A list of interjections you should be using | OxfordWords blog Home > A list of interjections you should be using A list of interjections you should be using Perhaps the wildest of all the parts of speech, the interjection accounts for a fun swath of the English language, including curse words, expressions of joy, greetings, and even pseudo-magical incantations. In this post, I take a look at interjections we should all probably be using more often. Some of them you’ve probably heard before, but others will probably be new. Before you know it – bada bing! – we might be hearing these terms everywhere. 1. abracadabra Although abracadabra – a word spoken by conjurors while performing a trick – might sound like a goofy invention of the 20th century, the word actually goes all the way to post-classical Latin at the end of the 4th century. Other magical interjections include alakazam and shazam. 2. Abyssinia If you’re parting from someone and feeling punny, you might consider deploying ‘Abyssinia’, the former European name of the country in northeastern Africa now called Ethiopia.

Abyssinia!, of course, is shorthand for I’ll be seeing you! 3. ahoy Alexander Graham Bell would indeed be pleased if ahoy! were to come into vogue. Bell, the inventor of the telephone, originally suggested that ahoy be used when answering the phone as a greeting. (Bell, of course, didn’t invent the word; ahoy comes from nautical slang of the mid-18th century.) Thomas Edison is popularly credited with introducing hello as the alternative greeting and popularizing the use of the word as a general greeting; ahoy, on the other hand, never saw widespread acceptance. 4. aloha Is there anything better than the word aloha? This multitalented Hawaiian word can be used both as a greeting and a farewell, as well as ‘good wishes’, ‘love’, or ‘affection’. The word derives from the same source as the Maori word aroha, which means ‘love, affection, pity’. 5. bada bing Used to ‘emphasize that something will happen effortlessly and predictably’, this word was popularized by Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 film The Godfather: ‘You’ve gotta get up close like this and bada-bing!

you blow their brains all over your nice Ivy League suit’. The word may have originated in imitation of the sound of a drum roll and cymbal clash. 6. bahala na From Tagalog, this term in Philippine English expresses an attitude of ‘optimistic acceptance or fatalistic resignation, especially in acknowledging that the outcome of an uncertain or difficult situation is beyond one’s control or is preordained’. In this way, it is quite similar to que sera sera, ‘what will be, will be’. Bahala na is a shortened version of bahala na ang Diyos meaning ‘God will take care of it’. 7. banzai Probably best known to English speakers for its use in World War II as a Japanese battle cry, the word banzai originally was used as a form of greeting to the Japanese emperor. The word banzai literally means ‘ten thousand years (of life to you)’. 8. blood and thunder Expressing anger or exasperation, blood and thunder would be outdated if you used it today, but it does pack a nice 18th century punch if you’re conversing with a literature student. 9.

chug-a-lug Next time you’re in the pub and someone is being slow with a drink, you can forget the curt, rather typical chug! and try out the fuller chug-a-lug! Bonus points for loosely referencing an old country song . 10. cowabunga Although the word comes with some baggage – it was first popularized as the cry of Chief Thunderthud on the US television show Howdy Doody – it remains a fun word, usually used to humorously express delight or satisfaction. Besides its appearances on Howdy Doody, the word was frequently heard on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as the catchphrase of Michelangelo. 11. dagnabbit Often appearing in stereotyped characterization of US rural speech, dagnabbit is a euphemistic alternation coming from ‘darn it’ and ultimately from ‘God damn it’. 12. eureka One of the most famous interjections of all time, eureka comes from the Greek heurēka (‘I have found it’), and was uttered by Archimedes upon his discovery of how to determine the purity of gold.

Reportedly, Archimedes made the discovery upon stepping into a bath and noticing that the water rose; he realized that the volume of water displaced must be equal to the part of his body that was submerged. Hence, it has become a cry of joy or satisfaction upon discovering something. 13. gadzooks This archaic interjection of surprise or annoyance might sound goofy, but it actually has a pretty serious origin. Gadzooks is an alteration of ‘God’s hooks’, referring to the nails by which Jesus was fastened to the cross. An interjection with a similar etymology is zounds, which comes from an alteration of ‘by God’s wounds’. 14. geewhillikins The origins of this interjection, used (often humorously) to express mild surprise and enthusiasm, are not clear. Some claim that it is a fanciful substitute for Jerusalem!, an interjection that, believe it or not, was quite popular in 19th-century US, possibly as a non-blasphemous substitute for Jesus! 15.

