highfalutin

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Alternative spellings 1.2 Etymology 1.3 Pronunciation 1.4 Adjective 1.4.1 Translations

[edit] English

[edit] Alternative spellings

• hifalutin
• highfaluting
• high falutin

[edit] Etymology

In his book, The Adventure of English, Melvyn Bragg records that in a nascent America, when the well-to-do travelled by steamboat, said passengers were referred to as highfalutin due to the high fluted funnels on the boats.

Cf. riffraff.

[edit] Pronunciation

• (US) IPA: /ˌhaɪ.fəˈlu.tɨn/, /ˈhaɪ.fəˌlu.tɨn/
•  Audio (US)^{help, file}

[edit] Adjective

highfalutin (comparative more highfalutin, superlative most highfalutin)

1. (US, informal) Self-important, pompous; arrogant or egotistical; tending to show off or hold oneself in unduly high regard.

   It's only a matter of time before some highfalutin developer builds a huge hotel and ruins the scenery.

[edit] Translations