hoo-ha as euphemism

[Arnold M. Zwicky]

On Feb 14, 2007, at 7:54 AM, Amy West wrote:

> Related to the  the "fanny" topic, I've just twice now heard "hoo-ha"
> used as a euphemism for vagina.
>
> 1) Kristin Chenowyth on _Ellen_ telling Ellen de Generes to sing from
> her "hoo-ha." Ellen was evidently unfamiliar with this term by her
> reaction.
>
> 2) As reported on "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me", a Florida town
> renaming "The Vagina Monologues" "TheHoo-ha Monologues."
>
> I'm told Urban Dictionary says it's East Coast, but I'm skeptical.

UDict entries for "hoohaa", "hooha", "hoo-haa", and "hoo-ha".

UDict doesn't actually *say* things; it just relays what people send
in.  in this case, someone from chicago called it an east coast
expression.  it's likely that the poster heard it first from east
coast people and reasoned that it must be an east coast thing.  this
kind of regional assignment is notoriously inaccurate.

(from Ben Zimmer)

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/12/theater/12mono.html

What's in a Name? Controversy
By LAWRENCE VAN GELDER
Published: February 12, 2007

Under ordinary circumstances, the opening of "The Hoohaa Monologues"
on Thursday at the Atlantic Theaters in Atlantic Beach, Fla., near
Jacksonville, would not attract much attention. But "The Hoohaa
Monologues" by any other name is Eve Ensler's Obie Award-winning,
internationally performed play, "The Vagina Monologues."

Last week, after a complaint from a passing driver who became upset
because her niece had seen "vagina" on the theater marquee, Bryce
Pfanenstiel of the Atlantic said, "We decided we would just use child
slang for it," News4Jax.com reported. Down came "The Vagina
Monologues." Up went "The Hoohaa Monologues."

But two days later, on Thursday, in response to a demand from the
organizers of the production, the original title was restored. The
organizers are a group of Florida Coastal School of Law students who
insisted that the original title be displayed because they had rights
to the play only if they refused any censorship.

"Vagina is the essence of a woman," said an organizer, Elissa
Saavedra, "and if you're going to suppress the name, then you're
suppressing us as women." All proceeds are to go to charity.
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