poot butt

n. generally, a weak, worthless, unworthy, or ignorant person. Also poop butt, pooh butt, and as a single word. Often used attributively and adjectivally. Subjects: Black English, Derogatory, Slang

Editorial Note: This term appears to date to at least as early as the mid-1960s.

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Citations: 1973 Hartford Courant (Connecticut) (Dec. 30) “Examples of Black Vernacular” p. 12F: Poot-butt—A square; someone who doesn’t know what’s happening; often a child. 1975 Joseph Nazel The Shakedown p. 37: He could not see the man’s eyes behind the dark shades. But had seen the lean, cruel face before. A face like the faces of other toughs Willie had come up against in the streets. He had grown up with them. He had been one of them, once, a long time ago when he didn’t know any better. But Ice had pulled him out of that bag. Pulled his coat to the poop-butt action. 1975 Joseph Nazel Death for Hire p. 19: All that was poot butt shit. This here gonna make the boys and faggots sit down while the men get it on. 1975 Red Jordan Arobateau Flash on the Hustler (Oakland, California) p. 55: Shoo read this youngman to be a copout—a no-good, poot butt nigger. Hustling and jiving. His underhanded ways, disrespecting his world. 1976 Herbert Blumer, Alan Sutter, Roger Smith, Samir Ahmed Socialization in Drug Abuse “Recruitment Into Drug Use” p. 165: The most severe threat to any adolescent drug user is the “snitch,” or the “loud mouth poop butt.” Anyone perceived as a potential informer will be isolated from the mainstream of adolescent drug use. 1977 Alan G. Sutter Drugs and Politics “Playing a Cold Game: Phases of a Ghetto Career” p. 203: A poop-butt mother-fucker in here dealin’ gets pushed aside, fucked over and stomped down. 1986 Sam Enriquez Los Angeles Times (Aug. 11) “Linguistic Labyrinth” p. Ii-6: Poohbutt Someone who thinks he is a gang member but is not considered worthy. 1997 Gregory Kane Charleston Daily Mail (West Virginia) (Nov. 3) “Bricks do clarify one’s thinking” p. P4A: The thief—part of the growing poot-butt posse making life miserable for law-abiding citizens across the nation—made off with a cellular phone.…I kept the concrete brick the poot-butt had hurled through my window. 1999 Lorraine Kee St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri) (Nov. 17) “It’s About Commitment” p. E1: It’s hard for you to know whether you can cut it anyplace. Not just here, anywhere. Don’t believe that about “if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.” That’s bull ——. If you can make it period, that’s wonderful. That’s anywhere. In a little poop-butt town. 2004 Jervey Tervalon LA Weekly (Los Angeles, California) (Feb. 18) “A Writer’s Life”: Then it was competing with Gompers and Mount Vernon for the status of the junior high most likely to beat down a half-assed pootbutt who liked to read. 2005 Mary Monroe In Sheep’s Clothing (Sept. 1) p. 52: How some of these pooh-butt places can stay in business in this day and age without accepting credit cards is a mystery to me. 2006 Steve Patterson Chicago Sun-Times (July 4) “He’s ‘a little poop butt’” p. 03: Asked Monday, Beavers quickly denied there was anything misleading, saying “oh, hell no,” before calling Orr a “little poop butt.” 2007 Queen Sexy (Jan. 2) “Resolutions Are Stupid”: What asscrumb coined the phrase “Get my grown man/woman on”? I absolutely hate them for it. Now we got all these poot butt mfs runnin round here sayin that shit. If you doin you, great.

Posted 11 Sep 07 | Permalink | Tell a Friend

Reader comments:

Seriously, I am the whitest person ever, and I can’t believe that this is for real.

by Pooh Butt 13 Dec 07, 0648 GMT

As the author of one of the citatioms I’m very honored.

Jervey Tervalon

by Jervey Tervalon 18 Dec 07, 0446 GMT

AA slang I heard back in the 70s. it means immature, like a child that doesn’t know its behind is dirty.

by Pamela Arencibia 25 Dec 07, 1236 GMT