tsk

American  

[tisk] / tɪsk /

spelling pronunciation tsktsk

interjection

1. (used, often in quick repetition, as an exclamation of contempt, disdain, impatience, etc.)

2. for shame!

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noun

1. an exclamation of “tsk.”

verb (used without object)

1. to utter the exclamation “tsk.”

Usage

What does tsk mean? Tsk is an interjection used to express contempt or disdain, as in Tsk, tsk, that party was so exciting after all. Tsk can also mean for shame, as in Tsk, I can’t believe you ate the whole pie!As an interjection, tsk can be used as an isolated phrase separate from a sentence. It is often used repeatedly in quick succession, as in tsk tsk or tsk tsk tsk. Tsk can also refer to a usage of tsk, usually to reference people’s chides or negative remarks, as in Wanna’s tsks are often about how food looks on a plate. To tsk means to say tsk, often to describe someone who is criticizing something or someone by using tsk. Example: Lamonte’s teacher tsked him for coming to class late.

Etymology

Origin of tsk

First recorded in 1935–40; of expressive origin

Example Sentences

Tsk, tsk: Los Angeles is the “worst bike city in America.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 11, 2018

"Guess you couldn't make it work, huh? Tsk tsk."

From New York Times • Oct. 20, 2016

Tsk tsk, Geraldo Rivera said, “not helpful, to say the least.”

From Salon • Jul. 6, 2015

Moreover, I am loath to join the self-righteous Tsk Brigade, those self-appointed custodians of social propriety who demand blood every time someone in the public eye says or writes something others might find offensive.

From Washington Post • Apr. 13, 2015

“Such an introduction to New York,” said Tucker, “to land in a pile of dirt in the Times Square subway station. Tsk, tsk, tsk.”

From "The Cricket in Times Square" by George Selden