Is this new? Is Ms. Melendez nuts?
Posted by Karl on December 06, 2002
In Reply to: Wooooo! and "young people" posted by Word Camel on December 06, 2002
It seems to me that "Woooo!" and its variations have been exclamations of excitement for many many years. See, Tom Mix, "whooee!" and its companion "Wheehoo!"
Or one might cite to the 3 Stooges. Instead of putting stars beside 'winning' names in his little black book, Curly annotated "WW". In explanation, he offered "Woo-woo" with uplifted accent on the second "woo".
For all the Fifties rock and rollers there's "Sea Cruise" with its not quite plaintive chorus "Ooo-wee, ooo-wee baby"
Regarding the Simpsons, you might want to note that Homer says "Woo-hoo" a variant, but decidedly not "Woooo".
As to Arsenio Hall, mayhap that is what is hoped to be described by the article. But what was shouted on that show is the least related "Woo, woo, woo", each part a single word pronounced distinctly. The cliche says it best, that is so last century.
Of course this sound is naturally onomatapoeic in origin, a 'derivation' (I know, not really a derivation) of "Whew", sometimes an involuntary exhalation exclamation.