Here, Here vs. Hear, Hear

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hello, my name is Kaye Roberts, and I’m calling to ask a question about a phrase I heard when I was at a wedding.

Okay.

We were at a wedding reception, and they started proposing toast to the bride and groom.

And it seemed like in unison, like it was a stage play, everybody in the room raised their glasses in unison and hollered,

Here, here.

And my husband and I looked at each other, and we’d never heard that before.

So I’m wondering where that originates from and where it comes from.

-huh.

Nikki, where did you say you’re from?

I’m from Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Oh, okay.

Apparently, we don’t visit enough bars or something.

I don’t know.

Or good enough weddings.

Wait a minute.

Come on, let’s put the positive spin on that.

Okay, so you’re at this wedding, and people are raising their glasses,

And they’re saying, here, here.

And are you thinking, where, where, or what?

Well, yes, it just didn’t seem appropriate.

I mean, we’re all there, so why were they saying here, here?

I don’t know.

Oh, but it’s a different one.

It’s a different one, isn’t it, Martha?

Yeah, I thought the same thing for so many years, Kay.

Why is somebody saying here as opposed to there or where or whatever?

But we do actually say there, there now.

We do say there, there.

But this is here, here.

But it’s a different here, here.

It’s H-E-A-R.

Oh, okay.

Yeah, the traditional expression was, hear him, hear him, which is a way of everybody sort of agreeing with what the person just said.

I see.

Give the guy a listen.

Well, they were all agreeing with the toast that they proposed, so I guess that makes sense.

Right. There you go.

Have you ever spent any time in courtrooms?

There’s a similar thing that happens when the bailiff calls out before the judge enters the room.

They’ll often say, oh, yeah, oh, yeah, which is from Old French meaning the same thing.

Oh, yeah.

Here, here.

So, Kay, what do you and your husband say when you clink glasses?

I don’t think we say anything.

You just get right to it, huh?

Yeah.

I don’t think we say anything.

I’m Irish, and he’s German, and you’d think we’d come up with something, wouldn’t you?

You would think.

Yes.

You would think.

Okay.

Well, does that help?

It’s hear him, hear him, only you don’t hear the him anymore.

Okay.

I will definitely tell my husband, and the next time I go to a wedding in Milwaukee,

I will definitely wait to hear for Hear Here.

Okay.

Sounds good.

Yes, this has been fun.

Thank you.

Thanks for calling, Kate.

Bye-bye.

Bye-bye.

Bye-bye.

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