Geronimo Used as a battle cry by US paratroopers, Geronimo has become by association something shouted by those making great leaps, or as a general word of exultation. The word comes from the name of an Apache Indian chief (1829–1909), although there is no consensus for the reasons behind this usage. 16. gesundheit If someone lets a sneeze rip, be more original than bless you: try out gesundheit, which means ‘health’ in German, and wishes the sneezer good health. 17. Gordon Bennett If you’re feeling surprise, incredulity, or exasperation and sense an interjection coming on, you might consider tossing out a full name: Gordon Bennet. James Gordon Bennett Jr. (1841–1918) was a U.S. publisher, editor, and sponsor of sporting events, and probably lent his name to the interjection, which may be a euphemistic substitution for gorblimey. (In turn, gorblimey is an alteration of ‘God blind me’.) 18.

Great Scott If you’re like me, Great Scott sounds mostly like a reference to Doc Brown of the Back to the Future trilogy. The interjection, which can express surprise, amazement, annoyance, or admiration, probably comes from the name of General Winfield Scott, US Army general, Commanding General of the US Army from 1841 – 1861, as an alteration of Great God. (More on ‘Great Scott’ and ‘ Bob’s your uncle ’.) 19. hasta la vista Channel another Hollywood legend ( need I tell you which one ?) with hasta la vista. (The baby is optional.) Of course, hasta la vista is an actual borrowing from Spanish, in which the parting words literally mean ‘until the (next) sighting’. This humorous interjection is mostly found in imitations of upper-class, British public school girls, and often used ironically. Currently, the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is looking for your help to locate the earliest appearance of the word. 22.

mabuhay From Tagalog, this Philippine English word is a salutation or greeting, and literally means ‘live’, in the sense of ‘long live ___!’ The word viva is similarly used in Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. 23. mother-of-pearl Literally, mother-of-pearl refers to the smooth, iridescent inner layer of the shell of some molluscs. Figuratively, the term has been used as an interjection expressing surprise, disbelief, or dismay. Probably a euphemism for Mother of God, it is considered obsolete. 24. open sesame In the tale Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, open sesame – after the French Sesame, ouvre-toi – is the magical phrase that opens the door to the robbers’ cave. Next time someone is about to hold open a door for you, feel free to inject some magic into the act. 25. pocas palabras Mostly found in Elizabethan, Jacobean, and Caroline English drama, the interjection pocas palabras comes from Spanish (literally ‘few words’), and means ‘enough said’ or ‘be of few words’.

Oddly, the use of this term as an interjection is not found in Spanish. 26. roger Representing the letter ‘r’ for ‘received’ in radio communication (though in today’s radio code ‘r’ is ‘romeo’), roger is used to acknowledge the receipt of a message, or to affirm that a message has been understood or accepted. For the latter use, dad-rock fans might enjoy the military slang wilco (‘will comply’). 27. shabash From the Urdu and Persian šābāš (from šād ‘joyful’ + bāš! (imperative) ‘be!’), the interjection shabash, which appears in Indian English, means ‘well done’. 28. shazam This ‘magic’ interjection isn’t anywhere near as old as abracadabra. Shazam dates to the first part of the 20th century, and probably originated in children’s slang. It notably appeared in an early issue of Whiz Comics, as the name of an old wizard who turns Billy Batson into Captain Marvel. 29.

tena koe This Maori greeting, which can be found in New Zealand English, literally means ‘there you are’. 30. unberufen With unberufen, German once again demonstrates its propensity for coming up with useful words (see: Schadenfreude). This interjection is equivalent to the ‘touch wood’ or ‘knock on wood’ in English; it is meant to avoid an apprehended misfortune. 31. vogue la galère This interjection, which means let’s get on with it! or let’s give it a go!, comes from French, and literally means ‘let the galley be rowed’. 32. yowzer Probably my favorite interjection, yowzer is an exclamation of enthusiastic approval or affirmation. Variations include yowsers and yowza. 33. zindabad From the Urdu zinda bād and its etymon Persian zinda bād, the term originated in the sense of ‘may (he, etc.) live!’ The interjection expresses approval and encouragement, typically specifying the thing or person in question by the preceding word or words, as in ‘Eleanor Roosevelt Zindabad!’ 34.

