fff.

adj.  fortississimo (a musician’s directive to perform a passage very, very loudly).

<[T]here is a point [in Mahler’s First Symphony] where the orchestra slows down very dramatically and is requested to take a “Luftpause,” a pause for breath.  What comes after the “Luftpause” determines the rest of the symphony—the orchestra comes in fff—very very loudly and triumphantly.  This is a very psychologically dramatic and tense moment in the Symphony, possibly the climax, and is therefore of utmost importance.  —Derek Lim, “Mahler: Symphony No. 1,” Inkpot #55.>

interj.  a dismissive huff.

<“What about women?”  “Fff!  Eat, drink, and go to bed, I say.  All the rest’s just  trouble!”  —Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek.>

interj.  a gasp of pain.

<Hans Castrop pulled air in between his teeth.  The needle struck home.  “Fff!” he sucked in.  “That’s a critical nerve you happened to hit there, Director Behrens.  Oh, yes, yes, hurts like hell.  —Thomas Mann, The Magic Mountain.>

interj.  a huffing exhalation, as in Ulysses by James Joyce.


n.  the sound of a sky rocket fizzing up, as described in “More Than Words” by the New Zealand Ministry of Education.


n.  the sound of the letter f, as described in “Emergent Literacy Lesson Design” by Katie Kirkpatrick; see also ffff, fffffff.

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