spruik
verb/spɹuːk/
Etymology Unknown, likely Germanic. Compare Dutch spraak (“speech”), spreek (“speak”), spreuk (“saying”), sprook (“a story, fiction, tale, or false idea”). First recorded in the late 1890s and early 1900s, suggesting a possible derivation from Afrikaans (i.e. brought back by soldiers returning from the Boer War). With the exception of a few early uses of sprook, the word's spelling has been fixed since it first entered the language. The uncommon ⟨ui⟩ digraph provides further evidence for an Afrikaans or Dutch origin.
1
Australia To promote a thing or idea to another person, usually informally.
- There was no spruiking or showmanship, no flash shirts or ten-gallon hats.1948, Louis Esson, Louis Esson and the Australian Theatre, page 18:
- Lennon spruiks laptop 28 years after his death [title]2008 December 30, “Lennon spruiks laptop 28 years after his death”, in The Sydney Morning Herald:
1 more example
- 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.2011, Kylie Ofiu, “Work as a spruiker”, in 365 Ways to Make Money, page 120:
- Derived terms
- spruiker