# Hioooo? Hi-Ooooo? What is this?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hioooo-hi-ooooo-what-is-this/154168>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 10, 2003, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hioooo-hi-ooooo-what-is-this/154168 "2003-02-10T19:36:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![skaterboarder87](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@skaterboarder87](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skaterboarder87)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hioooo-hi-ooooo-what-is-this/154168/1 "2003-02-10T19:36:12Z")

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Have you ever heard someone follow up a fairly lame joke with “Hi-oooo” (sounds like “Hi”, then an extended “o”)? What exactly does it mean, and how is it really spelled? I hope this makes sense.

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**Author:** ![malaka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@malaka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malaka)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hioooo-hi-ooooo-what-is-this/154168/2 "2003-02-10T19:42:03Z")

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My WAG is that they are attempting to sound like Ed McMahon from the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Or At least like Phil Hartman doing an impersonation of him.

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**Author:** ![bayonet1976](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@bayonet1976](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bayonet1976)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hioooo-hi-ooooo-what-is-this/154168/3 "2003-02-10T19:42:38Z")

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I always assumed it was a reference to Ed McMahon from his tonight show days, this was one of his “signature sounds”, IIRC.

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**Author:** ![skaterboarder87](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@skaterboarder87](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skaterboarder87)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hioooo-hi-ooooo-what-is-this/154168/4 "2003-02-10T19:52:52Z")

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Ah, awesome, thanks guys. Now what is the proper way of spelling it (or as close as you can get)?

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**Author:** ![nineiron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e56c9b/32.png) [@nineiron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nineiron)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hioooo-hi-ooooo-what-is-this/154168/5 "2003-02-10T20:06:53Z")

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Hi-yo!

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**Author:** ![skaterboarder87](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@skaterboarder87](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skaterboarder87)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hioooo-hi-ooooo-what-is-this/154168/6 "2003-02-10T20:20:45Z")

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Is it pronounced “Hi-Yoooo”? It always sounded like “Hi-ooo” to me.