Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also bull) nonsensical, absurd, pointless.

1926		A.R.D. Fairburn letter in Edmond Letters (1981) 21 July 5: Talking of the British Empire [...] and the Bulldog breed (I like the Bullshit breed as a more fitting title).
1937		D. Fuchs Low Company 292: You told me bull stories. You’re a bull-thrower, that’s all you are.
1945		K. Amis letter 12 July in Leader (2000) 20: There is a bullshit parade here on Saturday and officers will attend.
1957		‘Ed Lacy’ Lead With Your Left (1958) 84: I walked into data, inc. ready to give them a bull yarn if I was wrong.
1959		Kerouac letter Fall in Charters II (1999) 218: I myself have difficulty covering up my bullshit lies.
1963		H.S. Thompson letter 3 Nov. in Proud Highway (1997) 408: It seemed like we were doing okay without any bullshit dialogue.
1972		(con. 1960s) D. Goines Whoreson 226: Sometimes they would stop you [...] to give you a bullshit ticket.
1981		M. Baker Nam (1982) 111: The S2 agrees that it’s not just a bullshit joyride.
1997		(con. 1970s) G. Pelecanos King Suckerman (1998) 22: Phrases thrown in like ‘sky’s the limit, self-starter,’ bullshit hustle like that.
2004		C. Hiaasen Skinny Dip 129: Gave me a bullshit story, which I believed at the time.
2006		B. Matthews Intractable [ebook] I had seen through his bullshit façade.
2009		L. McIlvanney All the Colours 301: [T]he story was bullshit. It was a bullshit story.
2010		(con. 1973) C. Stella Johnny Porno 17: I make bullshit small talk.
2012		A. Prentice ‘The Break’ in Crime Factory: Hard Labour [ebook] The bullshit rumours about her role in his status as an ex-cop .
2015		L. McInerney Glorious Heresies 119: [T]his bullshit chatter was only blaming the medicine instead of rooting out the tumour.
2017		D. Winslow The Force [ebook] Bullshit busts that will never get convictions.
2023		Rayman & Blau Riker’s 177: [H]e came down on a bullshit paternity suit.
2023		A. Nette Orphan Road 39: He’d been arrested on some bullshit charge.

2. (also bullshitting) second-rate, inferior.

1962		(con. WWII) J.O. Killens And Then We Heard The Thunder (1964) 15: He’s bucking for sergeant or something all right, but he ain’t nothing but a bullshitting buck private.
1978		R. Price Ladies’ Man (1985) 15: Getting chewed out by some bullshit nigger.
1986		L. Heinemann Paco’s Story (1987) 23: The cap would flip open this bullshit company compass he had.
1990		M. McAlary Crack War (1991) 71: This is a bullshit shoplifting case.
2002		‘Touré’ Portable Promised Land (ms.) 161: We Words (My Favorite Things) [...] Booshit. Summbitch. Beeatch. Shimit. Gotdamn.
2007		B. Coleman Check the Technique 25: Caldato, who was indeed initially opposed to using ‘bullshit’ mics, eventually embraced them.
2011		G. Hayward Corruption Officer [ebk] cap. 3: I had a bullshit security job that wasn’t paying much.

3. very angry, furious.

1967–8		Baker et al. CUSS 90: Bullshit, go Go wild.
1978		S. King Stand (1990) 475: Thank God Rita wasn’t with him, she’d be bullshit out of her mind with hysterics.
1981		M. Baker Nam (1982) 201: I was bullshit. I was never like that before I left.
1987		(con. 1967) E. Spencer Welcome to Vietnam (1989) 112: A Marine colonel also on board goes completely bullshit.
1989		P. Munro Sl. U. 48: My roommate drank all my beers! I’m so bullshit!