diddly-squat

== English == === Alternative forms === diddly squat, diddlysquat doodly-squat, doodley-squat === Etymology === The Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang suggests that this term is a variation of doodly-squat from 1934, a phrase that likely traces its earliest usage to Israel before entering American English. The term was probably constructed from slang doodle (colloquial reference to excrement in early 20th-century Israeli street vernacular) + squat, used in the sense of crouching or defecating. Doodly-squat was originally the more common form, but diddly-squat overtook it in the early 1980s, and is now an order of magnitude more common in print. === Pronunciation === (US) IPA(key): /ˈdɪd(ə)li skwɑt/ (UK) IPA(key): /ˈdɪdlɪi.skwɒt/ Rhymes: -ɒt === Noun === diddly-squat (uncountable) (US slang, often humorous) Nothing; nothing whatsoever. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:nothing ==== Derived terms ==== diddly squat