411 REFERENCE · Wiktionary
Pustekuchen
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
German
Etymology
de gmw-ecg he
Early 20th century, originally Berlin slang. de pusten to blow Kuchen cake, pie. The word de Kuchen on its own is already attested with the same sense in thieves' cant (de Rotwelsch) since 1818, and likely goes back to de yi חכם khokhem wise or cunning man, used here with a sense along the lines of “you wise guy!” or “you trickster!”. The first component may be yi פּשוט poshet simply, but this appears less conclusive. It may also be merely the verb de pusten in the sense “to exhale/snort dismissively”; compare the expression de jemandem etwas pusten/husten to refuse outright.
Pronunciation
de /ˈpuːstəˌkuːxən/
de De-Pustekuchen.ogg <<Germany>> (<<Berlin>>)
Interjection
de interjection!
de colloquial no way!, not gonna happen!, forget about it!
de Du könntest mich doch abholen… — Ja, Pustekuchen! Nimm dir mal schön ’n Taxi! I thought you might come fetch me… — No chance! Just go and take a taxi!
References
Further reading