Be advised: adult language to ensue. Have you ever been stumped for just the apt word or phrase to describe a particularly bad situation? Has trainwreck been too tragic and not tawdry enough? Has shit-show been too reminiscent of Jerry Springer's guests? Well, do I have the new word for you: SHITWRECK. The term shitwreck, to the best of my knowledge, was coined when several former colleagues and I were discussing something that might not go well. We discussed whether (figuratively, of course) a trainwreck or shit-show was worse. And shitwreck was born.
The following are the merits of the term:
It offers the best of both worlds, bringing together the metaphorical weight of both idioms, creating a sum greater than its parts.
Spellcheck/autocorrect try to change it every time to shipwreck, which always makes me laugh.
Shitwreck is fun to say.
People have to stop and think a minute when you use it, as they first think they have misheard and then, realizing they haven't, have to suss out the true meaning.
I want to do for shitwreck what Jen Lancaster has, in my humble opinion and personal lexicon, done for asshat. So try it out. Great for dinner parties, awful first dates, amateur boating experiences--you name it.