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This article covers the Canon version of this subject.  Click here for Wookieepedia's article on the Legends version of this subject. 
This article is about the swear word.
You may be looking for the phrase bantha poodoo.
"Oooh poodoo."
Dengar, facing a zugorak on Jekara[1]

Poodoo was a Huttese swear word.

Description[]

Poodoo was a swear word in Huttese.[2] It translated to Basic as "fodder."[3]

It could also mean "nonsense," such as "the poodoo coming out of your mouth"[4] or "that's a bunch of poodoo";[5] something of low quality, e.g. "Buy new droid. This one poodoo.";[6] or refer to someone[7] or something that a person disliked,[4] or a contemptible person.[8]

The phrase "in deep poodoo" meant being in a lot of trouble,[9] while "beat the poodoo out of" referred to giving a severe beating to.[10] "Poodoo runs downhill" referred to having to deal with a problem that someone of higher rank created.[11] "Go to poodoo" meant to deteriorate, go awry, e.g. "The water gone poodoo."[12]

History[]

In the year 32 BBY,[13] the Dug podracer pilot Sebulba competed in the Boonta Eve Classic on Tatooine, but lost control of his podracer toward the end of the race and crashed into the ground. The Dug was left cursing in his damaged cockpit, letting out an exasperated "poodoo!"[2]

In 22 BBY,[13] the Dug[14] Seboca was entertaining Senator Bogg Tyrell while she[15] piloted a speeder through the skylanes of the planet Coruscant. The pair were interrupted when the Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi nearly collided with their vehicle while hanging from the assassin droid ASN-121, forcing Tyrell to swerve. Seboca then cursed at Kenobi in Huttese as the Jedi was carried away, calling him "Jedi poodoo!"[14]

Behind the scenes[]

"When they got me to say, 'Poodoo,' I burst out laughing. I said, 'Poodoo? What does that mean?' and George said, 'Well you can't say the real-world word.' Which is a shame!"
Lewis MacLeod, the voice of Sebulba in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace[16]

A common misconception is that "poodoo" refers to feces,[17] even though the word is actually Huttese for "fodder."[3] Despite this, the use of the term is similar to the real-world impolite word "shit," especially when used in the phrases "beat the poodoo out of,"[10] which is similar to the real-world idiom "beat the shit out of;"[18] "in deep poodoo,"[9] which is similar to "in deep shit;"[19] "poodoo runs downhill,"[11] which is similar to the proverb "shit rolls downhill;"[20] and "go to poodoo,"[12] which is similar to the real-world phrase "go to shit."[21]

In A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy, a canon junior retelling of the film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, there is a passage reading "Luke's expression darkened, and Han suddenly felt like the biggest pile of rancor poodoo;[8] similar to the way that a person might refer to themselves or others as a "piece of shit."

In the subtitles for The Mandalorian episode "Chapter 19: The Convert," one of the former Imperial officers talking to their comrades at the Amnesty Housing says "Ugh. Poodoo. We don't get promoted." However, in the actual audio, they merely say "Ugh. We don't get promoted."[22]

Appearances[]

Non-canon appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

  1. Bounty Hunters 16
  2. 2.0 2.1 Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
  3. 3.0 3.1 Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
  4. 4.0 4.1 Bounty Hunters 24
  5. Servants of the Empire: Edge of the Galaxy
  6. The-Mandalorian-logo The Mandalorian — "Chapter 17: The Apostate"
  7. Bounty Hunters 12
  8. 8.0 8.1 A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy
  9. 9.0 9.1 Han Solo & Chewbacca 10
  10. 10.0 10.1 Brotherhood
  11. 11.0 11.1 Heir to the Jedi
  12. 12.0 12.1 TCW mini logo Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Blue Shadow Virus"
  13. 13.0 13.1 Star Wars: Timelines
  14. 14.0 14.1 Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
  15. Star Wars: Complete Locations
  16. "Sebulba: Lewis Macleod," The Best of Star Wars Insider Volume 2
  17. StarWarsDotComBlogsLogoStacked "A Mouth Like An Intergalactic Princess: Cussing In A Galaxy Far, Far Away" — Only Sith Deal In Absolutes!Abel G. Peña's StarWars.com Blog (content now obsolete; backup link)
  18. beat the shit out of on Collins English Dictionary: "to give a severe beating to" (archived from the original on June 3, 2023)
  19. in the shit/in deep shit on Collins English Dictionary: "If someone is in the shit or in deep shit, they are in a lot of trouble." (archived from the original on April 23, 2023)
  20. shit rolls downhill on WordSense: "Proverb (colloquial, vulgar) Problems originating at the top of the chain of command or organizational hierarchy tend to become the responsibilities of those lower down." (archived from the original on June 20, 2023)
  21. go to shit on The Free Dictionary: "rude slang To deteriorate or go awry." (archived from the original on June 25, 2023)
  22. The-Mandalorian-logo The Mandalorian — "Chapter 19: The Convert"
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