ass

Everyday

1. An ass is a donkey, an animal like a small horse with long ears. tree →
2. (rude, informal) Calling someone an ass means they are being stupid or silly. tree →
3. (rude, US) Ass is a rude word for your bottom, the part you sit on. tree →

In the lessons

In the Bible, Jesus rides into Jerusalem on an ass on Palm Sunday, and Balaam's ass speaks to him. In fables, the ass is often foolish. In old British books «Don't be an ass!» is a mild telling-off between friends, used by Toad's friends about him. The American bottom sense is rude and not for school.

Examples

• The farmer loaded the ass with sacks of grain. tree →
• Jesus rode into Jerusalem on an ass. tree →
• Balaam's ass saw the angel before he did. tree →
• «Don't be such an ass!» said Rat to Toad. tree →
• In the fable, the ass wore a lion's skin. tree →
• He made an ass of himself at the party. tree →

Note

Plural: asses. Phrase: «make an ass of yourself» (behave stupidly). The UK rude word for bottom is spelled «arse»; both are rude. For the animal, «donkey» is the everyday word.

In Jewish tradition

In the Torah an ass is a donkey, a common work animal and a sign of wealth. It is not a rude word.

Interpretation. Jacob's blessing compares Issachar to a strong ass, which tradition reads as a tribe that bears the burden of Torah study. Firstborn donkeys had to be redeemed.

Examples

• and threescore and one thousand asses, (Torah NUM.31.34, JPS 1917) tree →
• and thirty thousand and five hundred asses, (Torah NUM.31.45, JPS 1917) tree →
• Issachar is a large-boned ass, couching down between the sheep-folds. (Torah GEN.49.14, JPS 1917) tree →
• Who hath sent out the wild ass free? (Writings JOB.39.5, JPS 1917) tree →
• Now the asses of Kish Saul's father were lost. (Prophets 1SA.9.3, JPS 1917) tree →
• Or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass? (Writings JOB.39.5, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Plural: asses. Phrase: «make an ass of yourself» (behave stupidly). The UK rude word for bottom is spelled «arse»; both are rude. For the animal, «donkey» is the everyday word.