ach-y-fi

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Welsh ych a fi.

Interjection

ach-y-fi

1. Misspelling of ych a fi. Due to the conflating of unstressed a with the Welsh vowel y.
   • 1906, Anne Adalisa Beynon Puddicombe, “The 'Liliwen'”, in Queen of the Rushes, page 84:

     Ach-y-fi! there's something mean in that marrying again, to my mind. Whatever my faults are, I'd be faithful to the memory of my love.

   • 1950, Christianna Brand, Cat & Mouse, page 17:

     That's what my nurse used to say to me when I was a dirty little girl: 'Ach-y-fi'.

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌaχəˈviː/
• Rhymes: -iː

Interjection

ach-y-fi

1. Misspelling of ych a fi.
   • 1920, J. Lloyd Jones, Yr Hen Deiliwr [The Old Tailor], act 2, page 24:

     Odi hyna yn wir, Dafì? Falle’u bod nhw yn trin y tê yr un peth a’r moch. ’Drychwch ar Mistress, mae hi wedi dwlu’n deg ar y tê ’ma o China. Ach y fi! weda i tabeth.

     Is that true, Dafì? Maybe they treat the tea the same as the pigs. Look at Mistress, she really likes this tea from China. Yuck! I have to tell you.