ballyhoo meaning (informal): definition, etymology and quotations

ballyhoo

noun

/bæliˈhuː/

Etymology A shortening of the Irish village Ballyhooly, known for its rowdiness.

Informal Sensational or clamorous advertising or publicity.

Informal Noisy shouting or uproar.

Talk, it's only talk / Babble, burble, banter / Bicker, bicker, bicker / Brouhaha, balderdash, ballyhoo / It's only talk / Back talk1981, “Elephant Talk”, in Discipline, performed by King Crimson:

verb

Etymology A shortening of the Irish village Ballyhooly, known for its rowdiness.

Informal To sensationalize or make grand claims.

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.1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Fireside Chat (7 May):

noun

Etymology Borrowed from Spanish balajú.

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

Hemiramphus brasiliensis

noun

Etymology Possibly from Spanish balahú (“schooner”).

An unseaworthy or slovenly ship.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.