To tell someone to stick it where the sun don’t shine (or shove it where the sun don’t shine) is a crude, emphatic rejection of a person, an object, an offer, or a piece of advice.
Direct Meaning & Context
- Meaning: A forceful command telling someone to keep their unwanted item, opinion, or demand to themselves; a euphemistic variation of “stick it up your ass.”
- Tone: Vulgar, aggressive, and highly informal.
- Grammatical Rule: The phrase almost universally uses “don’t” rather than “doesn’t.” Changing it to “where the sun doesn’t shine” sounds unnatural and strips the idiom of its authentic conversational punch.
Origin & Etymology: Which Came First?
Dictionary entries often list “where the sun don’t shine” as an isolated noun phrase meaning “the anus,” leading readers to believe the anatomical term existed first and was later added to verbs. However, linguistic history shows the opposite: the command came first.
Euphemistic Substitution (The Command First)
During the early-to-mid 20th century in American English, violent imperative insults like “stick it up your ass” or “shove it up your ass” were common in working-class speech but strictly banned from print, radio, and polite conversation.
To bypass censorship while retaining the insult’s aggressive impact, speakers replaced the explicit vulgarity with a descriptive spatial clause. The phrase was born as an inseparable part of the action: “Stick it / shove it where the sun don’t shine.”
The Extraction of the Noun Phrase
Only after the insult became a famous media trope in the latter half of the 20th century did English speakers begin stripping away the verbs (stick or shove) and using “where the sun don’t shine” as a standalone, humorous euphemistic noun for the rectum (e.g., in medical contexts or comedic routines).
Why the “Bad Grammar” is Deliberate (And Essential)
One of the most defining features of this idiom is its refusal to follow standard subject-verb agreement. Standard English dictates “where the sun doesn’t shine,” yet native speakers almost universally say “where the sun don’t shine.”
This is not an accident or a case of polished English being “dumbed down” over time, the non-standard grammar was baked directly into the idiom from its creation.
The Sociolinguistics of a Punchy Retort
- Matching the Energy of the Vulgarity: The original phrase (“stick it up your ass”) is crude, raw, and unrefined. When speakers created a euphemism to bypass public censorship, or simply to allow such a vulgar phrase to be used more often, using grammatically flawless English (“doesn’t”) ruined the aggressive tone. Sounding polished and proper while telling someone to “shove it” makes the insult feel sterile and weak.
- Low-Register Defiance: Using “don’t” keeps the phrase grounded in informal, street-level spoken language. It preserves the visceral, rebellious punch of the original vulgarity while keeping the actual words clean enough for broadcast media.
- Rhythm and Cadence: “Where the sun don’t shine” creates a fast, natural cadence that makes for an effective, quick comeback. Normalizing the grammar to “doesn’t” adds an awkward syllable that slows the insult down.
In short, changing “don’t” to “doesn’t” doesn’t correct the idiom; it breaks it.
Sentence Examples
“When the boss asked him to work another uncompensated weekend, Dave told him to take the job and stick it where the sun don’t shine.”
“You can take your advice and shove it right where the sun don’t shine.”
“He tried to sell me an overpriced extended warranty, but I told him to stick it where the sun don’t shine.”
Similar and Related Expressions
- Shove It: A shortened, slightly milder command expressing angry rejection.
- Take This Job and Shove It: A famous American country music catchphrase/song title expressing workplace defiance.
- Up Yours: An abbreviated vulgar gesture and verbal insult with the same underlying meaning.
- Go Suck an Egg: an angry and rude way to tell them to go away, similar to take a hike, piss off, go jump off a log, get lost, etc.