Blowing a raspberry, strawberry, razzing or making a Bronx cheer, is to make a noise similar to

flatulence Flatulence, in humans, is the expulsion of gas from the intestines via the anus, commonly referred to as farting. "Flatus" is the medical word for gas generated in the stomach or bowels. A proportion of intestinal gas may be swallowed environm ...

that may signify derision, real or feigned. It is also used in childhood phonemic play. It is made by placing the tongue between the lips, or alternately placing the lips against any area of skin, and blowing. When performed against the skin of another person, it is often a form of tickling. A raspberry (when used with the tongue) is not used in any human language as a building block of words, apart from jocular exceptions such as phonemic play and the name of the comic-book character

Joe Btfsplk Joe Btfsplk was a character in the satirical comic strip ''Li'l Abner'' (published 1934–1977) by cartoonist Al Capp. He is well-meaning but is "the world's worst jinx", bringing disastrous misfortune to everyone around him. A small, dar ...

. However, the vaguely similar bilabial trill (essentially blowing a raspberry with one's lips) is a regular consonant sound in a few dozen languages scattered around the world. Spike Jones and His City Slickers used a "birdaphone" to create this sound on their recording of " Der Fuehrer's Face", repeatedly lambasting Adolf Hitler with: "We'll Heil! (Bronx cheer) Heil! (Bronx cheer) Right in Der Fuehrer's Face!" In the terminology of phonetics, the raspberry has been described as a voiceless linguolabial trill, transcribed in the

International Phonetic Alphabet The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is an alphabetic system of phonetic transcription, phonetic notation based primarily on the Latin script. It was devised by the International Phonetic Association in the late 19th century as a standa ...

, and as a buccal interdental trill, transcribed in the Extensions to the International Phonetic Alphabet.

Name

The nomenclature varies by country. In most anglophone countries, it is known as a raspberry, which is attested from at least 1890, and which in the United States had been shortened to

razz Razz may refer to: * Razz (poker), a form of stud poker * Razz (rapper), winner of MGP Nordic 2002 * "Razz" (song), a Kings of Leon song * Razz, Arab Rock Jazz, a music genre promoted by Aziz Maraka & Razz * Blowing a raspberry * Golden Raspberry ...

by 1919. In the United States it has also been called a Bronx cheer since at least the early 1920s. The term "raspberry" derives from the Cockney rhyming slang "raspberry tart" for "fart" (that is, "blowing a fart").

References

Flatulence Onomatopoeia Gestures Articles containing video clips Sounds by type Metaphors referring to food and drink {{#related:Rhyming slang

Name

See also

References