hubba-hubba

[Gerald Cohen]

   First, many thanx to everyone who replied to my query on slang "talk to
the hand."

   Now, re "hubba-hubba", there is  an item in _American Speech_ from about
5-8 years ago;  I don't have the exact reference handy, but I remember the
gist of the first-hand account.

     At one of the WWII training bases in the U.S. there was a sergeant who
was known for shouting "A HUB A HUB A HUB" and who was thereby  nicknamed
Sergeant Hubba Hubba.  One day two soldiers were in the town near the base
(the author of the account and a friend).  They became temporarily
separated, when the author of the account spotted two beautiful, charming
women walking in his direction.  The author wanted to call his friend
immediately to take a look at the two women, but he did not want to do so
in an obvious and socially gauche manner.

    So he shouted out something that his friend would understand but would
mean nothing to the civilians:  HUBBA HUBBA.  Later they told  the story
of this incident about the beautiful women to their buddies back at the
base.  And HUBBA HUBBA became a local expression on the base in reference
to  seeing a beautiful woman.

   A few months later Bob Hope was scheduled to perform at the base, and
his advance men (as they always did) visited the base beforehand to pick up
anything of local interest that could be used by Bob Hope in his act.  They
picked up the story about HUBBA HUBBA and gave it to Hope, who did use the
expression in his act.  That was the seal of approval, and HUBBA HUBBA then
quickly spread beyond the confines of the army base.

-----Gerald Cohen





gcohen at umr.edu