woo hoo!

A coworker of mine asked me to please write an essay on woo-hoo, due to him at 1:00 yesterday afternoon. I started to do so, but while I was researching I came across an essay that I (even I!) couldn't top. Here it is (with a few small improvements), from http://everything2.com/index.pl?like_id=1349824&node_id=1349823&op=ilikeit:

A not quite ubiquitous but very commonly used phrase - most often in the Generation X age group (and younger) - alternate spelling "Whoo Hoo!".The literal translation approximates "I am quite pleased with my circumstances". The origin of this phrase has often been said to be Homer Simpson - but this is not entirely correct. Homer actually took a seldom used phrase and propelled it into widespread popularity among The Simpsons's viewing audience. It is usually pronounced almost as a single syllable. The tonality is almost always falsetto, and remains monotone until the last part of the phrase where the tone drops down quickly.

Beyond the apparent simplicity of the phrase, there are more subtle meanings and variations that distinguish it from other common near-synonyms such as "Yes!", "Alright!", and "Yeah Baby!". Woo Hoo is almost always used to express personal gain in some way rather than simple enjoyment of an observed event or circumstance such as a good football game, etc. Some examples may help to clarify the more subtle uses.

Appropriate uses

• You finally work up the courage to ask out a gorgeous girl in your Chemistry class. You call her with your roommates waiting to see what happens - she accepts!
• You make a daring frontal attack in Unreal Tournament II at a LAN party - you skillfully beat the odds and deploy crushing defeat on the opposing force, bringing your team to victory!
• After the 300-yard walk over a broken boulder field in Hawaii you brave the icy waters of The Blue Pool hidden at the southwest tip of Maui. You plunge into the frigid darkness and swim sleekly under the pool's surface, coming up under the waterfall at the other side of the pool!
  

As you can see, the most common usage is a spontaneous public expression of delight in your good fortune, in a successful outcome, in a difficult accomplishment, or in anticipation of an impending reward. The phrase is meant to share your personal joy with those around you, or to announce your pleasure in front of opponents in a non-gloating way (Additional actions may change this to actual gloating.) It is useful to examine circumstances as well where a loud "Woo Hoo!" may not be appropriate.

Inappropriate uses

• You are trying to catch the same taxi as another guy - while running, he trips and breaks an ankle.
• You are playing an intense game of Risk and one of your opponents wipes out the other.
• Your roommate asks out a cute coed and she says yes.
• You are watching an action movie in a crowded theater - the bad guy in the film gets shot by the good guy.

None of these circumstances really has anything to do with something you have done, merely the observed misfortune or fortune of others. A real "Woo Hoo!" should be have personal meaning and intent to share happiness with those about you.

There is another side of "Woo Hoo!" which is darker and more subtle but quite useful as well - the sarcastic "Woo Hoo!" Said with a sardonic tone (and a period rather than an exclamation point), this simple phrase can communicate volumes to those you address. Essentially, you are saying that you are underwhelmed either with their response to you or with your current circumstances. Perhaps the most appropriate example of this use would be the following story:

Two friends, Nate and Tom were walking the streets of Washington DC late one night after an evening at an expensive restaurant. Nate had paid about two-hundred dollars for the meal by credit card with the Tom promising to pay him back in cash later. They decided to take a shortcut through a back street to their destination, and were accosted by a rough-looking but reasonably calm man who held them at gunpoint and quietly demanded their cash. As they pulled the money from their wallets, Tom paused, handed his cash to Nate, and said "Here, Nate. There's the hundred bucks I owe you."

ahem - woo hoo.