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I was listening to the radio this morning and heard a group of people, who'd voted for a local candidate who lost, respond to the results with a loud "Booooooo!"
That made me wonder two things:
1). Do people in many other countries say "Boo" when they are expressing disapproval?
and
2). Where on earth did "Boo" -- for this purpose or any other -- come from?
Thanks!
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Carpal Tunnel
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AHD says "Origin unknown". My wild guess would be that it started as oooo's. But why boo and not coo, goo, or soo I have no idea.
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Where on earth did "Boo" ... come from?
On Hallowe'en, it comes from goblins.
The "Boo" of goblin lore preceded the "Boo" of disapproving audiences.
Goblins used to say "Boo" to scare people away. After a while, people lost their fear of goblins so they started saying "Boo" to scare the goblins away.
"Boos" seldom scare anyone away anymore, especially politicians.
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Perhaps you're right, Jackie. Thanks for at least trying to guess. :-)
I've noticed that, in countries other than the U.S., people whistle when in crowds when they are displeased instead of booing. Here they usually whistle when they are pleased, but I think the whistles sound a bit different.
I'm really curious about "Boo!" in the context of displeasure. Boo is not in my book of etymology at any rate.
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Well, I'm certainly glad that mystery is cleared up now.  Thanks grapho. 
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Pooh-Bah
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In my university it became the fashion to hiss instead of booing. YOu could recognize fellow students at bad movies etc. Never caught on elsewhere in town.
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In my university it became the fashion to hiss instead of booing.
A "hiss" [imitative of the sound of a snake] is more of a warning than a "Boo", isn't it?
I guess it depends on what your "hissss" sounded like.
Is "hiss" the basis of "hissy fit", I wonder?
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YOu could recognize fellow students at bad movies etc.You could alway recognize fellow students in my college town by how drunk they were.  BTW, forgive my ignorance, but do crowds boo or whistle (or both) to express displeasure in Canada?
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I don't know about everywhere is in Canada, but in Québec, both French and English people show their displeasure at a show by booing.
Whistling is to show appreciation.
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Gosh, that reminds me of something my mother would say: "I confronted the politician and asked him if he had broken the law and he didn't say 'Boo.'" Which meant that he didn't respond at all.
I wonder if others know or use this expression. I can't remember saying it myself.
TEd
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