from go to woe?

[albatross521]

saw this phrase at stuff.co.nz.

"FROM GO TO WOE: Former navy man Norm Greenall with the Canterbury's propeller. He says such items have been in high demand as the ship undergoes decommisioning."

what does it mean?

[jno]

it's usually 'from go to whoa' - 'whoa' is the usual spelling of the noise you make when telling a horse to stop, but it is pronounced pretty much the same as 'woe'. So 'from go to whoa' means from the beginning to the end.

I'm not sure why it's spelt 'woe' here - woe means sadness. Maybe stuff just can't spell, or maybe it's thinking that it's sad when a warship is broken up.

[albatross521]

thanks galore jno.
I think it expresses sadness.