Meh. Origins and Definitions. Lol. ROFLCOPTER. ding!
Recently, the Lascivious Biddies performed an amazingly fun show at NYC's the Zipper Factory for all sorts of wonderful, supportive people who may have a rather big impact on our career - a "showcase," as it were. In the afterward, I find daily life a little wanting...like a saltine after cornbread.
Cut to last week: I was walking along a corridor in this office building, and fellow worker bee Karl asked me how was doing. My reply? Meh.
We all know the meaning of meh, but how does one define it? Neither here nor there? Dunno? No Comment?
Well, Karl and I had a quick word over the possible meanings and etymology of meh. After a few minutes on Google, he'd uncovered all sorts of interesting information, which (all together now in Yoda voice) I with you now will share.
The first documented pop-culture-y usage (invention?) of the word occurred in an episode The Simpsons. According to Urban Dictionary, "in the episode Hungry, Hungry Homer, Bart and Lisa respond to a Homer inquiry with meh."
Homer: Kids... how would you... like to go to... Blocko Land??
Lisa/Bart: Meh.
Homer: But ... the TV gave me the impression that ...
Bart: We said "meh".
Lisa: M-e-h. Meh.
Other sources have spotted the word in episodes ranging from 1992 onwards. Debate is ongoing.
I live in New York City, so I have adopted many Yiddish words as my own (Meshugeneh, Goyem, Shiksa - just the important ones). Because of meh's semi-humourous, dismissive tone, I suspected that it might be a Yiddish expression as well - or derivitive of one. A discussion on WordOrigins.com points out that I may be correct - maybe a 5% percent chance.
Michael Hann writing in The Guardian March 2007, just before the Wordorigins “meh” thread (RIP): Some amateur etymologists on the web reckon meh is derived from Yiddish, pointing to a 1936 song that uses it as the sound of a goat bleating. A poster on Artblog.net called it a “Yiddish interjection used to express disdain that borders on apathy”, but did not source it. “Many North American English interjections do have some basis in Yiddish,” accepts Diamond. But does this one? “I can’t say.”
<--Meh to-go at Think Geek as well.
Count me in as an amateur etymologist on the web. Regardless of where it comes from, though, I bet we all agree as to usage.
What do you want for lunch? Meh.
(I don't really care.)How do you like my new boyfriend? Meh.
(I could take him or leave him.)How are you today? Meh.
(Not excellent, but not bad either. Nothing is exactly wrong, but not right either. I'd rather not explore the issue too deeply for fear of breaking through to my true, desperate, unerlying unhappiness.OR Hungover.)
Does my ass look fat in this dress? Meh.
(Yes, but I am not exactly rude enough to say so directly).
By the by, have you all noticed that lol only means giggle now, LOL means giggle harder, and only ROFLCOPTER really means you actually are in danger of squirting milk out of your nose?
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