Fwd: Re: huzzah

[Beverly Flanigan]

I'm not interested in the tiger term, but in "huzzah."  In a recent TV
documentary on the first settlement in the Northwest Territory at Marietta,
Ohio in 1786 or thereabouts, post-Revolutionary War soldiers were
re-enacted as shouting "huzzah!" when they toasted their success, or a
speech, or a celebratory meal.  Is there evidence that this was the earlier
term, before "hurrah"?

At 08:53 PM 10/21/2003 -0500, you wrote:
>>To: <19cBB at yahoogroups.com>
>>From: "Dean Thilgen" <vbbdeano at myinfmail.com>
>>Subject: Re: [19cBB] Three Times Three a Tiger ?
>>
>>Now you are venturing into vintage base ball territory. :)
>>
>>A tiger is not just an animal, but also part of a cheer, as defined
>>in this 1913 dictionary:
>>http://machaut.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/WEBSTER.sh?WORD=Tiger
>>"4. A kind of growl or screech, after cheering; as, three cheers and
>>a tiger. [Colloq. U.S.]"
>>
>>Civil War reenactors, and now vintage base ballists, have been
>>debating "three cheers and a tiger" for some time. Were the cheers
>>"hurrah" or "huzzah"? I have heard the argument that a synonym for
>>"cheer" is "huzzah" and the cheer shouted was "hurrah," but yet,
>>song lyrics of the day have both. Midwestern 1860 vintage base ball
>>typically just shouts three "huzzahs" without the tiger. Mr.
>>Hunkele's club in Michigan has been enlightening us with a true
>>"three cheers and a tiger" at the games of the Sterling Base Ball
>>Club.
>>
>>I am guessing that this usage, "three time three a tiger," was an
>>especially jubilant version.
>>
>>Deano Thilgen