To diss is to disrespect; to treat, mention, or speak to rudely. It is
a slang word, chiefly US, that came from, and therefore shares the same definition
as "to disrepect"; to treat (someone) with contempt.
The City of Dis - sketch by Boticelli
Dis with one ‘s’
refers to the city of Dis, from Dante's levels of hell. The city of Dis is the
level of hell to which all non-believers, who have not otherwise sinned
greatly, will go.
Diss is also a town in Norfolk.
ReplyDeleteEven German teenagers say that someone's been dissing them when they've had a not-so-nice verbal encounter with someone.
ReplyDeleteA shortened version of 'disrespect', this is a slang term and originated in ebonics (black dialect). I find the word irritating in the same way I detest the phrase 'exact same', the lazy, shortened version of 'exactly the same'. The word is spelt with a single 's' in the US of A, which should come as no surprise to anyone once the motivations for the origin are considered: sloth, mostly. Ignorance for another.
ReplyDeleteHere are a few examples of the various tenses:
Dissing:
He Momma so ugly she try t' tay a bath an' dah watah leave out!
Why you be dissin' [read:dissing] him? He ain't do nuffin'.
Dis:
Why you strap'?
I lookin' fo' Lil Monster Cody. He dis my Momma.
Dissed:
Shortly after the sound of gunfire in downtown Detroit...
Who dat kill Lil Monster?
Be Mad Jack. Bus' three caps in hizazz 'cuz Monster dissed hiz Momma.
Translation:
His mother is so ugly that when she tried to take a bath the water ran away from her. (a common joke)
Why are you showing disrespect to him? He didn't do anything [bad to you].
Why are you carrying a pistol?
I'm searching for Little Monster Cody. (not to be confused with Monster Cody, who by his name would be the gang father of Little Monster Cody).
Who was it that killed Little Monster Cody?
It was the irascible blogger Mad Jack. He fired three shots, striking his target with unfailing accuracy and sending Little Monster Cody to perdition; Little Monster Cody spoke disrespectfully about Jack's mother.
See?
I knew the "diss". I did not know Dis.
ReplyDelete