An arbitrary formation, based on the refrain from the minstrel song Zip Coon (compare zip coonn.…
An arbitrary formation, based on the refrain from the minstrel song Zip Coon (compare zip coonn.).
Notes
For an early instance of the refrain, compare:
1834
O zip a duden duden duden zip a duden day.
Zip Coon (sheet music)
Meaning & use
colloquial (originally and chiefly U.S.).
interjection
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 coonn.), and represent the speech of the African American character Uncle Remus. See quot. 1945.
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
1987
Nothing compares with being in love. Zippity-doo-dah, I'm in love!
O. Winfrey in Ladies' Home Journal March 64/2
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.
Causing or characterized by delight, excitement, elation, etc.; wonderful, fantastic, great. Now often ironic.
In quot. 1945 representing African American speech.
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
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
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)
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.
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.
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