Congratulations!
Joyful times go hand in hand with congratulations. When addressing graduates,
newlyweds, or anyone with good news, a hearty “Congratulations!” is in order.
Congratulants, "people who congratulate," have been using the pluralized
expression congratulations, which stems from the Latin gratus meaning
“pleasing,” since the 17th century.
The singular noun meaning “the act of congratulating” has been around since
the late 16th century.
GG (Good Game)
Shorthand
for "good game" in the world of esports, GG is
used to congratulate a victorious opponent.
Additionally,
it's used to politely concede a match or admit defeat, most commonly in the
realm of professional StarCraft. It's all about the humble loss.
Props!
When congratulations are in order, the
term props might come up. This slang shortening
of proper arose in the 1990s and refers to respect and esteem.
In addition to giving and receiving props as
recognition, you can do someone a prop to help them out. In
the 1995 film Clueless, Cher notices that Josh is dancing with Tai,
despite the fact that he never dances, to make her feel included. Cher
explains: “He’s doing her a prop so she won’t feel left out.”
thumbs-up on Facebook
Facebook
is perhaps the most ubiquitous online
space for sending congratulations. Whether your best friend got
a promotion or your sister had twins, it's a heck of a lot easier to give a
thumbs-up (and if you really want to give a heartfelt congrats, leave them
a comment)
than it is to mail out a Hallmark card. Facebook even plays fun animation with
balloons and confetti that plays whenever you type congrats or congratulations on
a friend's post. Even more to celebrate.
And,
an even better way to congratulate someone could be by sharing their news with
your entire network. Sharing on
Facebook is a powerful way to spread good vibes and
build momentum for a cause. Let's say your brother just got engaged, and the
happy couple starts a crowdfunding campaign
for their honeymoon. One tap of the share button might help
upgrade their basic hotel room to an unforgettable suite (with breakfast
included).
Three cheers!
Three cheers is generally followed by “for” and the name of the person or thing
being celebrated.
A person being cheersed might
also respond to a toast of three cheers with the word
... cheers, which, especially in the UK, can mean “thanks.” That's
a lot of cheers.
The term cheer entered English in the late 12th or early 13th century, and
ultimately comes from the Greek word kárā meaning “head.”
heart on Twitter
Giving
a heart on Twitter doesn't take more effort than a quick tap of your
thumb. But, this simple form of interaction can be a gentle way of
acknowledging someone's accomplishment.
Fun fact:
Twitter's original like-button was a star, but it was changed to a heart in
2015 to increase user engagement. We think it worked!
Hip, hip, hurrah!
For some Victorian flair, opt for the
ever-cheery hip, hip, hooray (or hurrah). This
expression of uncertain origin surfaced in the early 1800s, though the
exclamation hip had been used since the mid-1700s. Hip repeated
three times was used as a noun in the 1800s to refer to a collective cheer.
But, let’s not forget about hooray,
a variant of hurrah. This exclamation dates from the late 1600s and is very similar to shouts
in German, Danish, Swedish, and even Russian. Someone's last hurrah is
their "final moment or occasion of glory or achievement."
reblog on Tumblr
Tumblr
is a sort of virtual scrapbook. In that sense, reblogging is
almost like cutting out a friend's special memory and saving it for later.
Think of it as memorializing their
accomplishment alongside all your favorite animated gifs on Tumblr.
Kudos!
Though
it sounds colloquial, kudos finds its roots in the hallowed
halls of academic institutions. At the turn of the 19th century, academics transliterated the
Greek kydos, meaning “praise or renown.” By the 1920s, kudos had
spread beyond the walls of universities and into the columns of newspapers.
Don’t
be fooled by the S at the end of kudos; the
word is, in fact, a singular noun. However, enough English speakers have
erroneously interpreted it as plural for so long that already by the 1930s,
the back formation singular kudoarose.
Grammar sticklers avoid using kudo as a singular and kudos as
a plural, though both forms can be found in popular usage.
screenshot on Snapchat
Normally,
a screenshot on
Snapchat might be alarming. It's a feature that lets friends save your ghostly
messages before they disappear. This is typically used to preserve someone's
embarrassing (or revealing) snaps.
However, screenshots can also serve
as cute reminders. Next time your friend announces their accomplishment with a
celebratory Snapchat story, don't let the moment fade away! Congratulate them
by preserving the memory forever and sharing it with them to remind them of the
moment.
Hats off!
The
phrase hats off, while often said to graduates wearing the
illustrious cap and gown, has nothing to do with the tradition of tossing hats
in the air in celebration. This phrase, dating back to the 1600s, harks back to
the custom of uncovering the head as a sign of respect.
Etiquette expert
Emily Post advised gentlemen on the many situations in which they must remove
hats to maintain politeness. In 1922 she wrote: “A gentleman takes off his hat
and holds it in his hand when a lady enters the elevator.” He also lifts his
hat whenever he asks a question or says “Excuse me.” You know, maybe we could
all stand a little formality these days ...
congratulate on LinkedIn
Did
you know there's actually a button for congratulating someone on LinkedIn?
The
business-networking platform will send you a notification whenever your
connections have accepted a new position or promotion. It's a great way to
extend your best wishes to a professional contact, especially if you're looking
to build a rapport with
them.
Mazel tov!
This expression of congratulations and best
wishes comes from the Hebrew term literally meaning “good luck.” Though many
reserve the English good luck for before a big event, you can
cheer mazel tov to wish someone good fortune or to say congratulations.
Mazel tov appeared in the 1600s spelled as missal
tob but was rendered in English as mazel tov by the
1900s. Whatever transliteration you prefer, the term has been lovingly
said ever since.
Gold on Reddit
Reddit Gold
is a prestigious decoration that can be bestowed upon a post on the site. It's
like having a shiny gold star attached to your profile, and it opens up special
features on Reddit, too, such as premium, ad-free features.
When a user shares a particularly
touching or inspirational story, the community offers congratulations by giving
them Reddit Gold.
Felicitations!
If
you want to stand out from the crowd of people offering their congratulations,
try roaring felicitations. This less common
expression of congratulations ultimately comes from the Latin felix,
"happy." English speakers have been using the singular form of this
term (meaning "an act of congratulation") since the early 1700s.
So,
if you want to be original (or sound old-fashioned) in wishing your
congratulations, reach for a felicitous felicitations!
Keep going!
What's more powerful than simply saying congratulations? Encouraging
someone to keep pushing ahead and to accomplish more. You're not only
celebrating the accomplishment at hand, but also showing enthusiasm for their
future. Keep going!