For the Encyclopedia of Annoying sounds

June 7, 2018 4:13 AM

What do you call that type of exhalation, kind of like a sigh, but with the breath sort of pushed out tight against the back of the throat? Often happens after someone has a drink? Just wondering if there is an official term for it.
posted by KateViolet to Grab Bag (11 answers total)

Ahhhh.
posted by sanka at 4:32 AM on June 7, 2018

Could you provide an audio example of what you mean? This could be an exhalation with a glottal stop, a voiced exhalation, or something more akin to "growl" (not sure of the formal term).
posted by solarion at 4:56 AM on June 7, 2018

He doesn't have a great name for it, either, but comedian Matt Braunger has a bit about what he calls "The Sound," a combination of a gulp, a sigh, and a swallow, which he says is nature's indicator that a drunk person is going to vomit soon.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:13 AM on June 7, 2018

I've been watching the live-action version of Wakakozake, a Japanese food show about a single girl who loves drinking and her 'catchphrase' is this type of exhalation after a particularly enjoyable first sip - the show translates it as "Pshuuu". The number of "u"s might vary depending on how good the drink is.

Here's the opening video which shows the sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRzBZbffh3w

posted by Gortuk at 6:44 AM on June 7, 2018

Probably not exactly it, but yoga breathing has the ujjayi breath, which is done by constricting the throat so that the air makes a hissing noise.
posted by lazuli at 6:55 AM on June 7, 2018

Larry David's show Curb Your Enthusiasm had an episode about that noise ( "Palestinian Chicken"; Season 8, Episode 3). I don't recall if they named it.
posted by akk2014 at 7:19 AM on June 7, 2018

Yes it is the sound in akk2014's link although the particular variant I'm interested in is made with a closed mouth, kind of like an "Aaah" sigh but formed in the same way you'd make a grunt. I was trying to describe it to myself and couldn't even work out how to (as you can tell), let along give it an official name . Then I thought - there must be a name for this! Like "glottal sigh" or "aspirant grunt".
posted by KateViolet at 9:00 AM on June 7, 2018

sigh of satisfaction.
posted by theora55 at 9:12 AM on June 7, 2018

Is it one of the first few of these? Phonetic Description of Annoying Sounds Teenagers Make (slyt)
posted by Elly Vortex at 10:44 AM on June 7, 2018

Is there an encyclopaedia of annoying sounds? Because I would read the hell out of that.
posted by Bella Donna at 2:04 PM on June 7, 2018

Hang the DJ - Lenny's Ahhh Moments. So yeah, ahhh.
posted by unliteral at 9:27 PM on June 7, 2018