zowie Zowie is an interjection expressing astonishment, generally as a reaction to a sudden or surprising act, and frequently connotes admiration. The opinions and other information contained in OxfordWords blog posts and comments do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of Oxford University Press. Author Thousand Year Reign - TV Tropes Thousand Year Reign You need to login to do this. Get Known if you don't have an account Share — Xiaolin Showdown This is when The Empire , or some other organization, is somehow estimated to last a certain amount of time. 1,000 years is common, but there are likely other time frames. The important thing is that this is about assuming the length beforehand, not how long it actually lasts. Examples: open/close all folders Film In Gladiator , that is how long Commodus wants his incestuous line to last, when he thinks he's won completely. Referenced several times in the WWII drama Conspiracy , which takes place at a time when the Nazis were absolutely convinced that they were moments away from victory. Neumann: Neumann, director of the Four-Year-Plan. Whom may I be speaking to? Klopfer: I speak for Martin Bormann, of the Thousand-Year-Plan.

In Star Wars Attack of the Clones Palpatine references the thousand years of the Republic. In A New Hope Obi-Wan refers to a thousand generations (aprox. 25,000 years).note This was reconciled in the Expanded Universe by stating that the Republic as a whole has existed and been protected by the Jedi for 25,000 years, but that 1,000 years before the films the Ruusan Reformation restructured the Republic and formed the government that lasted until it was replaced by the Empire. Literature The City of Ember was designed to last exactly 200 years and no longer. Too bad the note meant to inform the populace of this got lost. In The Foundation books, Hari Seldon determines that the fall of the Empire is inevitable, to be followed by 30,000 years of chaos before a new empire arises. He puts into place a plan that would rebuild the empire in only 1,000 years. ** In a curiously tasteless regional allusion, the German first edition was actually released under a title translating to "The thousand-year plan".

According to the 19th century pre-millennial interpretation of The Bible , after Armageddon, Jesus will reign over the Earth for this amount of time before dad Jehovah steps in. The Lord Ruler from Mistborn called his reign " The Final Empire ", because he believed that the empire ( and he himself ) would last forever. The Chung Kuo boast of their reign having lasted three thousand years. However the reader knows that history has been rewritten so that the Chung Kuo are an ancient Chinese empire that conquered Western Europe in the days ancient Rome, whereas it's actually just 200 years old. Live Action TV The Lannisters in Game of Thrones have this goal in mind. In Season 1 Lord Tywin discusses the war plans with his son Jaime, explaining that the events of the coming months will either cement a Lannister/Baratheon dynasty on the Iron Throne that could last a thousand years, or they could collapse into nothing like the Targaryens (who made it to 300 years themselves). Video Games Millennial Kingdom, as per Shin Megami Tensei Webcomics Irregular Webcomic! : Nazi Science sneers at your pathetic notions of arithmetic!

Western Animation The "Woodland Critter Christmas" episode of South Park , where the The Antichrist is supposed to "bring a thousand years of darkness to the forest". Spoofed in Xiaolin Showdown . One episode revolves around them locking up their dragon Dojo for the day, because on that particular day he'll turn evil, grow two heads and devour all of the magical Shen Gong Wu items, leading to 1,000 years of darkness. The spoof comes from the quote above. In The Legend of Korra , Harmonic Convergence is a supernatural event that occurs once every 10,000 years, in which the spirits of harmony and chaos, Raava and Vaatu, must battle to determine which force will reign until the next Harmonic Convergence. My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic begins with Twilight Sparkle reading an old legend that states that the stars would aid in the escape of the Nightmare Moon on the longest day of the 1000th year of her banishment, when she would bring about nighttime eternal.

Real Life Older Than Feudalism : 1,000 years was the prediction for how long Rome would reign made by Cicero , which is probably the Trope Codifier in the Western Hemisphere. (He wasn't entirely wrong. The Eastern Roman Empire lasted until 1453,note Which means, depending on what you choose as a "start date", Rome lasted as long as 2200 years(foundation as a kingdom), about 2000(the Republic), or at a minimum, a hair under 1500(The Empire), and the Ottoman Emperor claimed the title of "Kaysar-i-Rum" "Caesar of Rome" until 1922.) Ancient Chinese emperors tend to be greeted with "萬歲!" ("May you reign for 10,000 years") but most dynasties only lasts about 400 years or so.

