROM ENGLISH TO LANGUAGE. LOOK FOR A LANGUAGE EXPERT INSTEAD. ETYMOLOGY AND TRANSLATING SERVICES ARE ENTIRELY DIFFERENT. ALLEXPERTS SHOULD KNOW THAT. ALLEXPERTS DOES NOT KNOW THAT. I HAVE TRIED FOR MANY YEARS TO GET THEM TO CHANGE. THEY WILL NOT. SORRY, BUT I DO NOT TRANSLATE FROM ENGLISH TO LATIN.
Experience I am the bibliographic instruction and reference librarian at a public
college. My master's thesis concerns William Faulkner's tragic novels. I formerly taught advanced placement English at two schools in the Philadelphia area.
I have been a member of the grammar and writing section of Allexperts
for more than a year.
Education/Credentials Masters degrees in English, philosophy, and library science.
Question What is the origin of the retort "bite me"? An Aussie with North American friends, I am often startled by such an invitation, though I know it is intended as a mild insult.
Answer Sarah:
Shakespeare used the express "bite me," but NOT in the sense that the slang phrase is used today. He was actually referring to someone's teeth taking a nip at another person's flesh.
I'm not at work now, so I cannot check the regionalism dictionaries for the United States. Which I WILL DO, if you get back to me and request a follow up answer.
The phrase is definitely from the U. S., although variations are used in other countries. According to "The Oxford English Dictionary," the ORIGINAL term was coined as "What's biting you?" Its meaning is "What is perturbing or annoying you?" It first appeared in WRITTEN English in "The Saturday Evening Post," March 27, 1909.
Over the decades, the term has come to be consider "foul-mouthed," although I found one reference that said it was not considered "vulgar." That surprised me, since I always thought that "bite me" was a very vulgar expression, especially if the speaker is pointing to a particular part of HIS OR HER anatomy.
The expression can be said in anger or disgust. However, it has come to be used so often, it now appears as a "mild retort," similar to "bug off," "leave me alone," "get out of here," or "get lost." Incidentally, the stronger version of "bug off" is "f*** off!"
Here are two sites that give more information:
This professor at the University of California at Berkeley has compiled a long list of slang expressions.
<http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~wrader/slang/b.html>
And this site lists the phrase as a "cliche."
<http://www.clichesite.com/content.asp?which=tip+2071>
