DEDICATED TO SCUM BAG, HIS HOODLUMS & MY FORMER EMPLOYER

WHAT'S THE STORY ON THE WORD "SCUM BAG"

After Representative Dan Burton, Republican of Indiana and Chairman of the Government Oversight and Reform Committee, called President Clinton a scumbag a week and a half ago, there has been something of an outburst of interest in this term, which means 'a despicable person'.

Scum itself has been used for many hundreds of years to refer to offensive, disgusting, or disreputable people, and thus many people take scumbag as an intensification of this scum with the suffix -bag, a frequent element in abusive slang terms (dirtbag; hosebag; sleazebag; etc.), all of which are, however, later than scumbag.

Though most people seem not to realize it now, the original sense of scumbag was 'a condom', based on the slightly earlier, and both rather obvious, scum 'semen' and bag 'a condom'.

People's reaction to scumbag today tend to reflect their awareness of the 'condom' sense, with those who are aware of it finding scumbag significanly more offensive than those who are not. While certainly offensive, scumbag is not in the top tier of the most offensive terms in English. It is more offensive than jerk or creep, but less offensive than, say, asshole. But to publicly call an elected official a scumbag still seems a fairly extreme step, even given the current state of political discourse in America. Note that the New York Times, often squeamish about such matters, did not print the word and used a euphemism instead.

Though most sources claim that both senses, 'condom' and 'disreputable person', date from the late 1960s, the first sense is found in underground literature at least by the 1930s, and the second by 1950.

URBANDICTIONARY SCUM BAG

 Courtesy of UrbanDictionary.com

1.  scumbag  A person of poor judgement and no class.  You scumbag motherfucking asshole shit for brains you should be shot.   Oct 1, 2003

2.  scumbag  A used condom.  Is an example needed?   Nov 25, 2003

3.  scumbag  A person with no sense of propriety, decency or discretion.  He told her to blow him or else?  What a scumbag!    Jan 18, 2003

4.  SCUMBAG  Somthing you call someone you dont like or are pissed at, Someone who has a shitty personality - scumbag , asshole, dick YOu scumbag!!!  you screwed me over.  Feb 26, 2005

5.  Scumbag  Asshole, low-down dirty bastard.  (see Bill O'Reilly)  1. That dude is a scumbag.   Nov 22, 2004

6.  Scumbag  Dublin equivalent of chav and spide. Usualy deals drugs and impregnates underage Girls.  She's 14 ye balydin Scumbag!   Nov 19, 2004

7.  Scumbag  One whom screws over those that help him due to the potential of his own benefit. Yeah I gave dave $1000 three weeks ago, but I haven't herd from the scumbag since.  Illegal aliens, typically they're all diseased scumbag mexicans, and that's a geological fact therefore I'm not being racist.   NJ Aug 27, 2006

8.  scumbag   One who steals from others, even close friends.   One who rats out others, even close friends, for small personal gain.   One who cheats, bribes, lies, and steals for personal gain.    One who offers others prizes to risk their own lives in the process by eating a cheetos bag.   One who threatens others with hired thugs because he isn’t man enough to do it himself.  You should never be friends with a scumbag   USA Sep 30, 2006.

9.  scumbag  The dirt under the fingernails of progress as some may say. Scumbags, also known as scummies are immoral and have no sense of right or wrong in the world due to poor parenting.
Usually hanging out anywhere public, scumbags will always be smoking, or trying to find someone who can give them something to smoke.
Avoid scummies at all costs.  Scummie: Hey do you have a skeet?   Person: fuck off, scumbag.   Unionville, Connecticut Sep 25, 2006

10.  SCUMBAG  Store Clean Up Mop Bucket Applications Guy/Gal.
The title of the store worker that makes sure everything is tidy.  Fundo enjoyed being the underpaid SCUMBAG, cleaning the store, so he showed up to work early every day.   Aug 24, 2006

11.  scumbag  A condom.  I don't do hookers without a scumbag.   Dec 12, 2002

12.  scumbag  A piece of shit who should get their next ripped.  Steve Knats is a scumbag bitch fuckin shit fucker.   home Dec 31, 2005.

