Shitten LUCK is good luck

Meaning & Analysis

Literally, the saying claims that the kind of luck associated with something dirty or disgusting ('shitten') is actually good luck.

Insights

Fortune from Misfortune

Suggests that what initially appears unpleasant, humiliating, or unfortunate can unexpectedly turn out to be a stroke of good luck, emphasizing the paradoxical and unpredictable nature of fortune.

Transformation of Adversity

Highlights the idea that adverse, messy, or embarrassing situations can become sources of benefit or positive change, turning the worst circumstances into opportunity.

Luck Beyond Appearances

Reminds us not to judge fortune by its appearance, as the most unlikely or unsavory events may yield unexpectedly favorable results.

Folk Superstition

The proverb echoes an old superstition that being dirtied (literally by excrement, as by a bird) is a sign of imminent good fortune—a belief found in various cultures and still present in popular folklore.

Coarse Humor and Pragmatism

The crude phrasing reflects a distinctly earthy, working-class humor, suggesting resilience and resourcefulness—finding hope or advantage even in the most degrading or difficult circumstances.

Paradox and Psychological Reframing

Encourages a paradoxical outlook: the willingness to reinterpret or reframe negative experiences as harbingers of luck, fostering optimism and adaptability.

Rhetorical Devices

Paradox

The apparent contradiction between filth ('shitten') and good fortune creates a memorable, thought-provoking effect.

Colloquial Vulgarity

Employs deliberately crude language to emphasize authenticity, shock value, and a refusal to idealize the nature of luck.

Antithesis

Juxtaposes the lowest and highest—filth and luck—to underscore the proverb’s central message.

luckparadoxsuperstitionadversityhumorfolk
Analyzed with gpt-4o on July 10, 2025

Transcription

Quotations

Shitten luck is good.

1662, ALDERMAN ATKINS, Rump Songs, I 136

There's another Proverb . . That of all kind of Lucks, Shitten Luck is the best.

1662, RE-RESURRECTION RUMP, Rump Songs, II 3
1670, RAY, p. 141
1661, Mer. Droll., II, p. 261

Original Scan

Shitten LUCK is good luck - a scanned entry from Tilley's 1950 Dictionary of Proverbs.
Scan courtesy of HathiTrust Digital Library.
Used under CC BY-NC 3.0.

© 2026 TilleyProverbs.com · About

Last updated: January 27, 2026