What does it mean when people say "thats so anal" ?

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  • like when teenagers say it...its slang for something but what does it mean?


  • It basically means that a person is very uptight about something or everything in general. It suggests that the person is resistant to change also or that he/she prefers something a certain way and is hesitant to accept it any other way.

    Example: "He/she is so anal about his/her morning rituals." That would imply that for example a person has to have his coffee a certain way, or has to do things in sequence perhaps such as shower first, then eat, then get ready in a certain way, etc...


  • If somebody is ''anal'' it means they like to have things a certain way. I am called anal very often, I have OCD. If you have to have your things organized a certain way, like your bedroom or whatever, that means you are anal about organization. If somebody is using it as slang, it probably is the equivalent of saying something sucks?


  • uptight ,about the rules, sucks ,etc.


  • The way it's being used is a short form for the term "anal retentive".

    HISTORY: "Anal retentive" is a psycho-analytical term to describe the period of childhood development that follows the oral stage. After children learn to use sounds, they move on to learning about their excretory system, and are usually toilet trained around that time. Hence, they learn how control their bowels.

    Freud suggested that conflicts during this phase could cause children to develop issues related to control, stubbornness, orderliness, etc. Thus, the term "anal retentive" developed into the meaning of being orderly, obsessed with control, etc.

    TODAY: It has since gone on to encompass fixation with meticulousness, to the point of annoyance to others.

    While being "anal" is supposed to be a bit of a criticism (wasting time and energy paying too much attention to details others find irrelevant), there are many respects where it could be a compliment. You'd want your surgeon or housekeeper to be a little bit "anal" in their jobs, wouldn't you?

    Admittedly, I'm a bit "anal" about a few things, including the cleanliness of my home. (blush)







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