oo oo aa aa

English

WOTD – 1 April 2024

Etymology

Imitative of a monkey’s cry.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈʔuːʔuː ˈʔɑːʔɑː/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈʔuʔu ˈʔɑʔɑ/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

Interjection

oo oo aa aa

1. (onomatopoeia) Used to represent the sound of a monkey's cry.

   Synonyms: ooh-ah-ah, ooh ah ah, ook

   Holonyms: monkeyese, monkeyspeak

   • 2007, Kirsten Lobe, chapter 7, in French Trysts: Secrets of a Courtesan, New York, N.Y.: St. Martin’s Griffin, St. Martin’s Press, →ISBN, page 91:

     [He] asked to meet me in front of the monkey cage at the zoo in Jardin des Plantes. I'm standing there waiting, leaning against the fence eating licorice, when I hear behind me, "Oo, oo! Aa, aa!" And wouldn't you know, he's leaping up and down wearing a gorilla mask—and probably a two-thousand-euro Lanvin suit—doing monkey impressions, and he finishes by throwing himself into the bushes. I died laughing! What lunatic would be so elegant and so bananas?

   • 2011, Eddie Kwadjo Danso, “Living the Life”, in Cockney Zulu, [Bloomington, Ind.]: Xlibris, →ISBN, page 78:

     The minute I start eating, two lads I can only describe as retards on Prozac started making monkey calls and picking on me. ‘Oo oo aa aa, hey monkey man, want a banana?’ Said one of them.

   • 2012, Deshka Peneff, “Eric the Parrot”, in Monkey Tales, Bloomington, Ind.: iUniverse, published 15 April 2013, →ISBN, page 17:

     "He said he's got a pet monkey!" shouted Bobby. […] "Of course it doesn't talk!" interrupted Suzie Limpten, the class know-it-all. "They make noises, you know, like ooh-ooh, aah-aah!"

   • 2016, Oliver [Clyde] Chin, edited by Don Menn, The Year of the Monkey: Tales from the Chinese Zodiac = 十二生肖故事系列：猴年的故事 (Tales from the Chinese Zodiac; 11)‎^[1], San Francisco, Calif.: Immedium, →ISBN:

     Max and Kai had fun and returned to play regularly. Finishing a rally, Max [a monkey] hollered, "Oo-oo, Aa-aa!"

   • 2022, Tom Fletcher, “Track 5: Armstrong”, in Space Band, London: Puffin Books, →ISBN:

     Planet of the Apes by George Racket / Ooh-ooh, aah-aah! Ooh-ooh, aah-aah! / Ooh-ooh, aah-aah! Ooh-ooh, aah-aah! / Ch-ch-ch-chimp, chimp, chimp in outer space / Said goodbye to the human race / The first on Earth to ever escape, / To find his very own personal p-p-p-planet of the apes.

   • 2024, Robin W. Pearson, chapter 1, in Kathryn S. Olson, editor, Dysfunction Junction […], Carol Stream, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers, →ISBN, page 5:

     "See? There's only the two of us, and your Frankie wouldn't ever let anything happen to you. Okay? Now, eat your banana, little monkey." She nodded at Annabelle's hand. "Go ahead, Anna Banana." Annabelle looked down. […] "Oo-oo-aa-aa," she whispered.

Alternative forms

• ooh ooh aah aah

Translations

used to represent the sound of a monkey’s cry

• Macedonian: please add this translation if you can
• Portuguese: u u á á
• Welsh: w w a a

See also

• goo goo ga ga
• monkey talk