What would be an appropriate interjection to express little bit of disdain, like
- I made it in 30 minutes.
- Aaah, that's nothing, my friend did it in 15.
Is there something more fitting than "aaah"?
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1Well, there's always "whoopie shit". – Hot Licks Nov 05 '20 at 13:18
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In the meantime, I found also Bah!, possible? And is Pche! possible in English? – Tomas Nov 05 '20 at 13:49
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A veritable goldmine of interjections: https://www.dailywritingtips.com/100-mostly-small-but-expressive-interjections/ – rhetorician Nov 05 '20 at 15:13
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@Tomas Bah! does not work here, it might if the situation were reversed: "My friend made in in 15." then "Bah! It took me 30." – Weather Vane Nov 05 '20 at 15:32
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@WeatherVane so Bah is more like admiration? Ok, and what about Pche! Would it work in my context? – Tomas Nov 05 '20 at 16:25
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No, but my example was reversed. It's the person who did badly, or was disappointed, who says "bah!" – Weather Vane Nov 05 '20 at 16:28
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- and does he say "bah!" more out of admiration to the first person, or out of disappointment over himself? 2) And what about "Pche!", would it fit the context of my question? Thanks!
– Tomas Nov 05 '20 at 16:36 -
1No, you don't say "bah" out of admiration. I have never heard of "pche". Is that a variant of "pshaw" or "pfft"? – Weather Vane Nov 05 '20 at 17:12
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@WeatherVane If your comments are defective, please delete them; it makes the train of thought difficult to follow. Mark the other comments "no longer needed" , please – Cascabel_StandWithUkraine_ Nov 05 '20 at 20:06
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@Cascabel which comment is defective? – Weather Vane Nov 05 '20 at 20:08
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@WeatherVane "No, but my example was reversed. It's the person who did badly, or was disappointed, who says "bah!" " It's confusing. – Cascabel_StandWithUkraine_ Nov 05 '20 at 20:09
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@Cascabel there was nothing defective. OP misunderstood the use of "bah" and I explained that it would be used in a case which was the other way round. – Weather Vane Nov 05 '20 at 20:11
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Whatever, I'm still watching the comicios, so signing off ... – Cascabel_StandWithUkraine_ Nov 05 '20 at 20:12
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2@Cascabel I agree that it did become rather messy. – Weather Vane Nov 05 '20 at 21:05
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1@WeatherVane I think "pche" might be a variant spelling of "pssh" – nick012000 Nov 06 '20 at 03:12
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"pche" would be working in Czech and I was surprised to find out that it works also in Spanish, so I thought perhaps it might work in English as well :-) – Tomas Nov 06 '20 at 11:52
8 Answers
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I offer (see Lexico)
pfft
EXCLAMATION1.2 Used to express a contemptuous or dismissive attitude.
So you could remark
Pfft, that's nothing, my friend did it in 15.
Weather Vane
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"So what?" can be used to express how underwhelmed you are by a particular statement.
"Big deal" can be said sarcastically to indicate that the statement is not, in fact, a big deal at all.
Nuclear Hoagie
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Sounds like a perfect situation for "meh". I've seen it mainly used as an interjection:
used to express indifference or mild disappointment
I would say that it expresses "dismisiveness".
Note that you can also use it adjectively:
not impressive : so-so
In my experience I see "meh" used more on the internet that in face-to-face conversation. On some internet social spaces "meh" seemed to get really popular in the 2010s, and it was common to see a response to a comment that looked like
Meh. The games for the PS4 are mostly knock-offs, and I .....
Be warned that the person going around saying "meh" to other people's remarks is going to sound like a bit of a jerk, but that seems to fit with the example conversation you've given.
(Personally, I've a adopted a policy of skipping any remarks that are prefaced with "meh", as I've found it too be a pretty reliable indicator of someone who doesn't show much respect for others. I'll be curious to see what other's attitudes towards "meh" are.)
JonathanZ
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looks at t-shirt I'm wearing that says only "meh" Sometimes it's just a mood. – Miral Nov 06 '20 at 03:31
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My good friend gave me a travel mug marked with simply: "Meh." I think it's because I don't tend to get worked up about things that other people get emotional about (and perhaps because it's close in spelling to my online handle). I don't consider myself disrespectful. – Meg Nov 06 '20 at 19:40
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The expressive interjection 'pah' goes to the heart of "disdain":
A. int.
Expressing disgust or disdain.OED, pah, int. and adj.
