spruik

English

Pronunciation

• IPA: /spruːk/

Etymology

Unknown, likely Germanic – compare Dutch spraak (“speech”).

Verb

spruik (third-person singular simple present spruiks, present participle spruiking, simple past and past participle spruiked)

1. (transitive, Australia) To promote a thing or idea to another person.
   • 1948, Louis Esson, Louis Esson and the Australian Theatre, page 18,

     There was no spruiking or showmanship, no flash shirts or ten-gallon hats.

   • 2008 December 30, Lennon spruiks laptop 28 years after his death, The Sydney Morning Herald.
   • 2011, Kylie Ofiu, Work as a spruiker, 365 Ways to Make Money, page 120,

     It can be a hard job, constantly on your feet, trying to think of things to say to lure people into the store you are spruiking for.

Synonyms

• (promote something to someone): pimp, pitch, tout

Derived terms

• spruiker

Translations

• Serbo-Croatian: uvaljivati (sh)

Anagrams

• prusik