American Noise

ahhh satisfaction, recoginition
aha! I've figured it out!
ahem clearing throat to call attention to oneself
blah, blah, blah meaningless chatter
booo! disapproval, as in a crowd at a sporting event
brrr cold
ding-dong/knock, knock someone is at the door
doh! said when someone else has made a mistake or a mishap (popularized by The Simpsons)
duh what has just said is obvious and need not be said at all
ennhhh! high pitch sound, as if made by "incorrect" buzzer in game shows
hmmm let me think...
huh? what?
hey interrupts, to let someone know something is wrong
mm-hmm, uh-huh yes
hmp-mm no
naaaah! absolutely not
pee-YUU smells terrible
psst small sound made to draw attention
oh depends on context
oops mild apology, dismay
ow, ouch pain
sh quiet
sheesh give me a break
ssssss snake sound, to express disapproval
tah-DAAH the end
tsk, tsk, tsk clicking sound, meaning "shame"
uh-oh something is wrong
whew relief (accompanied by guesture of wiping sweat off forehead)
wow surprise, delight
yada, yada, yada you can guess the rest (popularized by Seinfeld)
yay! opposite of booo
yuck, yikes disgust

 

Euphemisms and Expletives

darn it damn
heck hell
shoot/shucks shit
jeez/gee Jesus
gosh God
crud crap
fudge fu**

 

 

 

 

 

Note: Material is based on class material given by Margaret Angelopoulos. If you want to suggest a word to be added, email hot90000@yahoo.com. If you don't see any tables here, you need to use a new browser such as Internet Explorer 4.0+.

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