hit the fan

== English == === Etymology === Uncertain. Possibly derived from an old joke: A man in a crowded bar needed to defecate but couldn't find a bathroom, so he went upstairs and used a hole in the floor. Returning, he found everyone had gone except the bartender, who was cowering behind the bar. When the man asked what had happened, the bartender replied, 'Where were you when the shit hit the fan?' Other possible sources include American/Canadian military slang or agricultural manure spreaders. === Pronunciation === === Verb === hit the fan (third-person singular simple present hits the fan, present participle hitting the fan, simple past and past participle hit the fan) (idiomatic, intransitive) To have a dramatic, usually negative, effect. ==== Usage notes ==== Usually in the phrase (when the) shit hits the fan. Use with other subjects than shit is probably intended to evoke the image without actually saying the word which is taboo in some contexts. ==== Related terms ==== shit show shitstorm shower of shit shit happens shit rolls downhill ==== Translations ==== === References ===