shlit -noun
Compound word formed from the
words "shit" and "literature." Also known as "shit
lit."
Any form of literature such as books, periodicals, newsprint, that is either temporarily brought to, or stored in a bathroom (typically kept in the immediate vicinity of the toilet), for the express purpose of passing occasionally protracted periods of time common to bathroom visits, providing means of mental distraction through its reading.
Though the word was not mentioned explicitly, shlit was brought to public attention in 1998, by the then
popular television series "Seinfeld," in episode
173 titled "The Bookstore." The shlit in question had been "flagged" as having been in the bathroom and could not be returned to the bookstore from where it was purchased.