▪ I. pish, int. and n.
(pɪʃ)
See also push int. (n.3) [A natural exclamation.]
A. int. An exclamation expressing contempt, impatience, or disgust.
| 1592 Nashe P. Penilesse C ij, Pish, pish, what talke you of old age or balde pates? 1599 Shakes. Hen. V, ii. i. 43, 44 Nym. Pish. Pist. Pish for thee, Island dogge. 1611 Cotgr., Tarabin tarabas, an Interiection of interruption, like our pish pish, tut tut. 1672 Marvell Reh. Transp. i. 52 Pish, said I, that's no such great matter. 1708 T. Ward Eng. Ref. (1716) 56 Pish, Pish, quoth Seymour in a Huff. 1845 James Smuggler III. 178 Pish! you are a fool, young man. |
B. n. The utterance of this exclamation. † to make a pish at or of, to treat with contempt. attrib., as † pish-monger (humorous, after fish-monger).
| 1594 Nashe Terrors Nt. Wks. (Grosart) III. 251 All receipts and authors you can name he syllogizeth of, and makes a pish at. 1600 Holland Livy xxxvii. xxxv. 965 Those matters..the Romanes made a pish at, and lightly regarded. a 1643 W. Cartwright Ordinary iv. v, What shrieks and cries, What angry pishes, and what fies. 1654 Whitlock Zootomia Pref. a vj b, Too severe Censurer (free of the Company of Pish⁓mongers) that Pisheth at any thing not exact. 1777 Cowper Let. to J. Hill Wks. 1837 XV. 41, I had rather never see the books, than extort from you one single Pish. 1840 Hood Kilmansegg, Her precious Leg x, She writh'd with impatience..And utter'd ‘pshaws!’ and ‘pishes!’ |
▪ II. pish, v.
[f. prec.]
1. intr. To say ‘pish!’ Often with at.
| 1598 B. Jonson Ev. Man in Hum. iii. i, Bob. This a Toledo! Pish! Step. Why do you pish, captain? 1644 Bp. Hall Serm. 9 June, Rem. Wks. (1660) 102 A motive, which..may be past over, and pisht at. 1713 Steele Guard. No. 151 ¶1 How would the ladies pish at such a great monstrous thing? a 1864 Hawthorne S. Felton (1883) 333 The learned man..pished and pshawed. |
2. trans. To say ‘pish’ to. to pish away, pish down: to reject or depreciate by saying ‘pish!’
| 1601 B. Jonson Poetaster v. i, Hor. Pish: ha, ha! Lup. Dost thou pish me? Give me my long sword. 1616 R. Croshaw Compliment. Verses in Capt. Smith Descr. New Eng., Though Men of..lesse desert Would Pish-away thy Praise. 1901 Blackw. Mag. Dec. 730 Some pish it down as valueless. |
Hence ˈpishing vbl. n.; also ˈpisher, one who pishes.
| 1662 Rump Songs (1874) II. 63 Which puts pretty Maids to pishing and fying. 1901 Blackw. Mag. Dec. 730 Both..pishers and puffers..being noisily wrong. |
▪ III. pish
Sc. form of piss.