zip-a-dee-doo-dah, int. & adj.

zip-a-dee-doo-dah
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zip-a-dee-doo-dah_int%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
First published 2021

# zip-a-dee-doo-dahinterjection & adjective

## Factsheet

### What does the word zip-a-dee-doo-dah mean?

There are two meanings listed in OED's entry for the word zip-a-dee-doo-dah. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

This word is used in U.S. English.

### How is the word zip-a-dee-doo-dah pronounced?

#### British English

/ˌzɪpədiˈduːdɑː/
zip-uh-dee-DOO-dah

#### U.S. English

/ˌzɪpədiˈduˌdɑ/
zip-uh-dee-DOO-dah

### Where does the word zip-a-dee-doo-dah come from?

Earliest known use

1940s

The earliest known use of the word zip-a-dee-doo-dah is in the 1940s.

OED's earliest evidence for zip-a-dee-doo-dah is from 1945, in the song Zip a Dee Doo Dah by R. Gilbert.

An arbitrary formation.

### Nearby entries

1. Zionite, n. 1596–
2. Zionless, adj. 1908
3. Zionward, adv. 1647–
4. Zionwards, adv. 1674–
5. zip, n.² & adj. 1900–
6. zip, n.³ 1962–
7. zip, n.⁴ 1968–
8. zip, v.¹ 1852–
9. zip, v.² 1964–
10. zip, int. & n.¹ 1678–
11. zip-a-dee-doo-dah, int. & adj.1945–
12. zip code, n. 1962–
13. zip-code, v. 1962–
14. zip-coded, adj. 1963–
15. zip-coding, n. 1964–
16. zip coon, n. 1833–
17. zip cuff, n. 1995–
18. zip cuff, v. 1996–
19. Zipf, n. 1936–
20. zip fastener, n. 1925–
21. zip fastening, n. & adj. 1925–

## Etymology

### Summary

An arbitrary formation.
An arbitrary formation, based on the refrain from the minstrel song Zip Coon (compare zip coon n.…
An arbitrary formation, based on the refrain from the minstrel song Zip Coon (compare zip coon n.).

### Notes

For an early instance of the refrain, compare:

1. 1834

   > O zip a duden duden duden zip a duden day.

   Zip Coon (sheet music)

## Meaning & use

colloquial (originally and chiefly U.S.).

1. interjection
   1. 1945–
      Expressing delight, excitement, elation, etc. Now often ironic.
      First used as the title and refrain of a song featured in the Walt Disney film, Song of the South. The lyrics are based on those of the minstrel song Zip Coon (see etymological note, and zip coon n.), and represent the speech of the African American character Uncle Remus. See quot. 1945.
      1. 1945

         > Zip a dee doo dah! Zip a dee ay! My oh my what a wonderful day!

         R. Gilbert, Zip a Dee Doo Dah (song) in D. S. Reymond et al., Uncle Remus (film script, revised final draft of ‘Song of the South’) (Louisiana State University Library) Revised a1
      2. 1987

         > Nothing compares with being in love. Zippity-doo-dah, I'm in love!

         O. Winfrey in Ladies' Home Journal March 64/2
      3. 2002

         > She got involved with AIDS charities. Well, zipadeedoodah. Look closer and you'll find her always highly publicized ‘involvement’..was often no more than a quick stop-off to shake a few hands between shopping trips.

         S. Gage et al., Queer 17/1
      U.S. English colloquial and slang ironic
      1. cock-a-hoop 1568
         As an exclamation of elation or great joy. Obsolete. rare.
      2. woo-hoo 1697–
         Used to express various emotions or reactions, such as surprise, grief, or (now usually) exuberant excitement or delight. Also used to attract…
      3. joy 1719–
         Used interjectionally, as an expression of joy.
      4. glory 1816–
         Used as a devout exclamation (short for Glory be to God) in the worship of various religious sects. Hence colloquial as a mere exclamation expressive…
      5. whizzo 1905–
         An exclamation expressing delight.
      6. hot diggety 1906–
         = hot diggety dog, int.
      7. whee 1920–
         An exclamation of joy, exhilaration, astonishment, etc. Occasionally as n., a high-pitched sound resembling this.
      8. ziggety 1924–
         int. Usually preceded by hot and followed by dog or another monosyllable: = hot diggety, int.
      9. whacko 1941–
         An exclamation of delight or excitement: Splendid! Excellent! Hurrah!
      10. yeehaw 1941–
          An exclamation of enthusiasm or exuberance; ‘yahoo!’.
      11. zip-a-dee-doo-dah 1945–
          Expressing delight, excitement, elation, etc. Now often ironic.
      12. cowabunga 1954–
          Expressing astonishment, enthusiasm, or exuberance; ‘yahoo!’ ‘wow!’ Now frequently humorous.
      13. yay 1963–
          An exclamation of triumph, approval, or encouragement.
      14. yahoo 1976–
          An exclamation of excitement, exultation, or delight. Cf. yo-ho, int. & n., yoo-hoo, int.
      15. wahey 1979–
          An exclamation expressing delight or exhilaration.
      View in Historical Thesaurus
2. adjective
   1. 1945–
      Causing or characterized by delight, excitement, elation, etc.; wonderful, fantastic, great. Now often ironic.
      In quot. 1945 representing African American speech.
      1. 1945

