I've often been told that I'm too picky when it comes to spelling and grammar.

Monday 26 September 2011

I was so angry, I whooped?

Whoop: "a loud cry or shout, as of excitement or joy" (from dictionary.com)

"I'm gonna whoop your butt!" - angry parent to child who just did something bad.

What's wrong with this picture? How do you shout someone's butt? This misspelling has become so prevalent, it's listed on urbandictionary.com with the incorrect definition. Clearly this originally came from "whip" which some people pronounce "whup" which sounds like "whoop." But why not just write "whup"? Do they think that looks stupid? Let me let you in on something: using "whoop" to mean whip/beat looks a lot stupider. At least, if you write "whup" it's obvious that you're using slang spelling on purpose.

2 comments:

  1. LOL! I hate it when people shout at my butt. (: Love your posts. My spelling is so atrocious, that I keep a tab open to dictionary.com when I type. I'll be back for sure.

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  2. Hm... the times I've seen "whoop" as in ...your butt, it's been spelled "whup." I love visiting here. :) It gives me something new to think about.

    Bless you.

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