There is a careful delination with these acclamations, Empresses are acclaimed "A thousand years!" And sometimes, particularly powerful officials would be sarcastically greeted (not out loud, obviously) with "Nine thousand years!" Guess how long Those Wacky Nazis , who had a massive hard-on for Ancient Grome , expected the Third Reich to last? "Tenno heika banzai" the Japanese battle cry that gives the phrase "banzai charge" means literally "Ten thousand years! [ to the Emperor]" Since the Emperor was understood to have a normal human lifetime, this wasn't meant literally. The Holy Roman Empire was, at the time of founding, considered a continuation of the Roman Empire and the fourth and last "world monarchy" predicted by the Book of Daniel (after Babylon, Persia and Macedonia). It was believed that, since Rome was the last wordly empire, it would last literally until Judgement Day. :: Indexes :: banzai - definition and meaning banzai from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition n. A Japanese battle cry or patriotic cheer. from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License adj. Thrill-seeking; wild. interj.

A cry or cheer of enthusiasm, or to celebrate victory. from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English interj. Lit., May you live ten thousand years; -- used in salutation of the emperor and as a battle cry. from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia In Japan, a shout of patriotic joy or encouragement: somewhat like the English hurrah. Often used, in English books, as a noun. from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. n. a Japanese cheer of enthusiasm or triumph Etymologies from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition Japanese, (may you live) ten thousand years : ban, ten thousand (from Middle Chinese muanh, uan) + zai, year (from Middle Chinese swiajh, suaj). from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License Japanese 万歳 (a life of) ten thousand years. Examples At Grand Rounds one morning, he showed us slide after slide of his success stories, post-op patients in what he called the banzai position: arms raised high, standing on one leg.

8 Legendary Battle Cries - History Lists History Lists May 21, 2015 By Evan Andrews Share this: Google The prospect of combat is enough to leave even the bravest soldiers paralyzed with fear. That’s why armies have long mobilized their troops with battle cries and other military slogans. Some of these “war woops” were merely animalistic screams or yells designed to send a chill up the spines of the enemy, but others had political or religious significance that transcended the battlefield. Below, learn the stories behind eight of military history’s most intimidating rallying cries. “Remember the Alamo” "The Fall of the Alamo" On February 23, 1836, Mexican General Santa Anna besieged Colonel William B. Travis and some 200 Texas independence fighters at a former Franciscan mission known as the Alamo. The Texans were outnumbered and outgunned, but they held out for 13 grueling days until March 6, when the Mexicans stormed the fort and killed nearly all its defenders. The defeat was catastrophic—Travis, James Bowie and famed frontiersman Davy Crockett all died—but the Texans’ courage under fire helped galvanize their compatriots.

General Sam Houston and others used the rallying cry “Remember the Alamo” to whet their troops’ appetite for vengeance, and in April 1836, the Texans routed a superior Mexican army and captured Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto. “Remember the Alamo” lived on even after the United States annexed Texas in 1845, and was later revived by U.S. troops during the Mexican-American War. The Rebel Yell “It was the ugliest sound that any mortal ever heard—even a mortal exhausted and unnerved by two days of hard fighting, without sleep, without rest, without food and without hope.” That was legendary writer and Union army veteran Ambrose Bierce’s description of the “rebel yell,” the notorious battle cry of Confederate forces during the Civil War. This banshee scream was the Confederacy’s calling card for most of the war, but its sound has long been the subject of debate. Later recordings of elderly Southern veterans seem to indicate that it was a shrill yelp that resembled the call of a coyote, though it may have varied from unit to unit. Whatever it sounded like, the yell was considered an indispensable tool on the battlefield. Lieutenant Colonel A.J.L.

Fremantle, a British observer at Gettysburg, noted that, “Confederate officers declare that the rebel yell has a particular merit, and always produces a salutary and useful effect upon their adversaries. A corps is sometimes spoken of as a ‘good yelling regiment.’” Greek “Alala” and “Eleleu” Credit: De Agostini Picture LIbrary/Getty Images When they marched toward their enemies in their organized phalanx formations, Ancient Greek troops typically belted out battle hymns, or “paeans,” designed to invoke the god Apollo and help calm their nerves. Once within striking distance, however, they would cease their singing and break into a full-throated battle cry of “Alala!” or “Eleleu!” while banging their weapons against their shields to spook enemy horses. When voiced by thousands of spear-wielding hoplites, these cries were said to resemble the sound of flocks of screeching birds, and they were so well known that the ancient writer Pindar even addressed them in a 5th century B.C. poem.

