pfui

English

Alternative forms

Interjection

pfui

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

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /pfʊɪ̯/, /fʊɪ̯/

Interjection

pfui

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

Further reading

  • pfui in Duden online
  • pfui” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
  • Pfuj! and Y in Johann Christoph Adelung's Grammatisch-kritisches Wörterbuch der Hochdeutschen Mundart at www.zeno.org
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