1.
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 this
pluralized expression, 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.
2. Felicitations!
If you want to stand out from the crowd of
people offering their congratulations, try roaring “Felicitations!” This
less common expression of congratulations comes from the Late Latin felicitare meaning
“to make happy.” English speakers have been using the singular form of this
term since the early 1700s.
3. Hip, hip, hurrah!
For some Victorian flair, opt for the
ever-cheery hip, hip, hurrah! This expression of uncertain
origin surfaced in the 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. In an 1857 book
called Glasgow and Its Clubs, the author discusses “the loud roar
of harmonious ‘hip, hip, hips.’” But let’s not forget about hurrah.
This exclamation dates from the late 1600s and is very similar to shouts in
German, Danish, and Swedish. Hurrah might have started off as
a battle cry before it spread into general usage.
4. Three cheers!
Just as hips come in threes, so
do 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.” The term cheer entered
English in the late 12th or early 13th century, and ultimately comes from the
Greek kára meaning “head.”
5. 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; it is, in fact, a
singular noun. However, enough English speakers have erroneously interpreted
this s as a plural inflection that in the 1940s, the back
formation singular kudo arose. Grammar sticklers avoid using kudo as
a singular and kudos as a plural, however, these both can be
found in popular usage.
6. Рrops!
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 him or her 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.”
7. Нats 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 harks back
to the custom of uncovering the head, or doffing the hat, 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.”
8. 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, it’s
appropriate to shout mazel tov! at any point during a
celebration. The spelling mazel tov entered English in the
1860s, though it appeared in the 1600s spelled as missal tob.
Whatever transliteration you prefer, the term has been lovingly said ever
since.