“Hear me, Alala,” he wrote, “daughter of Ares, prelude of the spears, you to whom men fall as offerings for their homeland in death’s holy sacrifice.” “There is no land for us beyond the Volga.” Russian soldiers at Stalingrad. (Credit: German Federal Archives) In the summer of 1942, German forces closed in on the Soviet city of Stalingrad, an industrial hub nestled along the banks of the Volga River. The Nazis hoped to steamroll their way through the city in a matter of weeks, but they soon found themselves locked in a cataclysmic fight with the Soviet Red Army, which yielded ground reluctantly and only at great cost to the invaders.

This was due in part to the brutal policies of Joseph Stalin, who instituted a “Not One Step Back” policy and executed thousands of his own men, but it was also thanks to the grit of the Soviet soldiers, who announced their intention to fight to the last with the rallying cry, “There is no land for us beyond the Volga.” The stalwart defenders endured months of frantic block-to-block combat until late-1942, when a Soviet counterattack encircled the Nazis and boxed them inside the city. The Germans surrendered only a few months later, sealing what many historians consider the most important Allied victory of World War II. The famous “no land beyond the Volga” battle cry was later inscribed on a monument to the defenders of Stalingrad. The Roman Barritus Credit: Independent Picture Service/UIG via Getty Images The ancient Roman legions usually marched in silence to maintain order in their ranks, but once they encountered the enemy, their lines would erupt with intimidating war cries that some described as resembling the sound of a stampeding elephant. The late-Roman army was particularly fond of the “Barritus,” a guttural cry that had been borrowed from Germanic warriors, many of whom had joined their ranks.

The ancient chronicler Tacitus described the Barritus as a “harsh, intermittent roar” that built in volume, and noted that the troops would “hold their shield in front of their mouths, so that the sound is amplified into a deeper crescendo by the reverberation.” The result was a low, ominous murmur that slowly gathered into a terrifying bellow. “Deus Hoc Vult” The fall of Jerusalem. In 1095, Pope Urban II launched the Crusades after he gave a speech urging European Christians to undertake a spiritual quest to seize the Holy Lands from Muslim control. Upon hearing his address, many in the crowd are said to have hollered “Deus hoc vult!” (“God wills it!”) to show their support. The Pope answered by saying, “Let this then be your war cry in combat, because this word is given to you by God. When an armed attack is made upon the enemy, let this one cry be raised by all the soldiers of God: It is the will of God!

It is the will of God!” Shouts of “Deus hoc vult!” went on to echo over dozens of battlefields during the First Crusade, which culminated in a blood-soaked siege at Jerusalem. The pontiff-sanctioned slogan would remain the Christian warriors’ rallying cry until the late-13th century, when the last of the Crusades finally came to an end. “Tenno Heika Banzai” “Banzai” is best known as a Japanese war cry, but it was originally a generic cheer uttered by both soldiers and civilians alike. The word literally means “ten thousand years,” and it has long been used in Japan to indicate joy or a wish for long life. Japanese World War II troops typically yelled it in celebration, but they were also known to scream, “Tenno Heika Banzai,” roughly translated as “long live the Emperor,” while storming into battle. As the war dragged on, this battle cry became most famously associated with so-called “Banzai charges”—last-ditch human wave attacks that saw Japanese troops run headlong into American lines.

Japanese kamikaze pilots were also known to howl “Tenno Heika Banzai!” as they plowed their aircraft into Navy ships. “Liberty or Death” Patrick Henry delivering his speech. The American Revolution gave rise to dozens of rallying cries—“No Taxation Without Representation;” “Join or Die;” “Don’t Tread on Me”—but few had as significant an impact as “Liberty or Death.” The phrase first appeared in a March 1775 address by Patrick Henry, which concluded with the immortal line, “I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” Henry’s speech convinced the Second Virginia Convention to raise militias, and his words immediately became a battle cry among colonial minutemen, who considered them a symbol of their determination to shake off the yoke of British rule. Many Virginia militia recruits marched under banners emblazoned with “Liberty or Death,” and some even sewed the words onto their shirts. Henry’s call to arms later made a comeback in the 1860s, when several Confederate units placed it on their flags to symbolize the belief that the Civil War was a “second American Revolution.” Tags Banzai!

