Posted by Allan Lang on November 12, 2002 at 02:08:29 from 202.61.171.25 user Allan_Lang.
In Reply to: Re: Naming a yacht - continued-duh...huh? posted by Dave Thewlis on November 11, 2002 at 15:31:45:
I am under the impression that the combination of slapping the forehead and saying "Duh!" can be attributed to (or was at least popularized into becoming a cultural phenomenon) by Homer Simpson in the animated television series "The Simpsons."
Not quite.
"Duh" with the pronuncitation given by Peter is: "an acknowledgement of something that is patently self-evident to anybody with a shred of intelligence or awareness."
It is however older than the The Simpsons, coming from Valspeak, the language developed in the early '80s by the mallrat culture of SoCal's San Fernando Valley.
Doh! (short grunted "o" and exclamation mark) is the Homeric coinage meaning an acknowledgement that one has done something stupid, or made a stupid decision, or a choice that turned out to be a bad one, even if it seemed reasonable a the time.
(Anyone else have a vision of Neville Chamberlain striking his head "Doh!" on hearing that Hitler had invaded Poland?
- Just me then)