English

Alternative forms

Interjection

whoop-de-doo

1. Exclamation indicating excitement or enthusiasm.
   • 2001: David J. Shayler, Gemini

     'Whoop-de-doo!', yelled a surprised Conrad as the large engine ignited in front of them. That's the biggest thrill of my life.'‎

   • 2001, Pamela Walker, Pray Hard, ISBN 0439215870, page 29:

     It felt like Daddy might come waltzing into the room any minute, look around at all the food and people, and say, "Whoop-de-doo! What a party!"

Adjective

whoop-de-doo ‎(comparative more whoop-de-doo, superlative most whoop-de-doo)

1. Causing or marked by excitement, enthusiasm, or showiness.
   • 1996: Florence King, The Florence King Reader

     Piscops are appalled by whoop-dee-doo gospel selections like "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" and "Brighten the Corner Where You Are."‎

   • 2000: Robert Christgau, Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s

     ...they presuppose not only disposable income but a commitment to affluence that insures the ultimate banality of the CD'S concrète-naif sound effects and whoop-de-doo chord changes.‎

Noun

whoop-de-doo ‎(plural whoop-de-doos)

1. A commotion or frenzy of activity or excitement.
   • 1972: Alec Wilder, American Popular Song: The Great Innovators, 1900-1950

     And, without any dramatic whoop-de-doo at the close of this song, he merely restates his simple, sentimental first phrase.‎

   • 2001: Dick Harte, Off Season

     We had to see what the whoop-dee-doo was all about, these crowds of Catholics trekking here for hundreds of years.‎

   • 2011, James Ellroy, Blood's A Rover, ISBN 1448108640, page 35:

     Lots of meetings, lots of whoop-de-doo. exponential growth assured.

2. An event marked by such commotion, activity, or excitement.
   • 2003: Marshall Chapman, Goodbye, Little Rock and Roller

     It was a big whoop-de-doo. Hanes Auditorium was packed to the gills.‎

   • 2012, William W. Johnstone & ‎J.A. Johnstone, Wyoming Slaughter: A Cotton Pickens Western, ISBN 0786030380, page 52:

     They're going to have a fine time. Every ranch hand in the area, three hundred, four hundred, in for a whoop-de-doo.

3. (horse racing) A style of racing in which the jockey establishes an early lead and then runs as fast as possible.
   • 1988, Tom Ainslie, Ainslie's Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing, ISBN 0671656554, page 203:

     When Shoemaker wins or loses by a nose, it is an odds-on bet that a whoop-de-doo rider would have lost by lengths, having wasted the horse prematurely.

4. (motorcycle racing or car racing) A bump in the track that causes a vehicle to become briefly airborne.
   • 1993, Bob Italia, Motocross, ISBN 1562392336, page 25:

     One of the most challenging are the whoop-de-doo bumps, also known as washboard roads.

   • 1979 January, “Out There, a Honda 4-Stroke Looks Twice As Good”, in Cycle World Magazine, volume 18, page 112:

     So you can just power right along and kiss the top of every other whoop-de-doo with your front wheel and really make some time.

Usage notes

• In modern usage, whoop-de-doo is usually used sarcastically, indicating a lack of enthusiasm.