How do you pronounce boomshakalaka?

The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbuːmˌʃɑkəˌlɑkə/.

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

boomshakalaka

/ˈbuːmˌʃɑkəˌlɑkə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Scrabble Score

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intj

Slang

noun

Slang

Uncertain, but likely from the filler syllables boom-laka-laka-laka in the lyrics to the song “I Want to Take You Higher” (1969) by Sly and the Family Stone, which appeared as the corruption boom-shaka-laka-laka in subsequent covers; the modern shortened form boomshakalaka, as an apparent reference to “I Want to Take You Higher”, appeared in the military comedy film Stripes (1981). From there, a scriptwriter for the video game NBA Jam (1993) adopted it as onomatopoeic for a slam dunk in lines voiced by Tim Kitzrow, popularizing its use.

boom shakalaka (alternative) boomshakalakas (plural)

How do you pronounce boomshakalaka?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbuːmˌʃɑkəˌlɑkə/.
What does boomshakalaka mean?: An exclamation expressing dominance, excitement, joy, or triumph.
Where does boomshakalaka come from?: Uncertain, but likely from the filler syllables boom-laka-laka-laka in the lyrics to the song “I Want to Take You Higher” (1969) by Sly and the Family Stone, which appeared as the corruption boom-shaka-laka-laka in subsequent covers; the modern shortened form boomshakalaka, as an apparent reference to “I Want to Take You Higher”, appeared in the military comedy film Stripes (1981). From there, a scriptwriter for the video game NBA Jam (1993) adopted it as onomatopoeic for a slam dunk in lines voiced by Tim Kitzrow, popularizing its use.

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