English

Interjection

pish

1. An expression of disdain.

Noun

pish ‎(plural pishes)

1. A sibilant noise (e.g. "psshh") made by birders and ornithologists to attract small birds.

Verb

pish ‎(third-person singular simple present pishes, present participle pishing, simple past and past participle pished)

1. To try to attract birds by making a sibilant noise (e.g. "psshh").
2. To express contempt.

   1606 - William Shakespeare, Henry V act ii, scene 1

   Pish for thee, Iceland dog! thou prick-ear'd cur of Iceland!

Adjective

pish ‎(comparative more pish, superlative most pish)

1. (vulgar, colloquial, chiefly Scotland) Of poor quality; ****.

Usage notes

• Most commonly found in the gerund or present participle pishing.

References

• pish in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• Dunne, Peter (2006). The Art of Pishing: How to Attract Birds by Mimicking Their Calls. ISBN 9780811732956.
• Langham, G. M.; Contreras, T.A. & Sieving, K.E. (2006). Why pishing works: Titmouse (Paridae) scolds elicit a generalized response in bird communities. Ecoscience 13 (4): 485–496. doi:10.2980/1195-6860(2006)13[485:WPWTPS]2.0.CO;2

Anagrams

• hips , HIPs
• phis
• ship

Chinook Jargon

Etymology 1

From English fish, or possibly French pêche.

Noun

pish

1. fish

Etymology 2

From Chinook opitshka.

Noun

pish

1. fire

Synonyms

• piah

Mohegan-Pequot

Alternative forms

• beesh (obsolete orthography)

Etymology

From English peas.

Noun

pish

1. peas

References

• A Vocabulary of Mohegan-Pequot (John D. Prince, Frank G. Speck)

Scots

Pronunciation

• enPR: pĭsh, IPA^(key): /pɪʃ/
• Rhymes: -ɪʃ

Etymology

From late Middle English.

Noun

pish ‎(uncountable)

1. (vulgar) Urine, piss.
2. (vulgar) Crust on a scabbing wound.

Verb

pish ‎(third-person singular present pishes, present participle pishin, past pished, past participle pished)

1. To urinate, to piss.

Derived terms

• reekin o pish

Adjective

pish ‎(comparative mair pish, superlative maist pish)

1. (vulgar) Not very good, in fact quite bad.

Interjection

pish

1. An expression of disdain.

References

• “pish” in Dictionary of the Scots Language, Scottish Language Dictionaries, Edinburgh"

Western Apache

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [pʰɪ̀ʃ]

Etymology

From English fish.

Noun

pish

1. fish