It's a hoot!

[Victoria Neufeldt]

I realized as soon as I had sent my reply that I should have explained what
the DARE entry was: It's a dialect and/or slang term for 'Hutterite'.
Definitely regional, since Hutterite colonies are found in only a few
regions.  Also suggests some German or Scandinavian influence, because of
pronun (which I assume rhymes with 'shoot' or perhaps 'put' -- DARE doesn't
show a pronun); the usual English pronun of 'Hutterite' (with first syll
rhyming with 'but') would otherwise be unlikely to produce 'hoot' as a short
form.

The "I don't give a hoot" usage is covered under _hoot_ sb2 in the OED, with
meaning "the smallest amount or particle; a whit or atom. Chiefly with
negative and in phrases 'to give (care, matter) two hoots (a hoot).' "
Identified as "orig. U.S." with etym suggested as "perhaps the same" as
_hoot_ sb1 (the noun we were talking about earlier -- i.e. a loud,
inarticulate noise) or  the interjection 'hoot!', also entered in OED,
identified as Scottish and northern dialect and defined as "an interjection
expressing dissatisfaction ...[etc.]"  The earliest quote for this is 1878.
I haven't checked Mathews (Dict of Americanisms) or any other, more recent,
sources for results of further research on the etym of this term.  This term
strikes me too as a somewhat old-fashioned one.  I probably wouldn't say it
these days, but I know I used to use it, esp as a kid.

Victoria

Victoria Neufeldt
Merriam-Webster, Inc. P.O. Box 281
Springfield, MA 01102
Tel: 413-734-3134  ext 124
Fax: 413-827-7262

> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU]On Behalf
> Of Beverly Flanigan
> Sent: Friday, March 03, 2000 3:22 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: It's a hoot!
>
>
> Following up on my own initiative:  I also used to use "hoot" in another
> sense:  "I don't give a hoot" -- which meant "I couldn't care less," "I
> don't give a damn."    ("Hoot" would be stressed.)  Is this familiar to
> others?  It doesn't seem to be related to laughter, unless by a long
> stretch.  In fact, my mother used it the most in our family, and
> she was of
> Norwegian descent, which makes me wonder about the alleged Scandinavian
> cognate someone mentioned.  Said with her usual Norse-derived stress and
> intonation patterns, the word would sound like a possible cognate
> borrowing.  Vicki, I don't have DARE handy; what's the 'hoot2' meaning you
> referred to?
>