Definition
Generally, when “shit” is used in English it is referring to bad quality or something negative. However, when something is described as “the shit” it means it is amazing or the best.
For example – “This band is the shit” means that this band is amazing.
But if we say “This band is shit” this means that this band is terrible.
There are many ways in which the word “shit” is used in English and this is just one of them.
Clip 1
Clip 1 is from the movie Chef. Carl Casper is an acclaimed chef who quits his restaurant job and buys a food truck to rediscover his passion for cooking. In the clip, you can see him and the other characters trying some of the food they have made together in the food truck. He describes the food as “the shit” meaning that it is very good.
Clip 2
Clip 2 is from the comedy special Chris Rock: Tamborine. Chris Rock is giving an anecdote where he describes thinking he was very cool and amazing when he was younger. This is why he says “I just thought I was the shit, man.”
Clip 3
Clip 3 is from the movie Girls Trips. The characters are expressing their delight at how amazing and good quality the hotel they are staying at is which is why one of the characters says “This is the shit, man.”
Clip 4
Clip 4 is from the film The Book of Love. The male character is reminiscing with the female character about his deceased wife. The female character tells him that “she sounded like the shit” (amazing or the best) and the male character agrees and says “She was the shit.”