pooh pooh etymology

Etymology:

• "Pooh-pooh" is a blend of two words:
  • "Pooh" (onomatopoeia for a soft, breathy sound, expressing contempt or dismissal)
  • "Pooh-bah" (a comic opera character in Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Mikado," who is pompous and overconfident)

Meaning:

• To dismiss or belittle something as trivial or unimportant.
• To express contempt or disbelief.

Origin:

• The earliest known use of "pooh-pooh" in English is in William Makepeace Thackeray's 1848 novel "Vanity Fair."
• It is believed that the word "pooh-pooh" became widely used after the premiere of Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Mikado" in 1885, where the character Pooh-Bah was a popular character.
• The term may have been influenced by the manner in which Pooh-Bah dismissed others with a contemptuous "Pooh!"

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