8 Battle Cries That Were The Stuff of Legends - Page 2 of 2 Banzai! 8 Battle Cries That Were The Stuff of Legends Photo Credit: Wikimedia The fifth battle cry in this list of battle cries that are the stuff of legends was used by the American troops during the Mexican-American War which took place between 1846 to 1848 but its origin was during the Battle of the Alamo, a climactic event in the Texas Revolution [fighting between the Mexicans and the American settlers in Texas which was then a Mexican province]. The battle, which went from February 23 to March 6, 1836, ended with the fall of the Alamo and all its Texian defenders [English-speaking Texas settlers] dead. But the cruelty of the Mexican Army during the said conflict fired up Texas settlers as well as adventurers from the United States to join the Texian Army and eventually, defeat the Mexicans in the Battle of San Jacinto leading to the capture of Santa Anna. General Sam Houston was among the military leaders that time to use the “Remember the Alamo” war cry to rouse their troops to avenge those who died during the fall of the Alamo.

The Rebel Yell [Confederate Soldiers, American Civil War] Photo Credit: Wikimedia The sixth in this list of legendary battle cries is the rebel yell, the notorious war cry used by Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War. The banshee scream, described as the most horrid and intense sound heard, was the calling card of the Confederacy throughout the conflict. “It was the ugliest sound that any mortal ever heard—even a mortal exhausted and unnerved by two days of hard fighting, without sleep, without rest, without food and without hope” . . . was how Ambrose Bierce, a Union Army vet and well-known writer, described the rebel yell. However, as much as it was ill-famed, there’s still a great debate until now among historians at what exactly the rebel yell sounded like. If later recordings made by elderly Confederate veterans are made the basis, the rebel yell sounded like a “shrill yelp” much like the call of a coyote. But then, the war cry itself would have varied from unit to unit. Whatever it was, the rebel yell was a vital tool for the Confederates when they were in the battlefield.

No Land Beyond the Volga [The Battle of Stalingrad, WWII] Photo Credit: Wikimedia the Battle of Stalingrad was one of, if not the most decisive battle during the Second World War. It inflicted heavy losses on Nazi Germany, a factor that led to its defeat against the Allies. It is also the single biggest and bloodiest battle throughout war history as it wasn’t only the German Wehrmacht that suffered great loss; a large number of Stalin’s Red Army and even civilians living in Stalingrad were killed in combat, too. The seventh war cry in this list of battle cries came from this battle uttered by Soviet Union soldiers whose grit and determination surprised the unsuspecting Nazis who expected to steamroll their way through the city within weeks. “There is no land for us beyond the Volga!” was the cry used by the Soviet soldiers as they fought of Hitler’s men. They valiantly defended the city only yielding in their deaths. This determination to the end dragged the conflict for months and eventually ended with the defeat of the Nazi German forces. To date, historians consider the Battle of Stalingrad the most important victory of the Allies in WWII.

The “No Land Beyond the Volga” war cry was later on engraved on a memorial put up in honor of the Stalingrad defenders. Tenno Heika Banzai [Imperial Japanese soldiers, WWII] Photo Credit: Wikimedia Tenno Heika Banzai or just Banzai, the last in this list of legendary battle cries, gained recognition when the Imperial Japanese Army, in its bid win against the Allies, did the Banzai charges — a do-or-die human wave attack where Japanese soldiers run headlong into American lines [America being the Allied force fighting in the Pacific Theater of WWII]. Furthermore, kamikaze pilots – the suicide pilots of the Japanese Army – were also known to shout out the war cry as they crash their aircraft into their enemy’s navy ships. But Banzai did not start as a war cry. In fact, it was a generic salutation uttered by both Japanese soldiers and civilians alike. The word’s literal meaning is ten thousand years signifying long life and joy. This greeting had long been used in the country before it became the well-known war cry in WWII. Tenno Heika Banzai is roughly translated as “Long live the Emperor!”. Special Mention: Ahoy! Ahoy!

may be a common nautical jargon at present but many historians believe that it used to be a Viking battle cry shouted out by Viking warriors as their ships landed on the shores of their enemies. banzai - definition of banzai in English | Oxford Dictionaries Definition of banzai in English: banzai ‘the courtyard echoed to shouts of ‘Bombs away!’ and ‘Banzai!’’ 2A form of greeting used to the Japanese emperor.

