P.U.

See PU for other uses of the word or initials PU or Pu.

P.U. is a stylized abbreviation that stands for the sound of disgust ("pew!" or "pee-you!") that one might say upon smelling something rotten. Also, when pronounced with a long "oo" (as in Winnie-the-Pooh, Harpoon, etc.) it sounds like "poo", a slang term for feces, which has a disgusting smell. It could have also come from the word putrid, or it could have come from the words Putrid and Unpleasant. Additionally, it may refer to public urination and the foul scent thereof.

It has often been used throughout popular culture. In Warner Brothers cartoons, for example, the name of the skunk character, Pepe Le Pew is derived directly from this expression; and Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck or Porky Pig might say "P.U." in an appropriate situation. In an episode of the television series M*A*S*H entitled "Patent 4077", actor Keye Luke reacts to the information that Margaret Houllihan's wedding ring is inscribed: "Over Hill Over Dale, Our Love Will Never Fail", by responding "P.U.!"

It was taken to a logical absurdity in the cartoon The Dover Boys, in which their college was described by the narrator as "Pimento University... Pimento U... good ol' P.U.". The Disney basketball-themed cartoon short Double Dribble also uses the idea of a university with these initials.