
[Origin unknown.]
WORD HISTORY The origin of ballyhoo has been the subject of much speculation. This spelling has actually been used for four different words: ballyhoo, "sensational advertising"; ballyhoo, a spelling of balao, a kind of fish; ballyhoo, a part of the name ballyhoo bird, about which more later; and ballyhoo, a sailor's epithet for an unpopular ship. This last ballyhoo (first recorded in 1836) was thought to be related to, or the same as, the word ballahou, from Spanish balahú, "a type of schooner common in the Antilles." First recorded in 1867, ballahou, besides being a term for a specific kind of ship, was also used contemptuously of inferior ships. But the connection between these sailing terms or the name of the fish and our word ballyhoo, first recorded in 1901, has not been established. There may, however, be a tie between ballyhoo and the creature called a ballyhoo bird. According to a July 1880 article in Harper's, the bird had four wings and two heads and could whistle through one bill while singing through the other. Anyone who has ever been on a snipe hunt will know what hunting ballyhoo birds was like.
noun
verb
| bally, ballsy, balls-up | |
| balmy, baloney, bamboozle |
| Ballyhoo | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Beloniformes |
| Family: | Hemiramphidae |
| Genus: | Hemiramphus |
| Species: | H. brasiliensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Hemiramphus brasiliensis (Linnaeus, 1758) |
|
The ballyhoo or bally, Hemiramphus brasiliensis, is a baitfish of the halfbeak family (Hemiramphidae). It is similar to the Balao halfbeak (Hemiramphus balao). Ballyhoo are frequently used as cut bait and for trolling purposes by saltwater sportsmen.[citation needed]
Ballyhoo can also be seen above the waters skimming the surface to escape from their predators. The appearance is similar to skipping stones on the water.[citation needed]
The name ballyhoo comes from the native Brazilian Tupí–Guaraní term "b'ayi hyo" meaning "penis fish". [1]
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - larm og ballade, stor opstandelse
v. tr. - slåen på tromme, overdreven markedsføring
Nederlands (Dutch)
sensationele reclame, trammelant
Français (French)
n. - battage (péj), bourrage de crâne, balivernes
v. tr. - faire du tapage autour de
Deutsch (German)
n. - Rummel, Geschrei
v. - Reklamerummel veranstalten
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - σάλος, σαματάς, (διαφημιστικός) θόρυβος, πάταγος, φούμαρα, κουραφέξαλα
v. - δημιουργώ σάλο, κάνω σαματά, διαφημίζω προκλητικά
Italiano (Italian)
strombazzata pubblicitaria, pubblicità sensazionale
Português (Portuguese)
n. - propaganda (f) barulhenta, sensacionalismo (m)
v. - alardear, fazer propaganda (de)
Русский (Russian)
вопли, шумиха
Español (Spanish)
n. - bombo publicitario, jaleo, tontería, propaganda exagerada o sensacionalista
v. tr. - alardear, publicitar, propagandear
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - ståhej
v. - göra invändningar
中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
大肆宣传, 喧噪, 大吹大擂, 大吹大擂地宣扬
中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 大肆宣傳, 喧噪, 大吹大擂
v. tr. - 大吹大擂地宣揚
한국어 (Korean)
n. - 엉터리 선전
v. tr. - 과장 선전을 하다
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 誇大広告, 騒々しい宣伝, 大騒ぎ
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) دعايه مضلله, ضجه مفتعله (فعل) أقام ضجه مفتعله
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - פרסומת רעשנית
v. tr. - השמיע קול חזק
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