Hooah

A utterance, with widespread use in the U.S. military, made famous by Al Pacino in "Scent of a Woman". This is all well and good, but for the fact that he mispronounced it.¹

You see, "hoo-ah" is pronounced "hoo-ah!" (emphasis on the second syllable), rather than "hoo!-ah" (emphasis on the first), which is how our friend Al deemed fit to pronounce it. More's the pity...

Hooah: /who.aah/ n/adj/vb/advb/etc. (of US Army origin). Refers to and means anything except no; slang used by hardcore soldiers; agree; disagree, but I will do it anyway; alright; cool; aloha; stop whining; roger; see ya later; what to say to a drill sergeant or commander when not sure of an answer; all is good; and of course...I love this job!

Having recently enlisted in the U.S. Army (I'm bound for BCT soon), I have stumbled upon the true origin of "hooah." I asked my Staff Sergeant if I had it right and he confirmed it for me. It's very simple, really.

In the Army, and in the military in general, there is a need to do things, but not right now. Hence the phrase, "Hurry up and wait." Pay special attention to that phrase.

Hurry Up And Wait = H.U.A.W. = "Hooah"

Now we know and knowing is half the battle. Or something like that.