pfui

English

Alternative forms

• phooey

Etymology

From German pfui, also the source of phooey.

Interjection

pfui

1. an exclamation indicating disagreement or rejection of an argument; contempt

   Synonyms: feh, pfaugh; see also Thesaurus:bah

   • 1981, Charles H. Kahn, The Art and Thought of Heraclitus, →ISBN:

     'Pfui!' The captain spat. 'I've never met such a dumb sailor as you. So where do you think the old moon goes?'

   • 1993, Samuel Beckett, Eoin O'Brien, Edith Fournier, Dream of Fair to Middling Women, →ISBN, page 14:

     She liked Arschlochweh and adored Improvisation; but the Anatomiestunde and the bending and stretching she did not like. "Pfui!" she was disgusted, lifting her shoulders and spreading her hands like the Mandarin, "pfui! the old body!'

   • 2008, Christopher Isherwood, The Berlin Stories, →ISBN, page 175:

     He comes barging in here as if the place belonged to him. And intoxicated . . . pfui! . . . the disgusting pig!

Usage notes

Signature declamation of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe detective character.

German

Alternative forms

• pfuj, pfuy (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle High German pfui, phiu, probably imitative of spitting out.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pfʊɪ̯/, /fʊɪ̯/

• Audio:

  (file)

Interjection

pfui

1. an exclamation of disgust, aversion, dislike, contempt, or annoyance

Derived terms

• pfui Teufel

Descendants

• phooey

Further reading

• “pfui” in Duden online
• “pfui” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• J. C. Adelung (1798) “Pfuj!”, in Grammatisch-kritisches Wörterbuch der Hochdeutschen Mundart (in German), 2nd edition, volume 3, page 758
• J. C. Adelung (1801) “Y”, in Grammatisch-kritisches Wörterbuch der Hochdeutschen Mundart (in German), 2nd edition, volume 4