sympathy is between shit and syphilis

phrase

A dismissal of a person seeking sympathy, telling them to look elsewhere.

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Meanings

phrase
  1. colloquialderogatoryhumorousvulgarA dismissal of a person seeking sympathy, telling them to look elsewhere.

    2022, Famously quoted by Sarah Platt during the 23/3/22 edition of Coronation Street. Although the word ‘shit’ was changed to ‘shame’ due to the watershed nature of the show.

    5 more examples

    Murphy stared out of the window. "If you're looking for sympathy, take a look in Webster's dictionary. Try between 'shit' and 'syphilis'."

    2003, Bill Harding, Growler, page 93

    I told you before if you are looking for sympathy, it's in the dictionary between shit and syphilis. Other than that you get nothing from me.

    2007, Carl E. Prichard, Silent Agony, page 100

    "Sympathy. Wait, let me get it right. Okaaay, I know. You're supposed to look in the dictionary. That's it! Then you'll find sympathy between shit and syphilis. There! That's it!"

    2010, Chip Giles, The Conch Killers, page 56

    The master chief I call Boomerang, who knows that sympathy is the word that sits in the SEAL dictionary between shit and syphilis, reminded me that if we were going to take the fuckin' tangos down, I'd better stop wasting time […]

    2012, Richard Marcinko, John Weisman, Detachment Bravo

    Everyone knows sympathy is between shit and syphilis in the dictionary, and you don't want either of them, but Ted was about to get at least one!

    2013, Mark D Holroyd, Frog Tales, page 225

Origin

An allusion to the alphabetical position of the word sympathy in a dictionary.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

sympathy is between shit and syphilis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sympathy%20is%20between%20shit%20and%20syphilis

MLA

“sympathy is between shit and syphilis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sympathy%20is%20between%20shit%20and%20syphilis. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sympathy is between shit and syphilis,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sympathy%20is%20between%20shit%20and%20syphilis.

Source: sympathy is between shit and syphilis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.