Pat, I'd like a P, B, F, T, L, S... ? October 5, 2012 2:49 PMSubscribe
In a story I'm writing, one character (an old lady) blows a raspberry at another character at the very end of a scene. I'd like to indicate this sound as a direct quote. What's the proper way to spell this? posted by mochapickle to writing & language (28 answers total) 10 users marked this as a favorite
Start with a "P". Random mix of "L" "B" "TH" in the middle. End with a "T". You really can't go wrong. posted by supercres at 2:51 PM on October 5, 2012 [2 favorites]
Also, I'm pretty sure Calvin and Hobbes didn't go a month without using that onomatopoeia. posted by griphus at 2:53 PM on October 5, 2012 [3 favorites]
Depends if you're humming (voiced raspberry) or not.
Linguolabial trill, by the way. But I don't think you want to put [r̼̊] into your story. posted by supercres at 2:56 PM on October 5, 2012 [4 favorites]
Glinn, that's not a raspberry, that's a spit take! Laughter with a drink in your mouth. It's different ;) posted by thrasher at 3:13 PM on October 5, 2012
I've always liked Berkeley Breathed's renditions. posted by Orinda at 3:25 PM on October 5, 2012 [6 favorites]
It HAS to have the following letters: T, H, P, B, and end in T. I think the F is optional. posted by pazazygeek at 3:31 PM on October 5, 2012 [1 favorite]
Seconding griphus. Do what Calvin and Hobbes does. posted by scose at 5:10 PM on October 5, 2012
Pbbbbttttt posted by Autumn at 5:24 PM on October 5, 2012
Glinn, that's not a raspberry, that's a spit take! Laughter with a drink in your mouth. It's different ;)
You make a good point, I did not choose wisely. But when I think of the raspberry maneuver, I think Bill the Cat. posted by Glinn at 5:33 PM on October 5, 2012 [1 favorite]
I say pbbbbbbt, and am very curious where h and l come in. Different raspberry styles? posted by woodvine at 6:26 PM on October 5, 2012
No no no, it would be "Huphtooooo." Clearly. :-) The first half is where the air is blowing the rasberry to her lips, and the last is the shooting of it out of her mouth. More clean sounding, less spitty.
All the p's, b's and t's make me thing of the sound when you stick your tongue out and blow it - spit flying everywhere - sort of like a fart (sorry).
This is an old lady, so she's gotta have a more adult sound.
Unless, of course, she's supposed to be like spitting the raspberry and a whole bunch of spit at the target . . .
Didn't Calvin have a word like Ptoooie or something also? That could work. posted by bluesky78987 at 8:41 PM on October 5, 2012
Nothing against Calvin or Hobbes, but I stand by the traditional Bloom County "Thpbpbpbpbpbth." posted by ook at 8:49 PM on October 5, 2012
Which I now realize I misremembered all these years. The shame. posted by ook at 8:50 PM on October 5, 2012
Today I learned that "raspberry" is rhyming slang (raspberry tart < fart)! I'd always vaguely wondered why that word was used. Thank you, AskMe, you never fail to enrich my life. posted by hattifattener at 12:11 PM on October 6, 2012 [2 favorites]
A pair of British Safari hunters are arguing in a bar. One says, "of course it's spelled 'W-W-U-M-M.' There's just no other way to put it."
The other says, "I'm pretty sure it has traditionally been spelled "W-O-O-M."
A waitress walking by overhears the conversation and says, "No, it's spelled 'W-O-M-B'. Womb."
The two hunters look at each other.
"Preposterous!" the first one says. "That's not how you spell the sound of an elephant fart!" posted by Sleeper at 10:40 AM on October 7, 2012
I start out with 'Th' and then mash on the 'p' and 'b' keys for a while, and wrap up with 't'.
Thbbpbpbbpt! posted by illenion at 9:53 PM on October 7, 2012
Mochapickle, what did you choose? posted by thrasher at 4:18 PM on October 9, 2012
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posted by griphus at 2:50 PM on October 5, 2012 [11 favorites]