# What does "meh" mean, please? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 13, 2005, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-meh-mean-please/321380 "2005-09-13T02:22:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-meh-mean-please/321380/21 "2005-09-13T13:51:08Z")
> [@C K Dexter Haven](#): > > This seems to be a question for which there is a clear answer, and it’s not really related to arts/entertainment … > No big deal, **Leaffen** , but you might want to read over the forum descriptions briefly… you’ll usually get better response in the proper forum. Funny you should say that. ISTM that without use on _The Simpsons_ (see Lisa Simpson’s quote above), “meh” never gains a foothold in Internet jargon. ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-meh-mean-please/321380/22 "2005-09-13T14:46:46Z")
I say “eh.”, but in writing this is interpreted as the Canadian “eh?” I wouldn’t normally say “meh”, but it is less ambiguous. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-meh-mean-please/321380/23 "2005-09-13T15:31:39Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Funny you should say that. ISTM that without use on _The Simpsons_ (see Lisa Simpson’s quote above), “meh” never gains a foothold in Internet jargon. Cetainly true in my case. In my family, the function of meh is served by “enh,” but that’s much harder to depic phonetically, so I started using Lisa Simpson’s meh when writing. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-meh-mean-please/321380/24 "2005-09-13T15:39:01Z")
> [@The New Guy](#): > > Just another asinine thing that internet geeks think is clever, but is really just annoying. Exactly. Like when a n00b on a message board picks “The New Guy” for his nym. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-meh-mean-please/321380/25 "2005-09-13T15:52:05Z")
> [@The New Guy](#): > > Just another asinine thing that internet geeks think is clever, but is really just annoying. Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-meh-mean-please/321380/26 "2005-09-13T15:56:29Z")
It is an acronym that dates back to the telegraph, and was use as an in-joke between telegraph operators. When a telegraph operator received a smart assed message, he would often respond MEH, which was short for “ **M** y **E** nnui **H** eightens”, to indicated weariness and boredom with the tone of the sender’s message. Amazing how it persists to this day. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-meh-mean-please/321380/27 "2005-09-13T16:01:52Z")
\*\*“A” or \*\*\*\*\*\*\*: Yeh! \*\*“C” or \*\*\*\*\*: Meh. \*\*“F” or \*\*\*: Feh! ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-meh-mean-please/321380/28 "2005-09-13T17:07:46Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > It is an acronym that dates back to the telegraph, and was use as an in-joke between telegraph operators. When a telegraph operator received a smart assed message, he would often respond MEH, which was short for “ **M** y **E** nnui **H** eightens”, to indicated weariness and boredom with the tone of the sender’s message. Amazing how it persists to this day. That’s very interesting. Legendary. Urban legendary, in fact. Or so it seems to me. Do you have a source for that? ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-meh-mean-please/321380/29 "2005-09-13T18:44:30Z")
For those that know French, I think it’s close to the French “bof” (with a circumflex on the “o”, IIRC), accompanied by the classic Gallic shoulder-shrug. ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-meh-mean-please/321380/30 "2005-09-13T18:45:40Z")
I agree, tdn…sounds very much like an urban legend origin. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-meh-mean-please/321380/31 "2005-09-13T18:47:46Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > That’s very interesting. Legendary. Urban legendary, in fact. Or so it seems to me. Do you have a source for that? > [@Jman](#): > > I agree, tdn…sounds very much like an urban legend origin. Man, those jets are flyin’ low today! ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-meh-mean-please/321380/32 "2005-09-13T19:14:50Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > Man, those jets are flyin’ low today! **Fear Itself** We are wary of word origins that are claimed to be acronyms on here because of so many that are fake: “tip”, “fuck”, “posh”, … - see [http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/acronyms.asp](http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/acronyms.asp) ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-meh-mean-please/321380/33 "2005-09-13T19:43:45Z")
Which is precisely the phenomenon he was parodying with his very funny post. My goodness. The rare and desirable multi-user whoosh. I tip my hat to you, sir. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-meh-mean-please/321380/34 "2005-09-13T19:45:58Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Which is precisely the phenomenon he was parodying with his very funny post. Me no get. Have we been mtjaflt’d? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-meh-mean-please/321380/35 "2005-09-13T20:05:59Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Me no get. Then you’ve been whooshed by a whoosh. A whoosh[sup]2[/sup], as it were. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-meh-mean-please/321380/36 "2005-09-13T20:24:38Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Then you’ve been whooshed by a whoosh. A whoosh[sup]2[/sup], as it were. Let’s try to keep higher math concepts out of this thread, mKay? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-meh-mean-please/321380/37 "2005-09-13T21:33:56Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > It is an acronym that dates back to the telegraph, and was use as an in-joke between telegraph operators. When a telegraph operator received a smart assed message, he would often respond MEH, which was short for “ **M** y **E** nnui **H** eightens”, to indicated weariness and boredom with the tone of the sender’s message. Amazing how it persists to this day. Hey, _I_ got it. And damn funny it was, too: hats off, **Fear Itself**. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-meh-mean-please/321380/38 "2005-09-13T21:50:43Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > Only his is more of a sheep’s bleat. Actually _meh_ is indeed sometimes used in German to render a sheep’s bleat. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-meh-mean-please/321380/39 "2005-09-13T22:03:05Z")
I wish Amy Wong’s “buh” / “guh” would take off. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2005, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-meh-mean-please/321380/40 "2005-09-14T03:42:52Z")
> [@DarrenS](#): > > For those that know French, I think it’s close to the French “bof” (with a circumflex on the “o”, IIRC), accompanied by the classic Gallic shoulder-shrug. Actually, “bof” doesn’t take a circumflex accent on the ‘o’. And yes, this and “meh” pretty much mean the same thing. Actually, when I say one of these words, I pretty much shrug without thinking about it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-meh-mean-please/321380.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-meh-mean-please/321380.md?page=3)