Schiss haben
to be scared
(Colloquial, crude) To be very afraid of something or someone.
EXAMPLE
Ich geb's zu, ich hab total Schiss vor Spinnen.
I admit it, I'm totally scared of spiders.
der Schiss
fear / diarrhea
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Meanings
der Schiss
the runs
(Colloquial, vulgar) Diarrhea.
EXAMPLE
Von dem komischen Essen habe ich gestern richtig Schiss bekommen.
That weird food yesterday gave me a bad case of the runs.
Usage tips
Colloquial style
The word 'Schiss' is very colloquial and is considered crude or even vulgar. You should only use it in very informal situations and among friends.
EXAMPLE
Komm schon, das ist doch kein Grund, Schiss zu haben.
Come on, that's no reason to be scared.
Fixed expression
To express fear, you use the fixed expression 'Schiss haben' (to be scared). The noun almost always appears without an article here. The fear relates to something with the preposition 'vor' + dative.
EXAMPLE
Er hat furchtbar Schiss vor dem Zahnarzt.
He's terribly scared of the dentist.
Context clue
The meaning 'Durchfall' (diarrhea) is usually clear from the context (food, illness). It is often used with verbs like 'bekommen' (to get) or 'kriegen' (to get) and is also very colloquial.
EXAMPLE
Ich glaube, von dem Essen kriege ich Schiss.
I think that food is going to give me the runs.
Compare with
Schiss vs Angst
fear
Both words can express that someone is afraid of a person or situation. „Angst haben“ is neutral and suitable for practically any everyday situation, whereas „Schiss haben“ is strongly colloquial and crude. Use „Angst“ in neutral conversations and „Schiss“ only in deliberately casual speech.
Schiss
Vor dem schwierigen Gespräch hatte er Schiss.
He was scared of the difficult conversation.
Angst
Vor dem schwierigen Gespräch hatte er Angst.
He was afraid of the difficult conversation.
In real life
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