         > It happen' on one o' dem zip-a-dee-doo-dah-days. Now dat's de kin' o' day when you can't open yo' mouf' widout a song jump right out of it.

         D. S. Reymond et al., Uncle Remus (film script, revised final draft of ‘Song of the South’) (Louisiana State University Library) Revised a1
      2. 2002

         > If Lieutenant C. R. Molina had meant to destroy Temple's zip-a-dee-doo-dah mood, she couldn't have done better had she gone to graduate school in Killjoy 101.

         C. N. Douglas, Cat in Midnight Choir (2003) xi. 100
      3. 2012

         > Based on the ‘Mo' Money=Mo' Problems’ concept, I should be just zippitydoodah for the considerable future.

         @tannerhawkns 25 November in twitter.com (accessed 7 Feb. 2020)
      U.S. English colloquial and slang ironic
      1. hightly Old English–1200
         Hopeful, joyous, exultant; delightful, pleasant.
      2. delite c1225–1500
         Very pleasant or enjoyable; delightful.
      3. joyful 1297–
         Of things, events, etc.: Fraught with, attended by, or causing joy; gladsome, delightful.
      4. delightable c1300–
         Very pleasing or appealing; delightful.
      5. delicate a1382–1911
         That causes pleasure or delight; very pleasing to the senses, luxurious; pleasurable, esp. in a way which promotes calm or relaxation. Obsolete.
      6. gladsome c1386–
         Of things, events, places, etc.: Productive of gladness; cheering, pleasant.
      7. gladding c1394–1635
         That makes glad.
      8. delightful a1400–
         Giving or providing delight; very pleasant, charming.
      9. delicious c1400–
         Very pleasant or enjoyable; very agreeable; delightful; wonderful.
      10. delectable c1415–
          Delightful; extremely pleasant or appealing, (in later use) esp. to the senses; very attractive. Of food, drink, etc.: delicious, very appetizing.
      11. delighting?a1425–
          That gives or causes delight; very pleasing, delightful.
      12. delitous a1425
          Very pleasant or enjoyable; delightful.
      13. ravishing c1430–
          That excites ecstasy, strong emotion, or sensuous pleasure; entrancing; overpowering. Also in weakened use: very attractive; charming; gorgeous.
      14. joyous 1475–
          Of things, events, etc.: Inspiring or productive of joy; gladdening, cheerful; = joyful, adj. 3.
      15. delightsome c1484–
          Giving or providing delight; = delightful, adj. 1.
      16. wealthly a1500
          Happy, delightful.
      17. delectary?c1500
          Very pleasant; delightful.
      18. sunny 1565–
          figurative. Expressing, evoking, or characterized by joy or happiness; cheering; bright; (of a person or a person's temperament) cheerful…
      19. sunshine 1594–
          figurative. Expressing, evoking, or characterized by joy, happiness, or prosperity; cheering; bright; (of a person or a person's temperament)…
      20. delighted 1595–1677
          That is a cause or source of delight; delightful. Obsolete.
      21. heartsome 1596–
          That makes a person feel glad or cheerful; emotionally uplifting or comforting. Cf. heartening, adj., heartwarming, adj.
      22. joysome 1616–
          Fraught with joy, joyous, gladsome.
      23. gladdening 1729–
      24. scrum 1877–
          In early use: very pleasant; lovely; delightful. Later of food: delicious. Cf. scrummy, adj., scrumptious, adj. 2.
      25. heartthrob 1907–
          General attributive and appositive.
      26. dilly 1909–
          Delightful; delicious.
      27. delish 1915–
          Extremely pleasing to the senses; (chiefly) very tasty or appetizing. Sometimes of a person: very attractive. Cf. delicious, adj. A.1.
      28. zip-a-dee-doo-dah 1945–
          Causing or characterized by delight, excitement, elation, etc.; wonderful, fantastic, great. Now often ironic.
      View in Historical Thesaurus
      1. hightly Old English–1200
         Hopeful, joyous, exultant; delightful, pleasant.
      2. joyous c1305–1616
         Const. of or with clause. Obsolete.
      3. jubilose c1450
         = jubilant, adj.
      4. gratulant 1471–
         Expressing pleasure, joy, or satisfaction; congratulatory.
      5. rejoicing c1475–
         That rejoices or causes rejoicing.
      6. rejoiceful 1538–
         Full of or characterized by rejoicing; joyful, joyous.
      7. exultative c1550
         Inclined or ready to exult; exultant.
      8. exultive c1550
         Inclined to exult; given up to exultation.
      9. cock-a-hoop 1564–
         Of a person, group, etc.: elated, overjoyed; exultant, triumphant. Chiefly (and earliest) in predicative use.
      10. insolent 1589
          (?) Swelling, exulting: in good sense. rare.
      11. triumphant 1597–
          Rejoicing or exulting for or as for victory; triumphing; exultant.
      12. elated 1615–
          Uplifted, raised; proud, exalted. Cf. senses of the verb.
      13. exultant 1653–
          Exulting, triumphantly joyful.
      14. elate 1702–
          Of persons: Inspired (as with joy or hope), in high spirits, exultant, flushed (as with success or victory).
      15. exulting 1757–
          That exults; exultant, triumphantly joyful.
      16. jubilant 1784–
          Expressing or manifesting joy.
      17. cock-a-hoopish 1846–
          Elated, overjoyed; exultant, triumphant; cock-a-hoop.
      18. zip-a-dee-doo-dah 1945–
          Causing or characterized by delight, excitement, elation, etc.; wonderful, fantastic, great. Now often ironic.
      View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/ˌzɪpədiˈduːdɑː/
zip-uh-dee-DOO-dah

