Hear, hear is an expression which represents a listener's agreement with the point being made by a speaker or in response to a toast.
It was originally an imperative for directing attention to speakers, and has since been used, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, as "the regular form of cheering in the House of Commons", with many purposes, depending on the intonation of its user.[1] Its use in Parliament is linked to the fact that applause is normally (though not always) forbidden in the chambers of the House of Commons and House of Lords.[2] It is also used in other parliaments established in the Westminster tradition, such as Australia[3] and Canada[4].
The phrase hear him, hear him! was used in Parliament from late in the 17th century, and was reduced to hear! or hear, hear! by the late 18th century. The verb hear had earlier been used in the King James Bible as a command for others to listen.[1]
Other phrases have been derived from hear, hear, such as a hear, hear (a cheer), to hear-hear (to shout the expression), and hear-hearer (a person who does the same).[1]
See also
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The dictionary definition of hear, hear at Wiktionary
References
edit- ^ a b c "The Mavens' Word of the Day: hear, hear". Words@Random. Random House. 4 March 1998. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2008.
- ^ "Unique applause at Blair's last PMQs". Channel 4 News. 27 June 2007. Archived from the original on 29 May 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- ^ Parliamentary Education Office of Australia. "Why do members of parliament say hear, hear after someone from their party has spoken?".
- ^ Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Canada: Senate. May 9, 2024.