Example sentences ‘From the simplest (a hearty cry of skäl in Sweden or banzai in Japan) to the winding, poetic, hour-long toasts that briefly came into vogue in Ireland, it has been a long time since the hunting gods took any pleasure in the practice.’ ‘Some 500 supporters greeted Lee on his arrival by waving Taiwan's national flag and the ‘Hinomaru,’ or Japanese flag, while carrying welcome banners and chanting ‘Banzai, banzai!’’ adjective 1(especially of troops) attacking fiercely and recklessly: ‘a banzai charge’ More example sentences ‘A few miles up the track lies Mt Austen, where the Japanese defended their most important command post with suicidal banzai counter-attacks.’ ‘Company A beat off several banzai attacks but was bypassed and in danger of being cut off and surrounded.’ ‘Then, before dawn on 29 May, they launched one of the biggest banzai charges of the war which overran two command posts and a medical station before being halted.’ ‘They resorted to one last desperate banzai mission that was put down without much of a struggle.’ ‘The emperor overrode his military, who wanted a banz

ai suicide last battle, and broadcast their unconditional surrender.’ 1.1informal Behaving wildly; berserk: banzai facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about banzai The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable © The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable 2006, originally published by Oxford University Press 2006.

banzai a Japanese battle cry; a form of greeting used to the Japanese emperor. In Japanese, the word means literally ‘ten thousand years (of life to you)’. From the 1980s, the word has been used to designate extremely fast driving, especially in motor racing. banzai lap a lap of a motor-racing course taken particularly rapidly. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. MLA The Right Way to Sit on Tatami (and Other Traditions) Updated June 28, 2016. The Proper Way to Sit on Tatami The Japanese have traditionally sat on tatami (a padded straw mat) at their homes. However, many homes today are completely Western style and don't have Japanese style rooms with tatami. Many young Japanese are no longer able to sit properly on tatami. The proper way of sitting on tatami is called seiza. It is written with a two kanji characters " sei (correct;pr)" and " za (sitting)". It is to bend the knees 180 degrees tuck your calves under your thighs and sit on your heels.

This can be a difficult posture to maintain if you are not used to it and requires practice, preferably from early age. It is considered polite to sit seiza style on formal occasions. Another, more relaxed way of sitting is cross-legged (agura). Starting with legs out straight and folding them in like triangles. This posture is usually for men. Women would usually go from the formal to an informal sitting posture by shifting their feet just off to the sid Iyokozuwari). continue reading below our video 10 Facts About the Titanic That You Don't Know Though most Japanese do not concern themselves with it, it is proper to walk without stepping in the edge of the tatami. The Right Way to Beckon in Japan The Japanese beckon with a waving motion with the palm down and the hand flapping up and down at the wrist. Westerners may confuse this with a wave and not realize they are being beckoned. Although this gesture (temaneki) is used by both men and women and all age groups, it is considered rude to beckon a superior this way. Maneki-neko is a cat ornament that sits and has it's front paw raised as if it is calling for someone.

It is believed to bring good luck, and displayed in restaurants or other business in which customer turnover is important. How to Indicate Yourself ("Who, Me?") The Japanese point to their noses with a forefinger to indicate themselves or to ask, "Who, me?" Banzai " Banzai " literally means ten thousand years (of life). It is shouted in happy occasions while raising both arms. People shout "banzai" to express their happiness, to celebrate a victory, to hope for longevity and so on. It is commonly done together with the large group of people. Some non-Japanese confuse "banzai" with a war cry. It is probably because the Japanese soldiers shouted "Tennouheika Banzai" when they were dying during World War II. In this context, they meant "Long live the Emperor" or "Salute the Emperor". Chapters 8-11 Chapters 8-11 Bookmark this page Manage My Reading List Summary In the rising action, life becomes more complex, more disordered for the Wakatsukis after Ko returns.

