The absolute pip?
 

I'm currently reading <I>Thank You, Jeeves</I> by P.G. Wodehouse, and recently came across the following quote:

"Odd, how a girl may be a perfect knockout, and yet one can still feel that to be married to her would give one the absolute pip."

I like this quote a lot, and gather "pip" has a negative connotation, yet I am not British and have never seen or heard the word used before.

What exactly does "pip" mean, and is there a similiar word or phrase used in American English that would be more familiar to those of us that aren't British?

feeling of irritation. Also a minor disease. Either of these could apply to what the British use the word for.

the similar American English phrase would be "married to her would really piss one off."

This is the Wodehouse (i.e., British and better-worded) version of "No matter how hot she is, someone somewhere is sick and tired of her shit."

EDIT: Not that I agree with that statement necessarily. I'm just pointing out the US equivalent.

Nothing could be more true.

I don't know how you could disagree with it. I mean, just like there is someone for everyone, there's also the opposite of that. Everyone drives someone homocidally insane. Or so goes my theory. :p