Abú
Hurray. A rallying cry, especially in sporting and political contexts. Almost always after a proper noun: 'Up the Dubs, Mayo abú!' = 'Up Dublin, Mayo for the win!'. A condensed cheer rooted in Irish-language battle-cries.
Etymology
From Irish 'abú', a contraction of 'a buaidh' meaning 'to victory' or 'for the win'. The Irish phrase served as a clan and territorial rallying cry from medieval times onwards: 'Crom abú!' was the war-cry of the Fitzgeralds of Munster ('Crom for the win!'). The construction shortened to the single-word interjection used today. Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla records the modern form.
In a sentence
"Mayo abú! - first time in seventy years and they're going to do it."
Historical notes
Abú belongs to a particular Irish-language register that survives mostly in sport. GAA crowds shout 'Mayo abú!' or 'Kerry abú!' from the terraces; political rallies use county-name plus 'abú' to express loyalty; songs and chants reach for it as the climactic line. The historical association with medieval battle-cries gives the word weight that other cheering words ('hurray', 'come on') do not carry. The fada on the 'ú' marks the long vowel that distinguishes the Irish pronunciation.
Alternate spellings
abu
Sources
- Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla (Ó Dónaill), entry abú. · dictionary
- Dolan, Terence Patrick. A Dictionary of Hiberno-English. Gill Books. · dictionary