Hear! Hear! or Here! Here! Which Is It?
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- On July 30, 2014
I get all pumped up when people write and say, That’s my pet peeve or Here’s another one that makes me nuts.
Sometimes I get emails that say simply, Here! Here! Those give me pause because I can never remember whether it’s Here! Here! as in, Yoo-hoo, I’m over here and I agree with you! or Hear! Hear!
For the umpteenth time, I went back to the reference books.
The correct term is Hear! Hear! It’s short for Hear him!, Hear him!, which members of the British Parliament started yelling in the 18th century to show their support for the man doing the talking.
Thank goodness we now live in a time when we can holler Hear her! Hear her! about parliamentarians and writers who dispense advice.
And that’s how I’m going to remember which is right. I’m going to make it all about me.
So go ahead and be self-centered. When you like what someone says, think, “Hear me! Hear me! I agree with you.”