# Origin, first appearance, and meaning of “Hon, Hon, Hon!”, the pseudo-French laugh. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 13, 2005, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-first-appearance-and-meaning-of-hon-hon-hon-the-pseudo-french-laugh/303754 "2005-05-13T21:47:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-first-appearance-and-meaning-of-hon-hon-hon-the-pseudo-french-laugh/303754/1 "2005-05-13T21:47:15Z")
Well, I was just reading the online comic [Skirting Danger](http://www.skirtingdanger.com/d/20050511.html) , and the hero’s evil, French twin just let out a laugh. It was spelled the way I have it in the title, and I was just wondering from whence it came. I know I have seen it before. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-first-appearance-and-meaning-of-hon-hon-hon-the-pseudo-french-laugh/303754/2 "2005-05-13T22:56:57Z")
Les poissons, les poissons Hee hee hee, haw haw haw With a cleaver I hack them in two I pull out what’s inside And I serve it up fried God, I love little fishes, don’t you? -from [The Little Mermaid](http://www.amandasweb.net/favs_lesPoissons.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-first-appearance-and-meaning-of-hon-hon-hon-the-pseudo-french-laugh/303754/3 "2005-05-13T23:24:35Z")
No cite, but that fake laugh people do when they are trying to sound French always makes me think of Maurice Chevalier. Maybe he did something like it in one of his songs? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-first-appearance-and-meaning-of-hon-hon-hon-the-pseudo-french-laugh/303754/4 "2005-05-13T23:54:33Z")
Keep in mind that the vowel is nasalized and the “n” is silent. The word does not sound like a Texan’s term of endearment, “Hi, hon!”. ---
**Author:** ![MisterThyristor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@MisterThyristor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MisterThyristor)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-first-appearance-and-meaning-of-hon-hon-hon-the-pseudo-french-laugh/303754/5 "2005-05-14T09:46:29Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > No cite, but that fake laugh people do when they are trying to sound French always makes me think of Maurice Chevalier. Maybe he did something like it in one of his songs? I think he did it in a number of songs, more or less a trademark. I think what it boils down to is a _representation_ of laughter in French. The way other languages represent sounds can be quite different than the English version. For example, one “Peanuts” cartoon that I have in both English and French shows Snoopy spitting Woodstock back into his nest. In English, it’s represented by “ptui!”; in French, it’s “toc!”. (Imagine the sound “tock”, but with a long “o” and much shorter.) ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-first-appearance-and-meaning-of-hon-hon-hon-the-pseudo-french-laugh/303754/6 "2005-05-14T11:55:11Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > No cite, but that fake laugh people do when they are trying to sound French always makes me think of Maurice Chevalier. Maybe he did something like it in one of his songs? Just because I don’t laugh like Maurice Chevalier you say I’m not Maurice Chevalier! All right, I’ll sing for you! _"If the Nightingale could sing like you . . . "_ ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-first-appearance-and-meaning-of-hon-hon-hon-the-pseudo-french-laugh/303754/7 "2005-05-16T18:28:47Z")
::Scott tackles bienville: You! If it hadn’t been for you doing a fantastic job in the original Gigi, then we would had one last horrible remake. Damn you! P.S. MonsieurThyristor, thank you. That is most likely it. ---
**Author:** ![MisterThyristor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@MisterThyristor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MisterThyristor)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-first-appearance-and-meaning-of-hon-hon-hon-the-pseudo-french-laugh/303754/8 "2005-05-17T09:38:54Z")
> [@Scott Plaid](#): > > P.S. MonsieurThyristor, thank you. That is most likely it. {gives a little gallic shrug} De rien, Scott. I was expecting someone more knowlegeable than myself to come in (I know we have some French posters) but sometimes I manage to muddle through.