pshaw

English

WOTD – 18 April 2006

Pronunciation

• spelling pronunciation IPA^(key): /ˈpʃɔː/, enPR: pshô; IPA^(key): /ˈʃɔː/, enPR: shô

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː

Interjection

pshaw

1. Indicating disapproval, scoffery, irritation, impatience or disbelief. [from 17th c.]

   Pshaw! I can't believe it!

   • 1823, James Fenimore Cooper, “chapter 13”, in The Pioneers:

     "Pshaw! Why do ye bother yourself wid texts, man, about so small a matter?" interrupted the landlady

   • 1838 March – 1839 October, Charles Dickens, chapter 56, in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1839, →OCLC:

     'Pshaw!' Ralph muttered, forcing a laugh.

   • 1891, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, chapter 22, in The White Company, New York, N.Y., Boston, Mass.: Thomas Y[oung] Crowell & Company […], →OCLC:

     "Have a care, cousin," he whispered; "for the sake of the Virgin have a care, for you have angered him."
     "Pshaw! fear not," the other answered in the same low tone.

   • 1992, Wayne Campbell, Wayne's World:

     Pshaw! And monkeys might fly out of my butt.

Alternative forms

• psshaw, pshah, psha

Synonyms

• (indicating disapproval): pht, pshh, phht, pssh, pssht, psht, pshht, feh, pooh, pish, bah, poh; see also Thesaurus:bah
• (indicating disbelief): c'mon, poppycock; see also Thesaurus:bullshit

Translations

indicating disapproval, scoffery, irritation, impatience or disbelief

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 呸 (zh) (pēi)

• French: peuh ! (fr)
• German: pah (de)
• Icelandic: svei, iss, uss, fuss, fussum svei
• Japanese: げ (ja) (ge)
• Malay: cis (ms)
• Polish: też coś, co takiego
• Russian: тьфу (ru) (tʹfu), фу (ru) (fu), фи (ru) (fi)
• Scottish Gaelic: ab, abab, huds
• Spanish: ¡bah! (es)
• Vietnamese: xì (vi)

Verb

pshaw (third-person singular simple present pshaws, present participle pshawing, simple past and past participle pshawed)

1. (intransitive) To express disgust or contempt by saying "pshaw".

Translations

to express disgust or contempt

• Russian: фы́ркать (ru) impf (fýrkatʹ), фы́ркнуть (ru) pf (fýrknutʹ)

Anagrams

• whaps