proper response

[Buddha]

what is the proper response to the greeting "hoot, man"? I walked into lowes the other day and heard it about 5 times (this in center city richmond)

Buddha

[bubba]

Sorry, I don't speak owl.

[Riverkilt]

Must have been friendly people....got curious and found this thanks to Google...its off a board.

"I have a question for you. I have heard that there is an expression that a Scotsman will use when he sees or hears something exciting. One of the ladies I work with is married to a native Scotsman, so I asked her the question. The expression is the phrase "Hoot Man!". When I told her this, she darn near fell off her chair, she was laughing so hard. Once she was able to breathe and stopped crying, she told me that her husband only uses that phrase when they have sex. It was my turn to fall off my chair. I laughed so hard, I nearly popped my bag!"

Ron

[davedove]

The expression is the phrase "Hoot Man!". When I told her this, she darn near fell off her chair, she was laughing so hard. Once she was able to breathe and stopped crying, she told me that her husband only uses that phrase when they have sex.

I'm going to have to be careful if I ever use that phrase! Wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea.;)

[Jimmy Carbomb]

what is the proper response to the greeting "hoot, man"? I walked into lowes the other day and heard it about 5 times (this in center city richmond)

Buddha

Yup, it's the equivalent of Tommy Boy saying "Holy Schnikeys". :-D

[Granite]

"Hoot's man!" - an exclamation of dissatisfaction...no longer used except by 'The Broons'....

You would have said this after a long knackering (strenuous) day at work, or after spending a long time working on something (i.e building a wall or repairing a car = 'manly' work :-) ....only for it to go wrong after all your hard work.

It has now been replaced by any four letter word of your choosing....


Tip for visitors to Scotland:

Do not try saying "Hoot's man!", or "Och aye the noo, Jimmy"....this will only confirm that you are a tourist.

Regards.

[Colin]

alright, maybe someone can answer this one than.

What's the deal with "Huzzah!"?

[highlander_Daz]

if you walked into a pub in glasgow and said that you would be able to hear a pin drop!!!

no one says it its a streotypical thing that people think scots say !!

Och Aye on the other hand is farly common -its where the phrease OK comes from.

The Noo (meaning now) is fairly common too. but not combined with he above.

I remember at school my teacher asking for my homework,"when does it need to be in for Mrs.McConnell??" -"The noo young man -The noo!!!" oops

[macwilkin]

Interesting about OK & Och Aye -- other accounts list the origin being the political campaign of Martin Van Buren, the Democratic Vice-President of Andrew Jackson. Van Buren, originally from Kinderhook, New York, was called "Old Kinderhook", or "OK", which was used in his Presidential reelection campaign in 1840 -- Van Buren lost, but OK stuck around. That's a new one to add to my "Scots influences on America" talk -- thanks, Daz! :mrgreen:

"Huzzah!" -- Here is a nice & consice article:

http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/inde...?date=20001108

Yours Aye,

Todd

[Archangel]

think of "hoot, mon" as Gaelic for "oy vey", it's more a stereotype expression used the same way. My mother uses it as a late warning like, you've already burned your hand on a hot pot then she says it. The same context that I've heard others use the Jewish phrase.

ignore it, and privately take it as confirmation that somebody sees you as something vaguely Scottish.

Last year I had somebody walk past me and swear in Gaelic, I don't think it really was at me, it was sort of sharing it with me in a weird way. I didn't really know the appropriate response, I don't usually swear in English and that was the only swearing in Gaelic I really know and he'd used it first. (So I flashed him: I'm kidding, I'm kidding, I didn't.)