
Though it sounds colloquial,
kudos finds its roots in the hallowed halls of academic institutions. At the turn of the 19th century, academics transliterated the Greek
kydos, meaning “praise or renown.” By the 1920s,
kudos had spread beyond the walls of universities and into the columns of newspapers. Don’t be fooled by the
s at the end of
kudos; it is, in fact, a singular noun. However, enough English speakers have erroneously interpreted this
s as a plural inflection that in the 1940s, the back formation singular
kudo arose. Grammar sticklers avoid using
kudo as a singular and
kudos as a plural, however, these both can be found in popular usage.

When congratulations are in order, the term
props might come up. This slang shortening of
proper arose in the 1990s and refers to respect and esteem. In addition to giving and receiving
props as recognition, you can do someone a
prop to help him or her out. In the 1995 film
Clueless, Cher notices that Josh is dancing with Tai, despite the fact that he never dances, to make her feel included. Cher explains: “He’s doing her a
prop so she won’t feel left out.”

The phrase
hats off, while often said to graduates wearing the illustrious cap and gown, has nothing to do with the tradition of tossing hats in the air in celebration. This phrase harks back to the custom of uncovering the head, or doffing the hat, as a sign of respect. Etiquette expert Emily Post advised gentlemen on the many situations in which they must remove hats to maintain politeness. In 1922 she wrote: “
A gentleman takes off his hat and holds it in his hand when a lady enters the elevator …” He also lifts his hat whenever he asks a question or says “
excuse me.”

This expression of congratulations and best wishes comes from the Hebrew term literally meaning “good luck.” Though many reserve the English
good luck for before a big event, it’s appropriate to shout
mazel tov! at any point during a celebration. The spelling
mazel tov entered English in the 1860s, though it appeared in the 1600s spelled as
missal tob. Whatever transliteration you prefer, the term has been lovingly said ever since.
“Felicitations” sounds kinda weird
Yeah it does ,kinda..
Also I am having hard time pronouncing it, heh
Hey! I’m at work surfing around your blog from my new apple iphone!
Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward to all your posts!
Keep up the fantastic work!
Wat a fantastic blog this is!
I like this blog!
can you please add the usage of these words.
this will be a great help.
kudos for your great work.