Alley-Oop and Hoopla

Michelle in Williamsburg, Virginia, wonders about the origin of alley-oop!, which she says when hoisting her toddler. It’s from French allez, the imperative of aller meaning “to go” and houp or hop, an onomatopoeic utterance made while expending effort. A related French expression, allez houp-là! or allez oup-là!, for “up there!” or “there you go!” is the source of English hoopla, as in “a commotion.” This is part of a complete episode.