Taking the mickey
Encyclopedia
To take the piss is an expression
meaning to mock
, tease, ridicule
, or scoff. Take the Mickey (Mickey Bliss, Cockney rhyming slang) is a euphemistic
way of conveying this expression where the word "piss" may be vulgar. This is most widely used in the United Kingdom
, Ireland
, South Africa
, New Zealand
and Australia
.
The phrase is in common usage throughout British society, employed by headline writers in broadsheet gazettes and tabloids as well as colloquially. It is also used in English speaking countries such as Australia.
In colloquial usage, "taking the piss" is also used to refer to someone or something that makes a claim which is not in line with a recognised agreement e.g. an invoice that is double the quoted price with no explanation for the added charge could be said to "take the piss", or likewise if something consistently misses a deadline.
The term can also mean to take unfair advantage. For example, if someone has a food buffet
and one guest clearly takes more than their expected share. It can also relate to an abuse of trust, such as "You can use my 'phone, but don't take the piss!"
men frequently experience, which have long been popularly attributed to arising from a full bladder, and thus could be considered a "false" erection. In a metaphoric sense, then, someone who is "piss-proud" would suffer from false pride, and taking the piss out of them refers to deflating this false pride, through disparagement or mockery. As knowledge of the expression's metaphoric origin became lost on users, "taking the piss out of" came to be synonymous with disparagement or mockery itself, with less regard to the pride of the subject.
"Take the mickey" may be an abbreviated form of the Cockney rhyming slang
"take the mickey bliss", a euphemism for "take the piss." It has also been suggested that "Mickey" is a contraction of "micturate" (urine), in which case "take the micturate" would be a synonymous euphemism for "take the piss." The phrase has been noted since the 1930s.
in Britain, urine would be brought up the canals to the wool mills in Northern England (particularly to Yorkshire), as urine was used in the process of fixing dye to wool. This was particularly the case for the dyeing items blue with indigo
or more traditionally with woad, before synthetic dyes were invented or made commercially available. Being in the business of transporting urine was much less lucrative than transporting wine, so when the boatmen were questioned what they were carrying they would lie and say "I'm taking wine" and the response would be "No you're taking the piss" to express disbelief.
Another theory is that, when tanners
had huge pots outside where they worked, the public would be encouraged to urinate into these pots as tanners used the urine to help with tanning
and then the saying of "taking the piss" came into use.
A last theory is that the phrase has nothing to do with urine, but rather comes from the medieval Latin word pisittacus, parrot (or, in medieval French and Anglo-Norman, pistake); just as the parrot teases with speech, so does someone who is taking the piss.
Idiom
Idiom is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression that is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made...
meaning to mock
Mock
Mock may refer to:* In geography: Mock, California, in Inyo County* In programming: Virtual mock or Mock object, simulated objects that mimics the behavior of real objects in controlled ways* In mathematics: Mock modular form, mathematical function...
, tease, ridicule
Ridicule
Ridicule is a 1996 French film set in the 18th century at the decadent court of Versailles, where social status can rise and fall based on one's ability to mete out witty insults and avoid ridicule oneself...
, or scoff. Take the Mickey (Mickey Bliss, Cockney rhyming slang) is a euphemistic
Euphemism
A euphemism is the substitution of a mild, inoffensive, relatively uncontroversial phrase for another more frank expression that might offend or otherwise suggest something unpleasant to the audience...
way of conveying this expression where the word "piss" may be vulgar. This is most widely used in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Usage
The term sometimes refers to a form of mockery in which the mocker exaggerates the other person's characteristics; pretending to take on his or her attitudes, etc., in order to make them look funny. Or it may be used to refer to a ruse where a person is led to believe something is true that is not (usually a fairly unbelievable story) for the purpose of ridicule of the subject.The phrase is in common usage throughout British society, employed by headline writers in broadsheet gazettes and tabloids as well as colloquially. It is also used in English speaking countries such as Australia.
In colloquial usage, "taking the piss" is also used to refer to someone or something that makes a claim which is not in line with a recognised agreement e.g. an invoice that is double the quoted price with no explanation for the added charge could be said to "take the piss", or likewise if something consistently misses a deadline.
The term can also mean to take unfair advantage. For example, if someone has a food buffet
Buffet
A buffet is a system of serving meals in which food is placed in a public area where the diners generally serve themselves. Buffets are offered at various places including hotels and many social events...
and one guest clearly takes more than their expected share. It can also relate to an abuse of trust, such as "You can use my 'phone, but don't take the piss!"
Origin
"Take the piss" may be a reference to a related (and dated) idiomatic expression, piss-proud. This is a vulgar pun referring to the morning erectionsNocturnal penile tumescence
Nocturnal penile tumescence is the spontaneous occurrence of an erection of the penis during sleep. All men without physiological erectile dysfunction experience this phenomenon, usually three to five times during the night...
men frequently experience, which have long been popularly attributed to arising from a full bladder, and thus could be considered a "false" erection. In a metaphoric sense, then, someone who is "piss-proud" would suffer from false pride, and taking the piss out of them refers to deflating this false pride, through disparagement or mockery. As knowledge of the expression's metaphoric origin became lost on users, "taking the piss out of" came to be synonymous with disparagement or mockery itself, with less regard to the pride of the subject.
"Take the mickey" may be an abbreviated form of the Cockney rhyming slang
Cockney rhyming slang
Rhyming slang is a form of phrase construction in the English language and is especially prevalent in dialectal British English from the East End of London; hence the alternative name, Cockney rhyming slang...
"take the mickey bliss", a euphemism for "take the piss." It has also been suggested that "Mickey" is a contraction of "micturate" (urine), in which case "take the micturate" would be a synonymous euphemism for "take the piss." The phrase has been noted since the 1930s.
Alternative theories of origin
One theory is that during the age of the canalsHistory of the British canal system
The British canal system of water transport played a vital role in the United Kingdom's Industrial Revolution at a time when roads were only just emerging from the medieval mud and long trains of pack horses were the only means of "mass" transit by road of raw materials and finished products The...
in Britain, urine would be brought up the canals to the wool mills in Northern England (particularly to Yorkshire), as urine was used in the process of fixing dye to wool. This was particularly the case for the dyeing items blue with indigo
Indigo dye
Indigo dye is an organic compound with a distinctive blue color . Historically, indigo was a natural dye extracted from plants, and this process was important economically because blue dyes were once rare. Nearly all indigo dye produced today — several thousand tons each year — is synthetic...
or more traditionally with woad, before synthetic dyes were invented or made commercially available. Being in the business of transporting urine was much less lucrative than transporting wine, so when the boatmen were questioned what they were carrying they would lie and say "I'm taking wine" and the response would be "No you're taking the piss" to express disbelief.
Another theory is that, when tanners
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
had huge pots outside where they worked, the public would be encouraged to urinate into these pots as tanners used the urine to help with tanning
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
and then the saying of "taking the piss" came into use.
A last theory is that the phrase has nothing to do with urine, but rather comes from the medieval Latin word pisittacus, parrot (or, in medieval French and Anglo-Norman, pistake); just as the parrot teases with speech, so does someone who is taking the piss.