lookit
English
Etymology
Nonstandard reanalysis of look + at (that).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈlʊkɪt/
Interjection
lookit
- (colloquial, informal, Canada, US, Ireland) look, listen; see here, pay attention; the thing is, to be honest
- 2010 May 20, Lord, Miriam, quoting Dick Roche, “As asses roar it's business as usual in the chamber”, in The Irish Times:
- Ah lookit deputy, with all due respect to you, if you come in here and act like an ass that's exactly the label that you'll gain
- 2010 September 14, MacCabe, Rosemary, “MTV VMAs mark two: the young guns”, in The Irish Times:
- Lookit! I'm old enough now, I'll wear what I want!
- 2014 March 24, Williams, Paul; Sheahan, Fionnan; Griffin, Sam, “Mum tells gardai how drunk TD sent lewd message to schoolgirl”, in Irish Independent:
- Paddy said yesterday morning: "Lookit he didn't murder anybody. He is not a bad lad."
-
- (colloquial, informal, Canada, US) behold!; look at that; look here or there; look!
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:lo
- 2010, Viz, Anel, Fairies in the Bottom of the Garden, page 18:
- He went right on cackling, "Lookit lookit lookit. Oh Jesus, lookit. Lookit lookit." The blast had shattered all the windows, and flames were shooting out of all of them.
Usage notes
In 1999, William Safire called lookit “a widely used, if somewhat outdated, urban Americanism”.[1]
See also
- looky, look
- look at
References
- William Safire (13 June 1999), “On Language”, in New York Times Magazine