### U.S. English

/ˌzɪpədiˈduˌdɑ/
zip-uh-dee-DOO-dah

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- ɬrhingyll
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛtl/ but /ˈpɛtl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- iːfleece
- ihappy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- atrap, bath
- ɑːstart, palm, bath
- ɒlot
- ɔːthought, force
- ʌstrut
- ʊfoot
- uːgoose
- əletter
- əːnurse
- ɪənear
- ɛːsquare
- ʊəcure
- eɪface
- ʌɪpride
- aʊmouth
- əʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ãgratin
- ɒ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye*
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

* /d/ also represents a 'tapped' /t/ as in

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛd(ə)l/ but /ˈpɛdl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- ifleece, happy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- ætrap, bath
- ɑlot, palm, cloth, thought
- ɑrstart
- ɔcloth, thought
- ɔrnorth, force
- ʊfoot
- ugoose
- əstrut, comma
- ərnurse, letter
- ɪ(ə)rnear
- ɛ(ə)rsquare
- ʊ(ə)rcure
- eɪface
- aɪpride
- aʊmouth
- oʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ɑ̃gratin
- æ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

Simple text respell breaks words into syllables, separated by a hyphen. The syllable which carries the primary stress is written in capital letters. This key covers both British and U.S. English Simple Text Respell.

##### Consonants

b, d, f, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w and z have their standard English values

- gguy
- jjay
- yyore
- chchore
- khloch
- shshore
- ththaw
- dhthee
- zhbeige

##### Vowels

- atrap
- ahpalm
- airsquare
- arstart
- arrcarry (British only)
- awthought
- ayface
- a(ng)gratin
- edress
- eefleece
- eerdeer
- errmerry
- ikit
- ighpride
- irrmirror
- olot (British only)
- ohgoat
- oogoose
- oorcure
- orforce
- orrsorry (British only)
- owmouth
- oyvoice
- o(ng)salon
- ustrut
- uhletter
- urnurse
- urrhurry
- uufoot

## Forms

### Variant forms

1. 1900s–
   zip-a-de-do-da, zip-a-de-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-do-da, zip-a-dee-do-dah, zip-a-dee-doo-da, zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-pa-de-do-da, zippedy-do-dah, zippedy-doo-da, zippedy-doo-dah, zippety-doo-dah, zippidy-doo-dah, zippity-doo-dah

zip-a-dee-doo-dah, int. & adj. was first published in March 2021.

zip-a-dee-doo-dah, int. & adj. was last modified in July 2023.