posted by Brit
So the word 'meh' has entered the Collins English Dictionary. Used to express indifference, vague contempt or boredom, the official acceptance of meh is an example of the influence of internet-speak.
As usual, the Americans think they invented it (they think they invented all sorts of things, like baseball and motor cars. Meh!).
However, today I can exclusively reveal the true origins of the word on Thought Experiments. It is a corruption of Auden's magnificently-timed 'Mneh', which features in the sixth stanza of Moon Landing. In context, the meaning is unambiguous.
Monday, November 17, 2008
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A blog about, among other things, imaginary ideas - What ifs? and Imagine thats. What if photographs looked nothing like what we see with our eyes? Imagine that the Berlin Wall had never come down. What if we were the punchline of an interminable joke? All contributions welcome.
Did Auden have a word for "boggingofftoAmericaandtakingtheirmoneywhilstrubbishinghishosts"
ReplyDelete?
My dogs make that sound whilst peeing.
Wots gone wrong with blog Brit, gremlins again?
ReplyDeleteSeems ok to me at the moment - what's the problem?
ReplyDeleteA quick squirt of WD40 seems to have resolved the problem
ReplyDeleteThe text box had acquired a slider and the ability to type outside of the box.
Mustn't grumble.
Bryan's blog does seem unusually susceptible to gremlins.
ReplyDeletemeh! (that's the first and, hopefully, last time I'll use it).
ReplyDeleteMeh! sounds like a Mesopotamian deity of some sort.
ReplyDeleteYou guys are all missing the point. Knowing the true definition of "meh", you would realize that using an exclamation point after it is essentially an oxymoron. At best "meh" can be followed by a period, but probably better by the three dot ellipsis...
ReplyDeleteIf Auden's use of "Mneh" does indeed count as invention of the term "meh," it was still invented by an American, as Auden held American citizenship since 1946. Thanks for playing.
ReplyDeleteA mere technicality, David.
ReplyDeleteAuden is as American as Greg Rusedski is British.
Man, you guys are still bitter about W.H., 60 years later. He offered to enlist many times, but they didn't want his little pasty butt. Don't hate the playa, hate the game!
ReplyDeleteWow, Malty, you guys are still bitter about W.H., 60+ years later. He offered to enlist and fight in the war many times, but they didn't want his little pasty butt. Don't hate the playa, hate the game!
ReplyDeleteGlad to know that "meh" has gotten some recognition.
ReplyDeleteI still hold to its origins being Yiddish. An interesting discussion here: http://www.languagehat.com/archives/002716.php
ReplyDeleteI wonder if anyone has ever pestered the Simpsons writers about their source?