Disturbed by imprisonment, he paces about the barracks, refuses to go outside, and uses spare rice or syrupy fruit to distill home-brewed wine. Because internees suspect him of informing on Japanese loyalists in order to end his imprisonment in North Dakota, they call him inu, which means both "dog" and "collaborator." Ko, an egotistical man incapable of coping with humiliation, lapses into alcoholism, self-exile, uncontrolled bouts of anger, exasperating tantrums, and wife abuse. After Ko menaces his wife, eleven-year-old Kiyo steps between them and punches his father in the face, then flees to his sister's quarters to hide. Jeanne acknowledges that Ko's spiritual and economic emasculation reflects the powerlessness of all male internees. As she summarizes Ko's impotence: "He had no rights, no home, no control over his own life." By December, the first anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the camp erupts in violent rioting as 2,000 malcontents roam the camp singing Japanese songs and mouthing threats at MPs. Two Japanese youths are shot to death, others injured.

The new camp director lamely makes amends for the event by providing families with Christmas trees. In February 1943, polarization continues with the forced loyalty oath that requires internees to state their allegiance to the U.S. and their willingness to serve in the armed forces. Ko abandons his self-imposed isolation as he is drawn into debates with other male internees and into intense arguments with Woody, who wants an opportunity to prove his loyalty by joining the U.S. army. A footnote attests to the logic of Woody and his peers, who form the all-Nisei 442nd Regiment, "the most decorated American unit in World War II; it also suffered the highest percentage of casualties and deaths." Such overcompensation suggests the tremendous psychic pressures that a war with Japan placed on Japanese Americans. The multi-faceted dilemma of which blanks to check "yes" or "no" forces Ko into sobriety. Clean-shaven and again proud to head a household, he limps away to the mess hall. By 4:00 P.M., as Jeanne plays hopscotch, the men's discussion ends with Ko tackling a fleeing man who called him a collaborator.

Others intervene to keep Ko from strangling his attacker. At this section's climax, the night ends with a sandstorm and the family clustered near the oil stove, where Woody, Chizu, and Mama listen to Ko and a female friend of Woody's wife sing Kimi ga yo, the Japanese national anthem, which Jeanne characterizes as a "personal credo for endurance." Analysis Jeanne, maintaining the point of view of a young child, recalls the riot peripherally because she is too young to take part. Her game of hopscotch, a universal pastime, symbolizes her need to keep moving in incremental steps toward an attainable goal. As demonstrated later by her interest in dancing, singing, and baton twirling, Jeanne has a need to act out her frustrations with vigorous physical play, which relieves her of the stress of thinking too much about mature political and ideological debate, which she is too young to understand. The adult conflict, an ideological debate between extremist males, results in confrontations with armed military police, tear gas, and gunfire.

Although two men die in the fray, Jeanne recalls her sensory impressions of ringing bells and searchlights, "making shadows ebb and flow among the barracks like dark, square waves." Chapter 10, an interpolated episode, shifts point of view to Kaz, Jeanne's brother-in-law, who, along with other reservoir crewmen, encounters wild-eyed MPs swinging tommy guns and shouting "Japs" at men whom they assume to be saboteurs. The scene stresses an axiom of imprison-ment — guards are drawn into the violence and paranoia that they create and thus become victims themselves. The loyalty oath evolves into a crucible in which the true mettle of citizenship is determined. As Jeanne describes it, the dilemma for Japanese Americans is a circle with three exits: "The first led into the infantry, the second back across the Pacific. The third, called relocation . . ." The latter choice would result in transport to the Tule Lake repatriation camp, from which the disloyal were to be sent back to Japan. Any of the choices threatens cataclysm for Japanese families, who have come to think of Manzanar as a refuge, despite its inconveniences and barbaric amenities.

The catharsis wrought during the sandstorm allows Jeanne to accept Ko as a beleaguered adult. In her view, he is unable to resolve the political forces that buffet him and therefore takes temporary refuge in a childhood credo and in tears. The line of the Japanese national anthem which refers to the flowering lichen that coats the rock foreshadows Ko's eventual refuge in gardening, a traditional outlet which absorbs his energies and restores beauty to his fragmented life. Glossary banzai a Japanese interjection which serves as greeting, battle cry, or cheer and translates "May you live ten thousand years!" samisen a three-string Japanese banjo.

Question: What old Japanese battle cry and emperor greeting means 'ten thousand years of life (to you)'?
Answer: Banzai