The Origin and Meaning of "Woo"

Orphia
Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
"Woo" is short for "woo-woo", which means pseudoscience, BS, urban myth, derp, etc.

http://skepdic.com/woowoo.html

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/woo-woo

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woo-woo


I first heard of it back in the early 2000s in reference to all the New Age, paranormal beliefs a lot of people were into.

It was known to have originated out of the mocking noise we make when people talk about ghosts: "Woooooo". :smiley:



The Oxford Dictionary says:

"Definition of woo-woo in English:

woo-woo
(also woo)

ADJECTIVE
derogatory, informal

Relating to or holding unconventional beliefs regarded as having little or no scientific basis, especially those relating to spirituality, mysticism, or alternative medicine.

‘quartz crystals that were so popular with the woo-woo crowd’
‘phrases like that will prove a little woo-woo for some readers’

NOUN
mass noun
derogatory, informal

Unconventional beliefs regarded as having little or no scientific basis, especially those relating to spirituality, mysticism, or alternative medicine.

‘some kind of metaphysical woo-woo’

Origin
1980s: probably in imitation of a wailing sound traditionally attributed to ghosts and humorously associated with mysticism and the supernatural."
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Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    I like the new buttons, but I can still see a lot of people crying to mods because they got 'woo's

    Woo isn't new, it's been around for about 6 months.

    I've had woos that I think have been supportive ... and woos that I think have been another way of saying, "I disagree". But I just took them all as supportive. :lol:

    Yes, I know that. I mean the new single meaning of woo.
  • Susieq_1994
    Susieq_1994 Posts: 5,361 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Machka9 wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    I like the new buttons, but I can still see a lot of people crying to mods because they got 'woo's

    Woo isn't new, it's been around for about 6 months.

    I've had woos that I think have been supportive ... and woos that I think have been another way of saying, "I disagree". But I just took them all as supportive. :lol:

    Yes, I know that. I mean the new single meaning of woo.

    New?

    If you're on the website, "Woo" used to have a happy/laughing face, meaning that people on the website would be confused by the intended meaning. Now it's a single meaning button, meaning "woo woo" as mentioned above, and the face is more like a :o emoji. And Awesome is now "Hug". :D
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10623816/reaction-changes#latest
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    @HappyCampr1 I'm just noticing you are a MFP Greeter :smiley: I didn't even know there was such a thing :smile: what did you have to do to get 'awarded' that? 1000's of awesomes/ now hugs? :smiley:
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    HappyCampr1 wrote: »
    RunRutheeRun wrote: »
    @HappyCampr1 I'm just noticing you are a MFP Greeter :smiley: I didn't even know there was such a thing :smile: what did you have to do to get 'awarded' that? 1000's of awesomes/ now hugs? :smiley:

    Haha....I was on the spam zapping team and they gave me this greeter name. That’s all. I disappeared from the forums for more than six months, came back and it’s still there, so I guess I didn’t get fired for abandoning my post. It just means that my single flagging of posts immediately removes it from the forums and sends it to the cue for the moderators to take a look at.

    you ARE a special snowflake :smiley: awesome! :smile:
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Note to self, start zapping as many spam posts as possible :smiley: I wanna be an MFP Greeter :smile: and I have never even taken more than a few days hiatus from here since 2012...that has to count for something :smile:
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,592 Member
    HappyCampr1 wrote: »
    It never would have occurred to me that Woo was anything other than a negative. If they had wanted to put woohoo, they would have made that the button. I’m just sitting here in shock, still, that there are people who might think their posts are being cheered when they receive a “woo” response. <smh>

    I have seen it used as encouragement. In fact, I've seen it used about 50/50 encouragement vs. discouragement.

    A few times I wondered why on earth I got a "Woo" when I said something like, "I went for a long walk today" ... and then it dawned on me that it was the encouraging "Woo", and I've seen it used for things like that on many other occasions.
  • HellYeahItsKriss
    HellYeahItsKriss Posts: 906 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    just as FYI, if a post get 5 'woo' votes it gets hidden from the thread... oooooooooooooooooh....

    Oooh look at you with all your ninja info skills..
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    edited December 2017
    HellYeahItsKriss wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    just as FYI, if a post get 5 'woo' votes it gets hidden from the thread... oooooooooooooooooh....

    Oooh look at you with all your ninja info skills..

    :bigsmile:
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    just as FYI, if a post get 5 'woo' votes it gets hidden from the thread... oooooooooooooooooh....

    I am enlightened, thanks as thats another new fact for me :smiley:
  • Rickster1967
    Rickster1967 Posts: 485 Member
    All the woo has gone, I have zero woo notifications now
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    HappyCampr1 wrote: »
    @RunRutheeRun you’d think it would be a good thing, but I hate having that title show. It makes me stand out and it makes me feel like I should always watch my tongue. I don’t want to be a snowflake. Waaa... :)

    here have a hug, and that's rich from me whos not really a hugger :smiley:
    I'm sure noone will hardly notice it....I'm maybe just one of those sorts that do...sorry! :blush:
  • pogiguy05
    pogiguy05 Posts: 1,583 Member
    HappyCampr1 wrote: »
    @RunRutheeRun you’d think it would be a good thing, but I hate having that title show. It makes me stand out and it makes me feel like I should always watch my tongue. I don’t want to be a snowflake. Waaa... :)

    Now you went and made another button called WAAAA :D:D
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    pogiguy05 wrote: »
    HappyCampr1 wrote: »
    @RunRutheeRun you’d think it would be a good thing, but I hate having that title show. It makes me stand out and it makes me feel like I should always watch my tongue. I don’t want to be a snowflake. Waaa... :)

    Now you went and made another button called WAAAA :D:D

    hey that's not a bad idea ...I like the idea of WAAAAA

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