blah

1. interjection An expression of displeasure, dissatisfaction, disgust, etc. A: "I heard we're going to be reading Shakespeare this week in English Lit." B: "Blah. I hate those plays—they're so boring!" Broccoli? Blah, I want French fries! Blah, look at those storm clouds rolling in. We better get off the beach.

2. adjective Displeased, dissatisfied, or dejected. I'm just feeling kind of blah after reading that negative review of my play. See if you can cheer Nick up—he's been pretty blah since getting rejected from his first choice school. The kids are feeling pretty blah because they were hoping for a snow day today.

3. adjective Mildly physically or mentally unwell. I'm not surprised Janine's out sick—she told me yesterday that she was feeling pretty blah. I think she has a cold. The lack of sunshine in the wintertime always makes me feeI especially blah. I'm feeling pretty blah, so I'm going for a run—I need the endorphins!

4. adjective Unexciting or uninteresting. Why do you want to paint every room beige? Beige is so blah! I found their new album to pretty blah, with none of the catchy beats that made their first one so great. This dress is so blah, though. I want a sparkly one with sequins!

blah, blah, blah

interjection Used to summarize or dismiss unsurprising or boring statements. Why was that meeting three hours long? This quarter's numbers, an overview of our marketing targets, blah, blah, blah—that seriously could have been condensed into 20 minutes! Oh, my mom is fine, blah, blah, blah. Just the usual stuff going on at home, you know? This is you right now—"Blah, blah, blah, I'm so important, everyone has to listen to me!"

the blahs

A general state or feeling of dissatisfaction, depression, or unease. I've had the blahs ever since my performance review the other day. It just really left me unmotivated and unhappy. Whenever I start coming down with the blahs, I go for a long walk in the sunshine.

blah

(blɑ)

1. mod. bland; dull. After a blah day like this I need something really exciting like a hot bath.

2. mod. depressed; worn out. I’m really blah. Would you mind awfully if I just went home?

3. mod. alcohol intoxicated; very drunk. We are going to get totally blah tonight.

blah-blah

(ˈblɑˈblɑ)

phr. a phrase echoic of gibberish or incessant chattering. (It can be repeated many times.) Why all this blah-blah-blah?

the blahs

(blɑz)

n. a state of mental depression; the blues. You look like you’ve got the blahs.

yada yada yada

Also, yadda, yadda. And so on and so on. This term describes tedious or long-winded talk, and its origin is not definitely known. Possibly it imitates the sound of a person droning on and on. It was used by comedian Lenny Bruce in the 1960s but was only popularized from about 1990 on in Seinfeld, a television sitcom, and caught on very quickly. In one episode George and a girlfriend are speaking: “‘Are you close with your parents?’—‘Well, they gave birth to me and . . . yada yada yada.’” Jeffrey Deaver used it in The Vanished Man (2003): “. . . and she’s going on about this guy, yadda, yadda, yadda, and how interesting he is and she’s all excited ’cause she’s going to have coffee with him.” It is on its way to clichédom. An earlier usage with nearly the same meaning of empty talk is blah-blah-blah. It dates from the early 1900s. Harper’s magazine had it in July 1991: “You get the same blah blah blah if you visit colonial Williamsburg.”