Just as a modern texter might use the Upside-Down Face emoji 🙃 to communicate sarcasm, this interjection was the Middle English form of expressing surprise or contempt. It comes from the combination of “quoth he,” or “he said.” It’s a useful word — one that may be worth bringing back. For example, perhaps your partner hits the snooze button multiple times. You might say, “I thought you were going to get up at 6 a.m., quotha.”