ugh (in posts)

I'm not sure where to put this, and I'm coming at it from a light hearted direction, but what is it with the "word" that is the three letters u,g,h that I see so much in posts not just here but elsewhere? Maybe because I am quite old and I was brought up in a country that more or less follows British English patterns, I am used to using, in informal spoken and written stuff like chatting to people, notes and web forum posts, etc, "ugh" to mean something like "yuk" or (the abominable!) "ewww". For example when discovering a mouldy thing in the fridge or doggy-do on a shoe. I pronounce it (roughly) "ure" (without any rhotic 'r'). Or "eure". But these days a lot of (younger?) people use it to mean they are dissatisfied or ticked off or tired of something... am I right?

Yes.

You pronounce 'ugh' as 'ure'?

I think most of us (the younger generation ) pronounce 'ugh' as 'u' like the 'u' in 'us' and with a hard g at the end.

It's quite a versatile word!  You could say it for something gross in the fridge, poo on a shoe (doody-foot!), or for dissatisfaction, ticked off, etc.  

ETA:  English hubby says he would pronounce it similar to how you do.  Before he knew how it was spelled, he thought it might have been spelled something like 'ilrrrrr'.

I don't think I've actually ever heard anyone say "Ugh!" out loud.

It's something Charlie Brown would say.

Pretty much.  I use it when talking about something that is frustrating or something that I don't want to do.  I also might use it when referring to an embarrassing or awkward situation.  Such as: "I got home today and realized I'd been walking around all day with melted chocolate stuck to my bum...ugh!"

ETA: As far as pronunciation, for me it's less a word to be pronounced and more of a noise to be made coupled with an exasperated sigh.

When I pronounce this "word", it's be more like what NoseOverTail described...more of a sound then an actual word (a sigh...sort of like uhhhh but with a soft 'g' thrown in the middle somewhere).  I probably also say it with one side of my nose scrunched up.

It can pretty much mean anything suggesting general dissatisfaction (tired, disgusted, pissed off, etc.).  Personally, I use it as a complaint...as in "Ugh..it's so hot" or "I need to go scrub the kitchen floor...ugh". 

This is a pretty interesting topic though because it made me think of all the words I use in text, but would never pronounce actual conversation...such as 'arg', 'grrrr' or one of my personal favorites 'pfft'.  For me, it's really just a way to write out a sound I would make (I wouldn't actually say 'arg' but I would make a frustrated growling type noise). 

You pronounce 'ugh' as 'ure'?

I think most of us (the younger generation ) pronounce 'ugh' as 'u' like the 'u' in 'us' and with a hard g at the end.

Like Mrs R, I pronouce it with the hard G but it is really more of a sound than a word.  I keep looking at your pronoucation and I cannot for the life of me figure out how ure sounds.

Like Mrs R, I pronouce it with the hard G but it is really more of a sound than a word.  I keep looking at your pronoucation and I cannot for the life of me figure out how ure sounds.

Me, too!

I say 'ugh' out loud. Not a lot, but I do. Last I checked, I wasn't Charlie Brown!

Like Mrs R, I pronouce it with the hard G but it is really more of a sound than a word.  I keep looking at your pronoucation and I cannot for the life of me figure out how ure sounds.

The way my hubby was saying it - it reminded me more of an 'eww' than an 'ugh'.

...I wasn't Charlie Brown!

Why is everybody always pickin' on me?!  Charlie Brown!

Also, since the introduction of Ugg Boots - I refer to them (in my mind) as Ugh Boots, cos I'm not a fan. 

(not tryin' to start a boot war, just sayin') 

I cannot for the life of me figure out how ure sounds.

Like pure said the English way and with the p taken away and the tongue thrust well forward, I suggest.

Veering in the opposite direction, I like to compare the sounds people make when they find something appetising. I suppose everybody is familiar with the "mmm" sound emitted when people hear of or see or smell something they would like to eat. I once read a book in the genre I call "olive oil books" - books written by people who have gone to live somewhere like Greece or Italy, full of descriptions of doing up old farmhouses, amusing locals, olive or grape harvests etc. Anyhow this one was by a woman who had gone to Liguria in Italy. She got friendly with the locals. The first few times she said "mmmm" the Italian villagers would look at her in amazement. Why did she make this sound? She explained that in England it meant "that sounds or looks delicious". They told her that Italians never did this. After a bit word got around and people would deliberately talk about foody things to make her do the sound, whereupon they would fall about laughing. Eventually after about 5 years had gone by, everybody in the village was doing it naturally, and getting odd looks themselves from outsiders.

I worked with this guy who had grown up in Lousiana and one day somebody brought in some cakes and he saw some chocolate muffins and went "Nom nom nom" which provoked extremely blank looks. He explained that it meant "yum yum yum" where he grew up.

I worked with this guy who had grown up in Lousiana and one day somebody brought in some cakes and he saw some chocolate muffins and went "Nom nom nom"...

That shows up on this forum quite a bit on the food threads, and not just from people from Louisiana! 

I say ugh, argh!, Grrr, and uff-dah on a daily basis!
my personal favourites at the moment are Gah! or ack!

All are said more as a sound than a word.

But I don't think I use many other than Grrr or ugh in writing.

Also, since the introduction of Ugg Boots - I refer to them (in my mind) as Ugh Boots, cos I'm not a fan. 

They are dead chavvy, and very old fashioned now.

They are dead chavvy, and very old fashioned now. 

Oh well, I know some friends who love them, so labels like 'chav' can be kind of hurtful, don't you think?

Or, maybe we should all embrace our inner chav - I know I do!  I love white trainers & with white socks too - although I'm told the white socks are a Dutch thing. 

Oh well, I know some friends who love them, so labels like 'chav' can be kind of hurtful, don't you think?

I don't know your friends; I only know what I think of Ugg boots. And while we're at it, thongs, and that awful hairstyle which looks like a fringe dragged sideways.

Yeah but I think this is now going in a completely different direction from 'Ugh' and 'Nom nom nom'.  Continuing on with that train of thought might be for a new thread, and leaving this one to the 'Ugh' & 'nom nom nom' kinda things.