PI = Public Idiot?

February 13, 2008 7:17 AM

As a kid in junior high, my friends and I used the expression "P.I." a lot. It stood for "public idiot", and we used it to make fun of someone when they did something foolish. Did we make it up, or has anyone else ever heard of it? Where did it come from (movie, book?)
posted by lohmannn to writing & language (13 comments total)

The only context in which I've heard that used is for Private Investigator - See: Magnum P.I.
posted by blaneyphoto at 7:30 AM on February 13, 2008

I think that in common usage it means "private investigator", as used in the name of this long-running TV series.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 7:31 AM on February 13, 2008

You must have made that up. It seems just dumb enough to be thorough enjoyed by middle schoolers. :)
posted by fusinski at 7:36 AM on February 13, 2008

And I am just dumb enough to not write "thoroughly."
posted by fusinski at 7:37 AM on February 13, 2008 [1 favorite]

Hmm, I've never heard P.I. as public idiot. Sounds like you made it up, or it's a really obscure reference. My friends and I ran around saying "you must be the town Drunk!" as if it came from some popular culture reference. There was a certain way you said it, you know? - with an emphasis on dragging out the 'town' and stopping hard on 'drunk'.

Is there a certain way you're saying it? Can you think of any particular phrasing or emphasis that it is said with?
posted by cashman at 7:59 AM on February 13, 2008

Nah, it was just "PI MAN, PIIIIIII hahahaha", while pointing and laughing and some poor chump who tripped and fell over, or said something really dumb. Maybe it was just made up, hrm.
posted by lohmannn at 8:03 AM on February 13, 2008

In middle school, we used to call a guy SNID, but we never knew that it stood for "Special Needs - Development". Maybe it's a school related code?
posted by parmanparman at 8:18 AM on February 13, 2008

In academia, PI often stands for Principal Investigator, i.e., the person in charge of a research group, usually a Ph.D. & faculty member.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:11 AM on February 13, 2008

I've never heard of it used this way (and I'm not sure what it says about me that I might start using it - "That is sooo P.I. !!").
posted by KAS at 9:53 AM on February 13, 2008

It doesn't appear in any of my slang files or dictionaries.

Last December Metafilter stalwart jonmc remembered a Mad Magazine parody "called Magnumb PI (public idiot)."

It has probably been coined and recoined by others, especially as a backronym of PI = private investigator. Here's a use from 1997.
posted by Mo Nickels at 9:58 AM on February 13, 2008

I've always heard P.I. to stand for "public intoxication" - specifically, the criminal charge.

"McLovin avoided getting a PI because he's that damn cool."
posted by GPF at 11:02 AM on February 13, 2008

P.I. stands for Public Intoxication in my state. Maybe there's a connection?
posted by kristymcj at 11:05 AM on February 13, 2008

I grew up in East TN and in the early 80's (late grade school, jr high) I absolutely remember PI standing for Public Idiot. I think it's genesis was the popularity of Magnum PI. It would go like this:

"Oh my god, there goes Lohmannn, PI!"
"PI?"
"Public Idiot!"
posted by kimdog at 2:22 PM on February 13, 2008