pohint.v.
/pəʊ/, U.S. /poʊ/ A. int.
Expressing contemptuous rejection. Cf. pooh int. Now archaic.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > exclamations of contempt [interjection] > exclamations of contemptuous rejection
pho1601
phoo1672
poh1679
hoot1681
hoots1824
poof1824
to shove something up your ass1895
nuts1910
1559 J. Jewel Let. 6 Apr. in Wks. (1850) IV. 1202 Si adfuisset Julius noster, centies exclamasset, Poh! horson knave [ Wks. (1848) Poz! horson knave].
a1612 J. Harington Epigrams (1618) ii. xxxviii. sig. F Then giue them Herring, Poh, away with these.
1648 Elegy on Timely Death of J. Warner in J. W. Draper Cent. Broadside Elegies (1928) 53 When he lighted (stop your nose I pray) Poh, quoth the Varlets, what a smell's today?
1679 M. Prance True Narr. Popish Plot 13 Pough, Pough, said Sr. Edmundbury, refusing at first to trouble himself.
1709 S. Centlivre Busie Body ii. i. 17 Sir Fran. For what? Marpl. Po'gh, for a Hundred Things.
1787 Minor 174 Pogh; thought I, why should I fear a man.
1824 J. Galt Rothelan i. vii Po! yours are as the pebble stones on the seashore to the jewels that may be bought in Ghent.
1831 W. Cobbett Gram. Eng. Lang. (new ed.) xvii. §210 Poh! Never think a man either learned or good merely on account of his being called a Doctor.
1878 C. M. Greene & S. Thompson MS Sharps & Flats iv. 18 Flat. (Wrathfully.) What! Grayhaired, sir! Retard that slander on these yellow locks or I'll break your neck! Singe. Poh! Poh! Flat. Poh! Poh! yourself sir!
1892 R. Hovey Marriage of Guenevere iii. ii, in Launcelot & Guenevere 178 Magic! Poh, David, you'll believe anything.
1997 T. Pynchon Mason & Dixon 231 Poh, Cousin,—Poh, Sir.
intransitive. To utter the word or sound ‘poh’; to express contempt in this manner; in early use frequently in to pish and poh (cf. pish v. 1). In later use also transitive: to dismiss or reject summarily or contemptuously. Obsolete. Cf. pooh v.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > exclamations of contempt [interjection]
prut?c1300
trutc1330
truptc1380
ahaa1400
tushc1440
puff1481
quotha?1520
ah?1526
ta ha1528
twish1577
blurt1592
gip1592
pish1592
tantia1593
(God) bless (also save) the mark1593
phah1593
marry come up1597
mew1600
pooh1600
marry muff1602
pew waw1602
ptish1602
pew1604
push1605
pshaw1607
tuh1607
pea1608
poh1650
pooh pooh1694
hoity-toity1695
highty-tighty1699
quoz?1780
indeed1834
shuck1847
skidoo1906
suck1913
zut1915
yah boo1921
pooey1927
ptui1930
snubs1934
upya1941
yah boo sucks1980
the mind > emotion > hatred > dislike > disgust > exclamation of disgust [interjection]
foȝa1250
fie1297
faugh1542
ough1565
pah1592
pish1592
phah1593
paw1640
poh1650
sis1862
gick1905
ptui1930
stone (or stiffen) the crows1930
you wouldn't read about it1950
yeuch1964
barf1966
yuck1966
ick1967
yech1969
1650 R. Heath Clarastella 65 I am told you pish and pough, when e'r You any do my lines commending hear.
1722 E. Ward Poet. Entertainer iv. 31 How therefore canst thou proudly Pish and Poh, And snarl at what thy Betters say or do.
1850 S. Judd Richard Edney & Governor's Family xxvi. 283 Munk need not feign ignorance, or affect to poh the matter off; he was sufficiently conscious of the state of affairs.
1852 E. E. Stuart Let. 1 Mar. in R. Stuart et al. Stuart Lett. (1961) I. 281 I believe I wrote you that David pohed at my proposal of dividing the income into 6 equal parts.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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int.v.1559