When you read "Boooo!"...

Do you initially read it as a jeer, or a scare? Minus any context initially provided of course.

I read the title of this topic as a jeer. Multiple Os for jeers, and two Os for scares.

I'd answer that but the idea of keeping my gender ambiguous is too amusing to give up.

edited 27th Sep '13 5:28:13 PM by NesClassic

Basically what (s)he said.

edited 27th Sep '13 5:22:21 PM by Brahian1

Then again, what if it's a short jeer, or a long scare?

Yes, booooooo should be concluded with a hiss.

I read it as a jeer.

I think a written out jeer has to have a three "o" minimum, so it would be sort of hard to express a shorter one. But, for a longer scare, I've seen it done as "boOoOoOoOo" occasionally.

But some writers and proofreaders do not approve of strings of more than two of the same letter. How would the jeering be represented?

I think it relies on context in that case. Otherwise, I agree with the second post.

I read it as an unfinished "boobs".

No, I really did think it was building up to a boobs joke.

I think it needs four more O's, but that's because roleplaying Vriska has gotten me on letters repeating 8 times. (And that B should be an 8 too— *is stabbed*)

On a more on-topic note, if there's more than 2-3 O's it's a jeer, unless done in allcaps or alternating caps. So "Boooooooo!" would be a jeer but "BOOOOOOOO!" and "BoOoOoOoO!" are spooky ghosts.

The jeer makes more sense, but my initial thought was a scare. I read that as, I guess.

I read it as a scare, myself.

For me two "O"s is a scare. More than that is a jeer. Reason: the scary "Boo!" is most often short and sharp. The elongated, wailing noise a ghost makes is "Whoooooooo!"