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  1. hootenanny love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. An informal performance by folk singers, typically with participation by the audience.
  2. n. Informal An unidentified or unidentifiable gadget.

Wiktionary

  1. n. obsolete A Placeholder word for a nonspecific or forgotten thing (see thingamajig, whatchamacallit)
  2. n. An informal, festive performance by folk singers, often including audience participation with the use of acoustic instruments.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. An informal social gathering or concert featuring mostly folk songs, sometimes dancing, and where the audience often participates in the singing.
  2. n. Obsolescent, chiefly dial. Same as whatchamacallit; a thingumbob.

Etymologies

  1. Unknown; potentially Scottish. Use is tied to the Appalachian culture in the US. (Wiktionary)
  2. Origin unknown. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

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Lists

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Comments

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  • RevBrently Another example to add: "On the night of their departure from Kvitoya, a dozen or so off-duty deckies gathered in the rec room for a kind of eschatological hootenanny, and soon the entire superstructure was resounding with "Rock of Ages," "Kum-Ba-Yah," "Go Down, Moses," "Amazing Grace," A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," and "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands."" From pp. 355-356 of Morrow, James (1994). Towing Jehovah. New York: Harcourt. Jun 23, 2012

  • delirium "Well, a gathering is brie, mellow song stylings; shindig, dip, less mellow song stylings, perhaps a large amount of malt beverage; and hootenanny, well, it's chock full of hoot, just a little bit of nanny." - Oz, BtVS Nov 6, 2010

  • uselessness That makes sense. I guess I was equating it more with "party animal" or just "fun guy." :-P Jan 23, 2008

  • treeseed I suspect "that guy is a hoot" comes from someone "hooting with laughter" and means that guy is funny or that guy makes me laugh.

    hoot: verb

    (of people) to make a loud noise of laughter or disapproval
    Example: They hooted with laughter. Jan 23, 2008

  • asativum Wikipedia does say the word was used like thingamajig in the early 20th c. So could be.

    And thanks for calling attention to it; I'm adding it to my Shindigs list. Jan 23, 2008

  • uselessness I wonder if this is the root behind the phrase "that guy is a hoot!"? Jan 22, 2008

  • treeseed a gathering at which folksingers entertain often with the audience joining in, popular in the late 50s and early 60s, also referred to simply as a "hoot"
    Are you going to the hoot tonight?
    Jan 22, 2008

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‘hootenanny’ has been looked up 2391 times, loved by 13 people, added to 66 lists, commented on 7 times, and has a Scrabble score of 16.