Harumph
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
A noise generally made by English-speaking peoples when they are confronted with a frustrating situation and wish to voice their displeasure in a particularly inarticulate way.
Examples of when such a noise might be made are:
*When one is faced with a situation the shocks the sensibilities but for which there does not appear to be an appropriate way to confront the problem. Such as, for example, if someone were to sit at a table across from you and calmly start eating your food.
*When a newly-registered field researcher is suddenly and unexectedly faced with a need to write an actual entry but can think of absolutely nothing to write about.
It is quite possible that non-English speaking peoples also use the term Harumph, but for an entirely different reason. This researcher has absolutely no idea and, frankly, does not really care.
