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The hidden meanings of words, revealed by the "Mantong" key rediscovered in 1943 by Richard Shaver.
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A little joke at the end of Cupid's Cyclopedia by Oliver Herford, 1910: the appendix has been taken out.
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A cat chained to a dog as an example of a "double negative." From Junior English in Action.
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Merriam-Webster claims that the first known use of "woo-hoo" as an expression of exuberant delight or approval was in 1981. But Patrick Dennis used "woo hoo" nearly two decades earlier (see clipping), in his novel Genius (1962). And we find a delighted welcoming whoop of "Woohoo!" in 1906's The Silver Maple by Marian Keith. The March 1903 issue of Current Literature mentions "an excited and exciting woohoo." Even earlier, in 1887, there's a skipper's exuberant "Woohoo!" upon finding the sea as soft as a pillow (in the nautical ballad "Difficult Navigation" in Puck, August 6).
Daily Writing Tips claims that woo-hoo originated in computer gaming and " is very recent and has no etymological basis," yet the Dictionary of the Chinese Language by Robert Morrison (1815) notes that "woo hoo" is an exclamation of admiration. ("Admiration" being synonymous with the "approval" noted by Merriam-Webster.)
We obviously offer zero woo-hoos for the disinformation out there about the origin and usage of "woo-hoo." The lesson, of course, is that when something sounds unbelievable, like "woo-hoo" being only as old as 1981, it shouldn't be believed unless further investgation confirms it. It took us less than five minutes to verify that "woo-hoo" is at the very least a century older than our authorities would admit.
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"She returned his stare." From Indiana University's 1913 yearbook.
Jonathan Caws-Elwitt notes: "The Amelia Bedelia-precursing pun raises more questions than it answers, I would say, to wit, (1) How and why did she borrow his staircase in the first place? (2) Did she somehow borrow it without his knowing? If not, why is he so blindsided by her returning it? (3) Assuming his astonished and annoyed reaction is caused, not by her returning it, but by her returning it in miniature form...well, um, how exactly did it get miniaturized? (4) Assuming the staircase was always a miniature staircase...well, then, what's the problem? She returned it in the same condition, didn't she? (5) Now, about her hat... Other possibilities that occur to me: (a) She's returning it as one would return an engagement ring. No wonder he's upset! (b) She's returning it on behalf of someone else. 'How in the world did my miniature staircase fall into your hands!' he's thinking."
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Page 24 of 71
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Original Content Copyright © 2025 by Craig Conley. All rights reserved.
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