grrrrrr.

n.  a baby’s cry of frustration, as described in Complete Idiot’s Guide to Bringing Up Baby by Kevin Osborn.


n.  a growl of frustration by a student of Zen meditation trying to stay centered in “frog consciousness,” as discussed in Meetings with the Archangel: A Comedy of the Spirit by Stephen Mitchell.


n.  a grunt of exertion, as when struggling while strapped to a table in Jackie Chan Adventures #2: Jade’s Secret Power by Cathy West.


n.  an expression of anger or rage.

<A sob broke free, and she made a grrrrrr sound of anger.  —Joan Johnston, The Loner.> <Grrrrrr.  This passion bothered his importunate thought three thousand miles away & made him wild with complicated rage.  John Berryman, The Dream Songs.>

n.  the growl of a bear, as described in Psychology of Hope: You Can Get There from Here by C.R. Snyder.


n.  the hungry growl of a monster, as a parent might instinctively intone while play-acting with a baby.

<Eating and being eaten inspires one of the most common games adults play with babies.  Animal noises—gobbling, if not barking like giants—are what adults make when they play-act with their young.  It is instinctive, as instinctive as kissing or crying, to growl and grit your teeth and curl your fingers as if they were clawed and bring your face near the baby’s and bare gritted teeth, going “Grrrrrr, you’re good enough to eat.”  —Marina Warner, No Go the Bogeyman: Scaring, Lulling, and Making Mock.>

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