ballyhoo
American Heritage Dictionary:
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bal·ly·hoo
(băl'ē-hū') 
n., pl., -hoos.
To advertise or publicize by sensational methods.
n., pl., -hoos.
- Sensational or clamorous advertising or publicity.
- Noisy shouting or uproar.
To advertise or publicize by sensational methods.
[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.
Roget's Thesaurus:
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ballyhoo
noun
- A systematic effort or part of this effort to increase the importance or reputation of by favorable publicity: advertisement, buildup, promotion, publicity, puffery. Informal pitch, plug. Slang hype. See knowledge/ignorance.
verb
- To make known vigorously the positive features of (a product): advertise, build up, cry (up), popularize, promote, publicize, talk up. Informal pitch, plug. Slang push. See knowledge/ignorance.
- To increase or seek to increase the importance or reputation of by favorable publicity: boost, build up, enhance, promote, publicize, puff, talk up, tout. Informal plug. Slang hype. See knowledge/ignorance.
Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang:
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ballyhoo
noun
noun, orig US
Excessive noise, fuss, publicity, etc.
Economist The event was surrounded by the sort of ballyhoo you might expect if Toyota had taken over GM itself (1988).
[From an earlier application to a fairground showman's touting speech; ultimate origin unknown.]
noun, orig US
Excessive noise, fuss, publicity, etc.
Economist The event was surrounded by the sort of ballyhoo you might expect if Toyota had taken over GM itself (1988).
[From an earlier application to a fairground showman's touting speech; ultimate origin unknown.]
| bally, ballsy, balls-up | |
| balmy, baloney, bamboozle |
Random House Word Menu:
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categories related to 'ballyhoo'
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Ballyhoo
For other uses, see Ballyhoo (disambiguation).
| Ballyhoo | |
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| 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]
Name
The name ballyhoo comes from the native Brazilian Tupí–Guaraní term "b'ayi hyo" meaning "penis fish". [1]
References
- ^ Caralho, Jao de(1993) Peixes de Ámérica do Sul, p.112, Universidade de Rio de Janeiro
- "Hemiramphus brasiliensis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=165460. Retrieved 24 January 2006.
- Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2005). "Hemiramphus brasiliensis" in FishBase. November 2005 version.
 |
This order beloniformes related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
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Translations:
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Ballyhoo
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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American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 byHoughton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang
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Wikipedia on Answers.com
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Ballyhoo.
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