Which one is it really: hear hear or here here? Where does the saying really come from?
Learn English – “Hear hear” or “here here”
etymologyexpressions
etymologyexpressions
Which one is it really: hear hear or here here? Where does the saying really come from?
Best Answer
It's "Hear! Hear!" which comes from "Hear him! Hear him!"
"Hear him! Hear him!"
"Hear him! Hear him!" was referred to in Debates in Parliament in 1688, and from the context it's clear it was a commonly heard phrase at the time.
Seymour continues, and is followed by:
"Hear! Hear!"
A interesting non-parliamentary use of "hear, hear" can be found in a 1770 A Letter to Lord Mansfield. A North Briton Extraordinary:
Note the parenthetic interjections to the quoted text:
Originally from 1772 is what looks to be a satire on parliament in The Batchelor: or Speculations of Jeoffry Wagstaffe, Esq, Volume 3 that shows a transitional "hear, hear him":
Finally, in 1777 is an actual transcription of "Hear! Hear!" in The Parliamentary register: or, History of the Proceedings and Debates of the House of Commons: