A small explosion of a word. You say it when you do not believe something, or when you are fed up and disappointed — close to “that’s rubbish” or “what a let-down”. It is informal, a little old-fashioned and cartoonish. Grandparents and children’s books use it more than teenagers, who might say “yeah right” or just roll their eyes. You can also hear it as a noun: a lot of phooey, meaning a lot of nonsense. It is not strongly rude, but it is not polite either — more a puff of air and a scowl than a careful argument.

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