“asshat,” which drily mentions the movies Raising Arizona and City Slickers before offering a final etymological analysis: “The current meaning of asshat may be a reanalysis, perhaps in part based on the expression ‘have one’s head up one’s ass’ (meaning ‘to be obtuse, be insufficiently conscious of one’s surroundings’), perhaps in part due to simple phonetic similarity to asshole. A more precise history will depend on the location of further attestations.”
Getting the classy treatment it deserves
