meh

Look up meh in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Meh is an interjection, often an expression of apathy, indifference, or boredom. However, it can also be used to indicate agreement or disagreement. It can also be an adjective, meaning mediocre or boring.^[1]

Popularization

The word gained popularity as a result of its use on The Simpsons. It was used in a 1994 episode, "Sideshow Bob Roberts," when a librarian reacts to Lisa's surprise that voting records are not classified, and also in "Lisa's Wedding" after Marge weaves "Hi Bart" on a loom to try to pique his interest in weaving and he says "meh." Lisa, in the 2001 episode "Hungry, Hungry Homer", spells out the word for emphasis, after Homer tries to interest her and Bart into going to a theme park. As early as 1992, however, the word appeared on a fan discussion board about the TV series Melrose Place.^[2] The word's first mainstream print usage occurred in Canadian newspaper the Edmonton Sun in 2003: "Ryan Opray got voted off Survivor. Meh."^[3]

There has been speculation that its origin is Yiddish because of its similarity to the interjection "feh". American lexicographer Benjamin Zimmer expressed some skepticism about this idea, and wrote in 2006, "Whatever Yiddish origins the interjection might have had, they have been lost in post-Simpsons usage." Lexicographer Grant Barrett wrote about "meh" and "D'oh", "I suspect they're both just transcribed versions of oral speech, which has any number of single-syllable sounds that mean a variety of things."^[2]

Controversy over dictionary inclusion

In November 2008, the word was added to the Collins English dictionary, a British publication, published by Harper Collins.^[1][4] Cormac McKeown, senior editor for Collins dictionaries, said:

"This is a new interjection from the US that seems to have inveigled its way into common speech over here.

"It was actually spelled out in The Simpsons when Homer is trying to pry the kids away from the TV with a suggestion for a day trip. They both just reply 'meh' and keep watching TV; he asks again and Lisa says 'We said MEH! M-E-H, meh!' "

The inclusion of a neologism in a dictionary caused some controversy. Sam Leith, writing in the Daily Telegraph, described the appearance of the word, following suggestions received from the public as a "gimmick", before concluding it was a "useful" word.^[5]

Scottish newspaper Daily Record had a different take on the apparently American origins of the word:^[6]

"This, of course, is utter nonsense. Everyone knows that "meh" has been in common use in Dundee for generations, almost always accompanied by the word "peh"."

Further controversy in Canada

Harper Collins' definition of "meh" included a "real example" of usage:

"[A]s in 'the Canadian election was so meh' "^[7]

When complaints arose over this choice in Canada, Harper Collins' lexicographer Cormac McKeown, who chose the election reference, insisted that he meant "no slight to Canada."^[7]

BBC News Online Word Of The Decade

In December 2009, Meh was included in a BBC News Online list of 20 words which 'defined the decade'.

References

External links

• Mark Caro (March 2, 2009). "A surprising brouhaha over the use of 'meh'". Chicago Tribune. http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2009/mar/02/entertainment/chi-talk-mehmar02. Retrieved December 4, 2009. 
• Staff Writer (November 17, 2008). "'Meh': Apathetic Expression Added to Dictionary". Fox News. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,452993,00.html. Retrieved 2009-04-013.