OED puts 'pah' in "Frequency Band 3", which they describe as containing
words which occur between 0.01 and 0.1 times per million words in typical modern English usage. These words are not commonly found in general text types like novels and newspapers, but at the same [time] they are not overly opaque or obscure.
JEL
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p'shaw
used to express irritation, disapproval, contempt, or disbelief
If you like older expressions.
As in...
I made it in 30 minutes.
P'shaw, that's nothing, my friend did it in 15.
Otherwise:
henh?..
a fake laugh, usually used when someone says something obvious and stupid or not funny, or when someone says something over and over again to the point where it becomes stupid...
if you accept UD
As in:
I made it in 30 minutes.
Henh, that's nothing, my friend did it in 15.
Cascabel_StandWithUkraine_
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3I have never seen either of these. I have probably heard "henh", but never imagined it to be written like that, and reading it when it's written like that doesn't translate back to the same nasal syllable I think it's meant to represent. Cool (archaic?) words. – minseong Nov 06 '20 at 15:09
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Apart from the old-fashioned and upper-class register, tush fits:
tush [interjection]
... used as an exclamation of impatience, disdain, contempt, etc.
- Tush, that's nothing, my friend did it in 15.
As these are at least really slang usages, another candidate is hmmpf / hmmf / ... (Wiktionary has the hmmpf variant):
Hmph (also hrmph or humph) indicates displeasure or indignation [including {depending on tone} a dismissive, scornful, perhaps even sneering riposte].
- Hmmpf, that's nothing: my friend did it in 15.
Edwin Ashworth
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1I suppose Collins ain't been in the US for some time now. The only usage I've ever heard for tush here is to refer to someone's derriere. – Robusto Nov 06 '20 at 15:46
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I suppose we just travel in different circles. But in my many decades of life here, I've never heard it used that way. The fact that is listed by AHD first is inconsequential if the usage is 1) archaic or 2) minuscule. – Robusto Nov 06 '20 at 22:01
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Well, then they failed either in their research or their presentation of it. I hope you will credit me with having a careful ear and a comprehensive mastery of my own language (including various dialects and multiple registers of it), and will believe me when I tell you I've never heard tush used that way in speech, writing, or film. – Robusto Nov 07 '20 at 20:02
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It's more like Ashworth's ad hoc citation, on which even the "experts" disagree, vs reality. Etymonline lists your version from the 15th century, in which period and location it would not sound ancient. The other dictionaries I consult give your version as archaic. Note that dictionaries differ on the way they order the definitions. Sometimes they give the oldest first, sometimes the most current. You should know that. – Robusto Nov 08 '20 at 15:16
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The OED cites Robert Louis Stevenson's usage of tushery to refer to "a conventional style of romance characterized by excessive use of affected archaisms such as 'tush!' ... and, given that Stevenson thought the term archaic and pretentious in the 19th century, I rest my case. The term tush is not a productive suggestion for current usage. – Robusto Nov 08 '20 at 17:34
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Your sarcasm convinces me that your argument was disingenuous all along. – Robusto Nov 08 '20 at 19:42
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Perhaps it is your cynicism that makes you see as sarcasm what is in fact an honest appraisal. – Robusto Nov 08 '20 at 20:50
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AHD list this usage also: They even list this sense first, without the 'archaic' caveat. M-W list it without an 'archaic' caveat. I tried to average out 4 archaics v 4 unflagged, as 'old-fashioned'. I've deleted unconstructive arguments; I'll leave it there. And no, I'd not use it, but neither would I use any interjections in this vein. – Edwin Ashworth Nov 08 '20 at 22:21
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eh
is an expression I've read a number of times in books.
In person it would frequently be accompanied by a shoulder shrug and possible a one eyebrow raise.
Michael Durrant
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You can almost always interject an obscenity of the sexual or scatological kind, but since that's a given it's almost redundant to mention here.
You can simply say "but" to indicate that you are contradicting the claim of extrordinarity: "But that's nothing!" Of course that may not strictly count as an interjection.
You can say "why", which, as Merriam-Webster notes under 4., is "used to express mild surprise, hesitation, approval, disapproval, or impatience", at least one of which should fit here: "Why, that's nothing, one of these newfangled auto-mobiles can make it easily in 10!" (Somehow I see the speaker in the England of the early 20th century...)
Peter - Reinstate Monica
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I'm always glad if anybody reads what I write, but I'm usually baffled when they don't agree ;-). What strikes you as wrong or inappropriate? – Peter - Reinstate Monica Nov 07 '20 at 21:37