On 17/8/10, Bob W, discombobulated, unleashed: >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.
Thanks Bob - made my day. -- Cheers, Cotty ___/\__ || (O) | People, Places, Pastiche ---------- http://www.cottysnaps.com _____________________________ -- 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.
