ballyhoo

English

WOTD – 12 June 2006

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bæliˈhuː/

• Audio (US):

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• Audio (Australia):

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Etymology 1

Uncertain. Perhaps a shortening of the Irish village Ballyhooly, known for its rowdiness.

Noun

ballyhoo (plural ballyhoos)

1. (informal) Sensational or clamorous advertising or publicity.
2. (informal) Noisy shouting or uproar.
   • 1981, “Elephant Talk”, in Discipline, performed by King Crimson:

     Talk, it's only talk / Babble, burble, banter / Bicker, bicker, bicker / Brouhaha, balderdash, ballyhoo / It's only talk / Back talk

Synonyms

• hoopla

Derived terms

• ballyhooer

Translations

sensational or clamorous advertising or publicity

• Bulgarian: сензация (bg) (senzacija), патърдия (patărdija)
• French: battage (fr) m
• Russian: шуми́ха (ru) f (šumíxa), сенса́ция (ru) f (sensácija)

noise shouting or uproar

• Bulgarian: шум (bg) (šum), врява (bg) (vrjava)
• German: Klamauk (de) m
• Macedonian: шум m (šum)
• Russian: шум (ru) m (šum), гам (ru) m (gam)
• Spanish: alboroto (es), jaleo (es)

Verb

ballyhoo (third-person singular simple present ballyhoos, present participle ballyhooing, simple past and past participle ballyhooed)

1. (informal, transitive) To sensationalize or make grand claims.
   • 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Fireside Chat (7 May):

     Industry has picked up, railroads are carrying more freight, farm prices are better, but I am not going to indulge in issuing proclamations of over-enthusiastic assurance. We cannot ballyhoo ourselves back to prosperity.

Translations

to sensationalize or make grand claims

• German: marktschreierisch anpreisen
• Spanish: alborotar (es)

Related terms

• ballyhooed (adjective)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Spanish balajú.

Noun

ballyhoo (plural ballyhoos or ballyhoo)

1. Certain species in family Hemiramphidae, inshore, surface-dwelling needlefish forming sizeable schools.
   1. Hemiramphus brasiliensis

Translations

species of needlefish

• Finnish: brasiliannokkakala
• French: aiguillette (fr) f

Etymology 3

Possibly from Spanish balahú (“schooner”).

Noun

ballyhoo (plural ballyhoos)

1. An unseaworthy or slovenly ship.

References

• Michael Quinion (2004), “Ballyhoo”, in Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books in association with Penguin Books, →ISBN.