Tuesday 14 July 2015

Huhwhy

Huhwhy: interjection. The word huhwhy is a contraction of the words "huh" and "why" and is usually followed by one question mark and one exclamation mark. Used to express surprise and bewilderment, the word huhwhy is where the name of Hawaii comes from. According to sources whose anonymity we are legally bound to protect, the name stuck following a conversation of the first white colonist with a Hawaiian tribal leader. This conversation has been reconstructed by the US department of culture and can be found here:

Tribal leader: Here, we worship the gods of the volcano.

Colonist: Huhwhy?!

Tribal leader: Because they are the ones hold the power to destroy us.

Colonist: Huhwhy?!

Tribal leader: Because our country is found on a tectonic plate passing over plumes of heightened volcanic activity (which are also known as hot spots) and the rising magma from beneath the earth's crust often bursts through, thus forming a volcano with gently sloping sides, as opposed to Plinian volcanoes which are cone shaped and occur on destructive plate boundaries.

Colonist: Huhwhy?!  

Tribal leader: Nevermind. Would you like to ride a plank of wood on the top of twenty feet tall waves?

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