bah 的詞源

蔑视的感叹词，1817年，可能来自法语 bah，古法语 ba，表达惊讶、轻蔑、沮丧。或许只是此类情况下的自然感叹；比较希腊语 babai!，惊讶的感叹。德昆西谴责它是粗俗的法语进口：

Twenty five years ago the vile ejaculation "Bah!" was utterly unknown to the English public. Now, and entirely through the currency given to it by our own novels, it has become the most popular expression for dismissing with contempt any opinion or suggestion of the person with whom you are conversing. Sir Edward Lytton was amongst the earliest and deepest offenders. ["French and English Manners," 1850]

二十五年前，这个卑劣的感叹词 "Bah!" 对英国公众来说是完全未知的。现在，完全是通过我们自己小说的传播，它已成为以轻蔑的态度 dismiss 任何与您交谈的人所提出的意见或建议的最流行的表达。爱德华·利顿爵士是最早和最深的 offenders 之一。[《法国语言与英语礼仪》，1850年]