pfui
English
Alternative forms
Interjection
pfui
- 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.
Synonyms
German
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Interjection
pfui