Fun and excitement, often wild or raucous enjoyment, or a prank involving a fake flatulence noise.
Possibly from Native American languages or from 'whoop' (a loud cry). Popularized in the 1920s Jazz Age, associated with carefree excitement and good times. The 'whoopee cushion' prank became a cultural icon in the mid-1900s.
The whoopee cushion is genuinely brilliant design—it's the same principle as a whoopee cushion used in 1890s theater, adapted for pranks. The word captures the spirit of Jazz Age irreverence, when young people wanted to have 'whoopee'—wild, silly, unapologetic fun that scandalized their parents.
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