pish

Meanings

1. 1
   intj

   dated: used to express impatience, disdain, contempt, or dismissal

   Pish! He waved away the objection as if it were beneath notice.

2. 2
   verb

   dated: to express impatience or contempt by saying pish

   He pished and fretted when the journey was delayed again.

3. 3
   noun

   a hissing sound made to attract small birds

   The birder used a soft pish to draw the warblers closer.

An expressive or imitative exclamation recorded since the sixteenth century, perhaps influenced by Scots pish. The dismissive interjection later produced a verb, while birdwatchers independently use the same hissing sound to attract small birds.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images