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“Servít je vůl” (Servít is an asshole, literally Servít is an ox; [ˈsɛrviːt jɛ ˈvuːl]) is a Czech phrase which became famous as a graffiti. It started to appear in the 1960s as a students' joke in restrooms of bars in Prague. Later, however, it became a part of popular culture and has spread around the world, often in modified wording.
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Background
The original inspiration for this phrase is believed to be ex-professor Radim Servít of the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague. He taught elasticity and strength of materials in the 1960s and was infamous for his extensive rigour in exams.
Later accounts claim the phrase refers to a different person of the same name.
Time progression and spread
Students started writing the words "Servít je vůl" on the walls of public restrooms in bars nearby the CTU campus. Thanks to the political mood in the 1960s Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, this graffiti has gradually spread out of Prague, the country and Europe through students and their voices. These graffiti have prevailed for generations all around the world.
Some of the confirmed locations where this graffiti was found:
As time progressed, various new versions of the phrase were created, for example: "Doopravdy nejsem vůl, Servít" (I'm really not an asshole, Servít), "Všichni jste volové! Servít" (You are all assholes! Servít), "Promiň Servíte jsou i větší volové" (Sorry Servít, there are bigger assholes than you) and so on.