A "hoot" is the sound made by an owl. Metaphorically, a "hoot" is also a loud laugh. So a "hoot and a half" is a very funny experience which makes a person laugh a lot.

I agree with the English Coach, "it's a hoot and a half" means it's a very funny comment or an experience that is extremely fun. However, just to show you the pure joy of English, there is also another meaning of hoot, and oddly it is just the opposite. "I don't give a hoot." means "I really don't dare." So sometimes, hoot is good, and sometimes it is not!!

for Lynne your words is so alive ,thereby letting me imagine those scenarios and link to my own experience existed in my life .And those words interweave with my Chinese words .you are not only just teaching me language stuff but also giving me a feeling of sophisticated life experience and cultural similarity .impressed me a lot . I truly appreciate your help

On the "half" part of that expression, we can use "and a half" in other expressions, too. You can also say: He or she is a laugh and a half. A person might be 100% comical. Another person that is a hoot and a half or a laugh and a half is: 150% comical. This might have originated from someone in high school when they were so absorbed in their math class. Maybe the math teacher was talking about percentages as in 150% = one and a half of something, plus the math teacher was very funny. Thus, laugh and a half or hoot and a half was invented. I think I've had too much coffee to have produced this scenario.

Oops! I meant both people as they are seen here below....... (not above).