13.  scumbag  n. A person who goes to the liquor store without inviting his friends.  When Tom saw Vic and Peter walk in the door with their bags, he immediately was aware of the scumbags he was dealing with.  by anonymous Oct 24, 2003.

14.  scumbag  An outstanding car salesman.  "Wow, that scumbag's going to strike it rich!"   CA May 7, 2005

15.  scumbag  A used condom full of semen.   Two gays walked down Lovers Lane early Sunday morning looking for fresh scumbags for a morning appetizer.   Mar 2, 2005

16.  scumbag  Saulius Milevicius.  That’s All You Need To Know.  He Is THEE biggest scumbag of all time.  Johnson: Dude, WTF is that smell?  smells like someone who hasn't taken a shower in about 4 years.  Rudy: Dude, Thats TOTES Saulius!   Mar 31, 2005

DEFINITION OF SCUM FROM WIKIPEDIA

Scum can refer to:

A layer of impurities that accumulates at the surface of a liquid (especially water or molten metal).

A greenish water vegetation such as Algae,usually found floating on the surface of a ponds.

The topmost liquid layer of a cesspool or Septic tank. Some would consider this layer "frothy".

A card game also known by various other names, such as President.

A derogatory insult implying "worthless", "of no value", or "despised".

Soap scum, a chalky residue often found in showers or bathtubs.

Scum a 1977 play for TV directed by Alan Clarke and set in a borstal. later remade in 1979 into a film by the same director.

Scum a 1987 album by grindcore band Napalm Death.

S.C.U.M. (Society for Cutting Up Men) Manifesto, a.k.a. [The] "SCUM Manifesto" a 1968 radical feminist by Valerie Solanas.

Scum punk a subgenre of punk rock.

SCUM band a Norwegian/American punk/metal band.

SCUMM (Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion), scripting language developed at LucasArts to ease development of the graphical adventure game Maniac Mansion.

SCUM BAG - BY FRANK ZAPPA

 
Scum Bag, Scum Bag
Scum Bag, Scum Bag
Scum Bag, Scum Bag
Scum Bag, Scum Bag
Scum Bag, Scum Bag
Scum Bag, Scum Bag
Eh, yo, yeah, yo
Scum Bag
(Gonna put all my posessions in a)
Scum Bag
(Gonna shut my damn pa-jamas in a)
Scum Bag
(Gonna put my dirty movies in a)
Scum Bag
(Gonna put my Yoko records in a)
Scum Bag
(Gonna put my old high school in a)
Scum Bag
(Everybody, everybody, by the)
Scum Bag
(Oh, my pretty baby, do the)
Scum Bag
(Everybody)
Scum Bag, Scum Bag
Scum Bag, Scum Bag
Scum Bag, Scum Bag
Scum Bag, Scum Bag
(Oh, Yoko's in a)
Scum Bag
(Everybody, everybody)
Scum Bag
Scum Bag!
(All God's children gotta)
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag!
Oh, Scum Bag
Ah, ooh, gotta Scum Bag, Scum Bag
Choo choo choo . . .
Scum Bag, Scum Bag, Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
FZ:  Hey, listen! I don't know whether you can tell what the words are to this song, but there's only two of them, and I'd like to have you sing along 'cause it's real easy. Anybody who comes to the Fillmore East can sing the song. The name of the song is "Scum Bag," okay? And all you gotta do is sing "Scum Bag." Right on, brothers and sisters, let's hear it for the Scum Bag!
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Come on, come on, come on
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag, baby, Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag, baby
Scum Bag, baby
Scum Bag, baby
Scum Bag, baby
Scum Bag to me, baby
Scum Bag
(Scum Bag to me, baby)
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
(Scum Bag to me baby)
Scum Bag
SCUM BAG
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Do the Scum Bag, hey
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
(Scum Bag, hey)
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Answer now
Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum Bag, Scum Bag, Scum Bag
Scum Bag . . .
Ooh, Scum Bag
Scum Bag
Scum-bag
Scum-bag
Scum-baaag
Scum-baaag
Scum-baaaaag
Scum-baaaag, scum-baaaag, scum-baaag . . .
FZ: Good night, boys and girls!