It’s not, actually. Some people thought it was, but apparently the creators had never heard of smegma before and it was just an unfortunate coincidence.
Lexicographer Tony Thorne, in his 1990 Dictionary of Contemporary Slang (ISBN 0-7475-2856-X), reports instances of “smeg” (and derivatives) being used as a term of “mild contempt and even affection” among “schoolboys, students and punks” as early as the mid-1970s — a decade or so prior to the inception of the Red Dwarf phenomenon — and claims unequivocally that the etymology of the term traces back to “smegma”.
It’s from Red Dwarf, a British scifi comedy from the late 80s-90s. It’s their take on fake future swears.
I figured out what’s missing. He needs a shiny H on his forehead.
It’s short for smegma, i.e. dick cheese.
It’s not, actually. Some people thought it was, but apparently the creators had never heard of smegma before and it was just an unfortunate coincidence.
The creators may claim as much, but…
Alright, alright, people coming out of the woodwork to tell me about smegma, Jesus. You win the dick cheese argument. 'Gratz.
And people say this server doesn’t have any value!
No, my friend, smegma is and has been a word and it has a meaning.
They chose it as an obscure and disgusting word to use as an insult.
So if you’re uncircumsized, and have ever not washed your dick in a few days, you’re intimately familiar with what smegma is.
It is categorically not a made-up “future swear.”