tut-tut
tut-tut — exclamation
1. said or written to show mild disapproval, especially when you think someone's be
said or written to show mild disapproval, especially when you think someone's behavior is silly, rude, or not acceptable.
Tut-tut, you promised your mother you would be home by ten.
Tut-tut, + direct rebuke
Aunt Rosa looked at the muddy shoes and said, "Tut-tut, not on my clean floor."
quoted exclamation before a warning
"Tut-tut," Mr. Chen murmured when Leo jumped the lunch line again.
The newspaper cartoon added "tut-tut" under the mayor's weak excuse.
Tut-tut, Nadia, that was a rude thing to say to Grandpa.
- tsk
a short sound of disapproval, often sharper and less playful
- tsk-tsk
very close in meaning, but often sounds more playful in modern English
- shame on you
much more direct and blaming than mild tut-tut
文法句型
Tut-tut, + rebuke or warning
say "Tut-tut" + when someone behaves badly
用法筆記
Often sounds mild, old-fashioned, or half-humorous rather than fiercely angry. Distinguish from the verb sense: this sense is the actual spoken reaction itself, not the act of making it.
常見錯誤
tut-tut — verb
- tut-tutpresent simple I / you / we / they
- tut-tuts3rd person singular
- tut-tuting-ing form
- tut-tutedpast simple
1. to make the small sound "tut-tut" or speak in that disapproving way to show you
to make the small sound "tut-tut" or speak in that disapproving way to show you do not approve.
Grandma tut-tutted at the boys for wiping jam on the sofa.
tut-tut at + person for behavior
The host tut-tutted when Christopher arrived in muddy boots.
intransitive use after a social mistake
Coach Ramirez tut-tutted over Hoa's lazy pass in practice.
Several parents tut-tutted as the teenagers kicked cans down the aisle.
Reema's aunt tut-tutted about the cracked screen on her new phone.
文法句型
tut-tut at + person or behavior
tut-tut about/over + something disapproved of
用法筆記
Usually refers to mild, spoken disapproval and often appears in narrative writing. It commonly takes at, about, or over when you name the person or thing that caused the disapproval.