Medieval · word · interjection
Tush
TUSH (rhymes with 'hush') /tʌʃ/pronunciation given by a dictionary
First recordedmid-1400s
An exclamation of impatient rebuke or scornful dismissal — roughly 'pooh!' or 'nonsense!'. Related to 'tut'.
Where it was first recorded
Dated by Etymonline (mid-15c., as 'tusch'), which does not name the work.
Also spelled: tusch, tussch
In its own time
Tush, tush, ’twill not appear.
Today
Modern exampleTush — nobody is going to notice one crooked picture frame.
Harmless and theatrical as an exclamation — just be aware that in modern American slang 'tush' (said like 'push') also means the backside.
A separate, unrelated modern word 'tush' (from Yiddish) is US slang for the buttocks — mildly cheeky, not a slur; the museum entry is only the old exclamation.
Questions
What does tush mean?
An exclamation of impatient rebuke or scornful dismissal — roughly 'pooh!' or 'nonsense!'. Related to 'tut'.
When was tush first used?
It is first recorded mid-1400s.
Can you still use tush today?
Harmless and theatrical as an exclamation — just be aware that in modern American slang 'tush' (said like 'push') also means the backside.
Sources
- tush — Etymonline (Online Etymology Dictionary)
- tush — Merriam-Webster
- tush — Wiktionary
- The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Hamlet) — Project Gutenberg
Checked 2026-09-30 · verdict: attested — found in the dictionaries and texts listed above