woo woo

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See also: woo-woo

English

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈwuːˌwuː/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Etymology 1

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Uncertain. It has been suggested that "woo woo" is intended to imitate the eerie background music of sci-fi/horror films and television shows. A connection has also been suggested to stereotypical sounds of ghosts (see boo and compare goetia).

Alternative forms

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Noun

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woo woo (countable and uncountable, plural woo woos)

  1. (countable, slang, derogatory) A person readily accepting supernatural, paranormal, occult, or pseudoscientific phenomena, or emotion-based beliefs and explanations.
    That reporter is a bit of a woo woo.
  2. (uncountable, slang, derogatory) Supernatural, paranormal, occult, or pseudoscientific phenomena, or emotion-based beliefs and explanations.
    He is really into all that woo woo.
    • 2017 May 16, Kevin R, “When your food is a sin against God”, in alt.atheism[1] (Usenet), message-ID <500f03b2-b72d-44cc-aff3-c45aec3d3da8@googlegroups.com>:
      [] there would still be realists who did not buy the woo-woo.

Adjective

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woo woo (comparative more woo woo, superlative most woo woo)

  1. (slang, derogatory) Supernatural, pseudoscientific.
    He made a living out of woo woo beliefs.
    • 2020 April 3, Brigid Delaney, “Elle Macpherson Is Our May Cover Star”, in Harper's Bazaar[2], archived from the original on 13 April 2020:
      One person's wonderful supplement is another person's quackery. There are continual skirmishes—if not outright war—between some of the more woo-woo elements of the wellness industry and science and fact-based solutions.
  2. (slang, derogatory) Readily accepting supernatural, paranormal, occult, or pseudoscientific phenomena, or emotion-based beliefs and explanations.
    • 2005 April 18, “What the (Bleep) Were They Thinking?”, in Skeptico[3], retrieved 2020-09-12:
      Pert is a talented scientist who went woo woo many years ago for reasons I don’t have time to go into here.
    • 2016, Melissa Broder, So Sad Today:
      Open-minded and vaguely woo-woo herself, she, too, left Jeffrey's chamber of Yoni floating.
    • 2020 April 8, Marisa Meltzer, “Gwyneth Paltrow Has the Last Laugh”, in Town & Country[4]:
      Paltrow’s family wasn’t especially woo-woo.

References

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Etymology 2

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Unknown.

Noun

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woo woo (plural woo woos)

  1. An alcoholic cocktail consisting of peach schnapps, vodka and cranberry juice.

Etymology 3

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Imitative of a siren.

Noun

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woo woo (plural woo woos)

  1. (childish) The sound of a siren.