Saturday, January 7, 2012
Idiom/saying?
Hear hear is an expression that originated as hear ye, or hear him, usually repeated. This imperitive was used to call attention to a speaker's words, and naturally developed the sense of a broad expression of favour. This is how it is still used today, although one can always vary one's tone to express different sentiments; the Oxford English Dictionary noted around the turn of the century that the phrase is now the regular form of cheering in the House of Commons, and expresses, according to intonation, admiration, acquiescence, indignation, derision, etc. It is often incorrectly spelled "here here".
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