> On 8/15/2010 7:50 PM, Brendan MacRae wrote: > > Woot! > > Congratulations! You did exceptionally well and really deserve all the praise > and prices... > > P.S. What does "woot" mean? > > Boris
it's a nautical term originating from the days of sail. After Eric the Red had discovered America he continued down the coastline to what is now Panama. His crew portaged their longboat over the isthmus and into the Pacific Ocean where they sailed until they discovered Hawaii, with all its attractions. 'Woot!' is an onomatopoeic rendering of the noise made by a volcano that was exploding just as the Norse sailors with their horned helmets caught their first glimpse of the local womanhood waiting on the beaches. The sound became a cry of jubilation for sailors arriving unexpectedly on shore that has survived into English today - it was a war cry of the Vikings as they neared the shores of Northumbria where, just like the Hawaiians before them, San and Tray awaited... It has entered mainstream English mainly in the USA as a result of the joy experienced by the Pilgrim Fathers when they first saw Pocohontas waiting on the beach. Bob -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
