pish
English edit
Pronunciation edit
Interjection edit
pish
- Expressing disdain.
Synonyms edit
Derived terms edit
Noun edit
pish (plural pishes)
- A sibilant noise (e.g. "psshh") made by birders and ornithologists to attract small birds.
Verb edit
pish (third-person singular simple present pishes, present participle pishing, simple past and past participle pished)
- To try to attract birds by making a sibilant noise (e.g. "psshh").
- To express contempt.
- 1599, William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], page 73, column 1:
- Piſh for thee, Iſland dogge: thou prickeard cur of Iſland.
Adjective edit
pish (comparative more pish, superlative most pish)
- (vulgar, colloquial, chiefly Scotland) Of poor quality; very bad.
Usage notes edit
- Most commonly found in the gerund or present participle pishing.
References edit
- “pish”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- Dunne, Peter (2006). The Art of Pishing: How to Attract Birds by Mimicking Their Calls. →ISBN.
- Langham, G. M.; Contreras, T. A. & Sieving, K. E. (2006). Why pishing works: Titmouse (Paridae) scolds elicit a generalized response in bird communities. Ecoscience 13 (4): 485–496. doi:10.2980/1195-6860(2006)13[485:WPWTPS]2.0.CO;2
See also edit
- pish pash (etymlogically unrelated)
Anagrams edit
Chinook Jargon edit
Etymology 1 edit
Borrowed from English fish, or possibly French pêche.
Noun edit
pish
Etymology 2 edit
Noun edit
pish
Synonyms edit
Mohegan-Pequot edit
Alternative forms edit
- beesh (obsolete orthography)
Etymology edit
Noun edit
pish
References edit
- A Vocabulary of Mohegan-Pequot (John D. Prince, Frank G. Speck)
Scots edit
Etymology edit
From late Middle English pyshe, variant of pisse.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
pish (uncountable)
Verb edit
pish (third-person singular simple present pishes, present participle pishin, simple past pished, past participle pished)
Derived terms edit
Adjective edit
pish (comparative mair pish, superlative maist pish)
Interjection edit
pish
- An expression of disdain.
References edit
- “pish” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.
Western Apache edit
Etymology edit
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
pish