Cowabunga: What it means

You may have heard or read the term cowabunga before. In a Snoopy comic, for example

Cowabunga: That’s what it stands for

Cowabunga has many different meanings. However, it is always used as an exclamation.

• So it was originally used to show that you were surprised by something.

• But cowabunga was also used to express annoyance.

• Over time, however, the term also found application in the surfing scene and was used there as a greeting.

• Through this change, it was no longer only used for annoyances, but also as an expression of joy.

• Cowabunga can also be used to express any other emotion.

• This is why cowanbunga is also described as an interjection.

Origin and application

Cowabunga was first mentioned in the Howdy Doody Show. From then on, the word was used frequently.

• You hear it very often in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, for example.

• Surfers also like to use it when they are riding a great wave.

• Snoopy also shouts the word in a comic strip while standing on a surfboard.

• Even as a Simpsons fan, you may have heard it a time or two in the series.