Hooah

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Hooah (hü-ä or who-ah) is a U.S. Army slang term. It is used primarily by infantry, airborne troops, and rangers "referring to or meaning anything and everything except no" http://www.amc.army.mil/amc/rda/rda-ap/hooah.html - AMC Acquisition Policy. It can also be a type of battle cry. The word's etymology is unclear, but possible origins are that it is based on the acronym HUA, meaning "heard, understood, acknowledged" http://www.armyhooahrace.army.mil/about.htm - U.S. Army Hooah Race, or that it is derived from the Vietnamese word for yes, which is pronounced "u-ah.".

The use of the word is ubiquitous in the life of an U.S. Army Soldier. In informal situations a Soldier can reply with "hooah" in place of "Yes, (military rank)" such as "Yes, Sergeant." This can be useful when the rank of the Soldier is unknown, similar to using simply "Yes, Sir/Ma'am."

One well-known example of "hooah" being used in popular culture is through Al Pacino's character, a former U.S. Army officer, in the movie Scent of a Woman.

Possible definitions for hooah includehttp://www.armyhooahrace.army.mil/about.htm - U.S. Army Hooah Race:

1. Referring to or meaning anything and everything except "no"
2. What to say when at a loss for words
3. Good copy
4. Roger, solid copy, good, great, message received, understood, acknowledged
5. Glad to meet you, welcome
6. "All right!"
7. I don't know the answer, but I'll check on it; I haven't the foggiest idea
8. I am not listening.
9. "That is enough of your drivel; sit down!"
10. "You've got to be kidding me!"
11. Thank you
12. Go to the next slide
13. You've taken the correct action
14. I don't know what that means, but I'm too embarassed to ask for clarification
15. Squared away (e.g. "He's pretty hooah.")
16. Amen!

References