{"id":10635,"date":"2022-11-16T22:15:29","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T22:15:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=10635"},"modified":"2022-11-16T22:16:37","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T22:16:37","slug":"poohed-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/poohed-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Poohed \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

When someone expresses contempt or condescendingly disproves, they sometimes exclaim, \u201cPooh!\u201d You can say such a person \u201cpoohed<\/strong>\u201d you or someone else.<\/p>\n

This post explores the meaning and origins of the term \u201cpooh,\u201d and shows you how to use it.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

People use the English interjection \u201cpooh<\/strong>\u201d to convey disapproval, contempt, or scorn<\/u>. \u201cPuh\u201d and \u201cpugh\u201d are alternative spellings.<\/p>\n

\u201cPooh\u201d (and the more popular variation \u201cpooh-pooh\u201d) can also act as a verb<\/strong>. When you \u201cpooh\u201d someone, you make it clear you don\u2019t approve.<\/p>\n

The casual \u201cpoohed<\/strong>\u201d is the past tense of this verb.<\/p>\n

\u201cPoohed\u201d is also an alternative spelling of \u201cpooed<\/u>,\u201d with \u201cto poo<\/strong>\u201d being a cutesy way to say \u201cto poop<\/strong>\u201d (having a bowel movement). People most often use this expression when speaking to small children.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

Are you wondering how you would incorporate \u201cpoohed\u201d into a sentence? This unusual word isn\u2019t used frequently, but if you want to put it into action, here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • \u201cSam\u2019s coworkers poohed<\/strong> his grand ambitions behind his back, believing Sam\u2019s ideas to be so outlandish they were insane. Still, Sam never gave up, and his ideas finally came to fruition.\u201d<\/li>\n
  • \u201cEveryone from opposition politicians to reporters and housewives pooh-poohed<\/strong> the President\u2019s unorthodox policies.\u201d<\/li>\n
  • \u201cI can\u2019t stand that old lady at our book club. I\u2019m already shy as it is, but now I\u2019m terrified to speak up. She lets me know she thinks I\u2019m stupid whenever I open my mouth. The old biddy poohed<\/strong> my suggestion that the novel we\u2019re reading has powerful symbolism last time.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Origin<\/h2>\n

    The interjection \u201cpooh<\/strong>,\u201d meaning disdain, disapproval, or scorn, first appeared in the English language in the late 16th<\/sup> century<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    The earliest written example appears in Shakespeare\u2019s Hamlet<\/strong>, which contains the line: \u201cAffection! Pooh! You speak like a green girl, unsifted in such perilous circumstance.\u201d<\/p>\n

    However, earlier versions like \u201cpuh\u201d and \u201cpoh\u201d are known to have existed before this time. They are likely natural exclamations people make when they are shocked or disgusted by something.<\/p>\n

    The slang \u201cpooh-pooh<\/strong>,\u201d which is now more popular than \u201cpooh\u201d and doubles the phrase by adding an identical syllable, emerged in the 1800s<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    \u201cPoohed<\/strong>\u201d or \u201cpooh-poohed<\/strong>\u201d is simply the past tense of \u201cpooh\u201d when used as a verb. You can, as such, say someone \u201cpoohed you\u201d when they expressed disapproval with condescending undertones.<\/p>\n

    Readers looking for information about the word \u201cpoohed\u201d should be aware there are several possible alternative meanings:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • \u201cPoohed\u201d is one way to spell \u201cpooed,\u201d meaning \u201cpooped<\/strong>.\u201d This childish past-tense verb meaning someone defecated, is usually directed at children under five.<\/li>\n
    • A \u201cpooh<\/strong>\u201d can also be someone you are in a very casual intimate relationship<\/strong> with. The Urban Dictionary<\/em> first defined \u201cpooh\u201d as a \u201cfriend with benefits\u201d in 2010. This slang word is a noun, so there is no past tense.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Phrases Similar to Poohed<\/h2>\n

      If you don\u2019t want to use the terms \u201cpooh\u201d or \u201cpooh-pooh,\u201d you have plenty of other ways to express the same feeling. Some past-tense examples you can use instead of \u201cpoohed\u201d include:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Belittled.<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Dismissed. <\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Mocked<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Ridiculed.<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Turned one\u2019s nose up at<\/strong> [someone or something] \u2014 this idiom references people\u2019s facial expressions when disgusted. Try it; you will see that your nose \u201ccrinkles\u201d upward.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Phrases Opposite to Poohed<\/h2>\n

        Taking someone seriously is the opposite of poohing someone. Someone who doesn\u2019t pooh or pooh-pooh others or their ideas may:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • Pay close attention.<\/strong><\/li>\n
        • Listen respectfully.<\/strong><\/li>\n
        • Praise the person\u2019s efforts.<\/strong><\/li>\n
        • Gush about the person.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          What Is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n

          The correct saying is \u201cpoohed<\/strong>\u201d or \u201cpooh-poohed<\/strong>.\u201d Poohing is belittling someone or scornfully disapproving, and \u201cpoohed\u201d is the past tense of this verb.<\/p>\n

          Ways People May Say Poohed Incorrectly<\/h2>\n

          You should not say someone \u201cpoohed\u201d you if they merely disagreed with your ideas. Pooh-poohing someone requires disapproval.<\/p>\n

          Acceptable Ways to Phrase Poohed<\/h2>\n

          You can say that you were \u201cpoohed\u201d when someone disdainfully rejected you or your opinions and ideas. You can add an extra \u201cpooh,\u201d and say \u201cpooh-poohed\u201d to increase the odds that your audience will understand you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          When someone expresses contempt or condescendingly disproves, they sometimes exclaim, \u201cPooh!\u201d You can say such a person \u201cpoohed\u201d you or someone else. This post explores the meaning and origins of the term \u201cpooh,\u201d and shows you how to use it. Meaning People use the English interjection \u201cpooh\u201d to convey disapproval, contempt, or scorn. \u201cPuh\u201d and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10635"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10635"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10637,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10635\/revisions\/10637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}