hoot

拟声词，模仿猫头鹰叫声，后也用于指喇叭叫。比较honk.

hoot (v.)

"to call or shout in disapproval or scorn," c. 1600, probably related to or a variant of Middle English houten, huten "to shout, call out" (c. 1200), probably ultimately imitative. First used of bird cries, especially that of the owl, mid-15c. Related: Hooted; hooting. As a noun from mid-15c. Meaning "a laugh, something funny" is first recorded 1942. Slang sense of "smallest amount or particle" (the hoot you don't give when you don't care) is from 1891.

"A dod blasted ole fool!" answered the captain, who, till now, had been merely an amused on-looker. "Ye know all this rumpus wont do nobuddy a hoot o' good--not a hoot." ["Along Traverse Shores," Traverse City, Michigan, 1891]

Hooter in the same sense is from 1839.

HOOTER. Probably a corruption of iota. Common in New York in such phrases as "I don't care a hooter for him." "This note ain't worth a hooter." [John Russell Bartlett, "Dictionary of Americanisms," 1877]

1. Michael Fish is my favourite. He's a hoot, a real character.

我最喜欢迈克尔·菲什。他滑稽逗趣，是个实实在在的人物。

2. I can be very rude to motorists who hoot at me.

对那些朝我按喇叭的司机我会很不客气。

3. They just don't give a hoot.

他们根本毫不在乎。

4. I never hoot my horn when I pick a girl up for a date.

我开车接女孩出去约会时从不按喇叭。

5. Mortlake strode on, ignoring the car, in spite of a further warning hoot.

莫特莱克继续大步前行，不理会那辆汽车，尽管它又鸣喇叭警告。