Query:PU!

Peter McGraw pmcgraw at LINFIELD.EDU
Tue Oct 26 16:15:34 UTC 1999


I can't provide QUITE that early a citation, but it was certainly
current during my childhoon in the late 40s-early 50s in So.
California.  I don't know that I've ever seen it written.

Peter Mc.

On Tue, 26 Oct 1999 10:46:05 -0400 Julia Van Nutt
<cobtown at MINDSPRING.COM> wrote:

> "Can anyone give an early (19th century or before) citation for "PU!"
> being used as an exclamation when detecting an offensive odor? It is
> an expression that I remember from my childhood in New Jersey. My
> wife, who grew up in North Carolina, has no such recollections. No
> doubt, it is derived from "phew!" Has anyone ever seen it in the form
> "P.U.!"?
> With inodorous (I trust) thanks, Robert Van Nutt

----------------------
Peter A. McGraw
Linfield College
McMinnville, Oregon
pmcgraw at linfield.edu



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