va-va-voom

Meaning

Interjection

• Expressing that something is lively, sexy, passionate, and/or exciting.

Origin

• The first documented use of the phrase is on the April 21, 1949 episode of The Morey Amsterdam Show. Art Carney portrays "Newton the waiter" in a sketch and uses the phrase. He later recorded a song entitled "Va Va Va Voom" (1954). It was popularized a year later by car mechanic Nick in the Hollywood classic Kiss Me Deadly (1955), which helped the catchphrase to be remembered and reused many decades later in advertisements and pop songs.