<Dd> This incomplete list is not intended to be exhaustive . </Dd> <P> This is a list of current, widespread, fallacious ideas and beliefs about the origins (or etymologies) of common English words . </P> <Ul> <Li> Crap: The word "crap" did not originate as a back - formation of British plumber Thomas Crapper's surname, nor does his name originate from the word "crap", although the surname may have helped popularize the word . The surname "Crapper" is a variant of "Cropper", which originally referred to someone who harvested crops . The word "crap" ultimately comes from Medieval Latin crappa, meaning "chaff". </Li> <Li> Fuck: The word "fuck" did not originate as an acronym of "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge", either as a sign posted above adulterers in the stocks, or as a criminal charge against members of the British Armed Forces; nor did it originate during the 15th - century Battle of Agincourt as a corruption of "pluck yew" (an idiom falsely attributed to the English for drawing a longbow). Modern English was not spoken until the 16th century, and words such as "fornication" and "consent" did not exist in any form in English until the influence of Anglo - Norman in the late 12th century . The earliest recorded use of "fuck" in English comes from c. 1475, in the poem "Flen flyys", where it is spelled fuccant (conjugated as if a Latin verb meaning "they fuck"). The word is thousands of years old, able to be traced back to Proto - Germanic origin, and is related to Dutch fokken and fukka . </Li> <Li> Shit: The word "shit" did not originate as an acronym for "Ship High in Transit", a label falsely said to have been used on shipments of manure to prevent them from becoming waterlogged and releasing explosive methane gas . The word comes from Old English scitte, and is of Proto - Germanic origin . </Li> </Ul> <Li> Crap: The word "crap" did not originate as a back - formation of British plumber Thomas Crapper's surname, nor does his name originate from the word "crap", although the surname may have helped popularize the word . The surname "Crapper" is a variant of "Cropper", which originally referred to someone who harvested crops . The word "crap" ultimately comes from Medieval Latin crappa, meaning "chaff". </Li>

Where did the phrase cut the crap come from