Whew vs Zing - What's the difference?
whew | zing |
An expressive sound made indicating the release of one's inner tension; the release of breath; an expression of relief.
An expression of amazement or surprise.
* 1981 , , revised edition, chapter 1,
(UK, Scotland, dialect) To whistle with a shrill pipe, like a plover.
English onomatopoeias
A short high-pitched humming sound, eg that made by a bullet or vibrating string.
* {{quote-book
, date = 1998-03-15
, author = Edward E. Leslie
, title = Desperate Journeys, Abandoned Souls
, publisher = Mariner Books
, isbn = 9780395911501
, ol = 7468582M
, page = 387
, pageurl = http://books.google.com/books?id=X0_S5AtHuY0C&pg=PA387&dq=zing
, passage = I heard a zing close to my head and looked up again. Five or six men were lined up on the deck above me with rifles shooting at the shark.
}}
Zest or vitality.
* {{quote-news
, date = 2006-05-25
, author = Melinda Houston
, newspaper =
, title = European Bier Cafe - Bar Reviews
, url = http://www.theage.com.au/news/bar-reviews/european-bier-cafe/2006/05/25/1148519757307.html
, passage = To accompany a meal, the fresh Italian lager Poretti is perfect; Erdinger Weisbier, a wheat beer from Germany, is full of zing ;
}}
To move very quickly, especially while making a high-pitched hum.
* {{quote-book
, year = 2000
, author = Nick Nelson
, title = The Golden Vortex
, publisher = Conscious Publishing
, isbn = 9781929096015
, ol = 8949607W
, page = 89
, pageurl = http://books.google.com/books?id=xAOfLVoyCLIC&pg=PA89&dq=zinging
, passage = We are all a second or two older than an astronaut who has been zinging around the Earth at 18000 miles per hour, because of his or her greater speed and the lack of gravity.
}}
(onomatopoeia) A high pitched humming sound.
* {{quote-song
, year = 1934
, composer =
, title =
, passage = Something inside of me started a symphony / Zing ! Went the strings of my heart
}}
(US, slang) Used to acknowledge a witty comeback, a zinger .
* {{quote-book
, year = 2002
, author = Chellie Campbell
, title = The Wealthy Spirit
, publisher = Sourcebooks
, isbn = 9781570717772
, ol = 8698152M
, page = 162
, pageurl = http://google.com/books?id=mU-DgUcd-5AC&pg=PA162&dq=zing
, passage = Zing! The joke had rebounded back on the one who started it. "Ouch!" Mama Jane winced ruefully. We all dissolved in laughter at the good-natured repartee.
}}
----
As interjections the difference between whew and zing
is that whew is an expressive sound made indicating the release of one's inner tension; the release of breath; an expression of relief while zing is (onomatopoeia) a high pitched humming sound.As verbs the difference between whew and zing
is that whew is (uk|scotland|dialect) to whistle with a shrill pipe, like a plover while zing is to move very quickly, especially while making a high-pitched hum.As a noun zing is
a short high-pitched humming sound, eg that made by a bullet or vibrating string.whew
English
Interjection
(en interjection)- (from strenuous labour) Whew! That box weighs a ton!
- (from intense concern) Whew! Thank goodness you?re safe! I thought something terrible had happened to you!
- (from fear of being seen) Whew! That cop didn?t see me! That was a close call!
- "...Now I must be off. Whew , it's as cold as the North Pole. Which way is the wind blowing?"
