hullabaloo

American  

[huhl-uh-buh-loo] / ˈhʌl ə bəˌlu /

noun

plural

hullabaloos

1. a clamorous noise or disturbance; uproar.

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hullabaloo British  

/ ˌhʌləbəˈluː /

noun

1. loud confused noise, esp of protest; commotion

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Usage

What does hullabaloo mean? A hullabaloo is an uproar or a noisy commotion, especially the sound of a bunch of people shouting in protest about something. A hullabaloo doesn’t have to be literally noisy—the word can also be used to refer to all the talk and commentary surrounding a controversy, such as on social media. Because hullabaloo sounds a little silly, it’s often used to be funny. Example: There was a big hullabaloo at the parents’ meeting when it was announced that brownies wouldn’t be allowed at the bake sale.

Etymology

Origin of hullabaloo

1750–60; apparently variant of haloobaloo, rhyming compound based on Scots baloo lullaby

Explanation

Hullabaloo is a lovely term for a fuss or commotion, usually over something of little or no importance, like a celebrity's new hair style. Save hullabaloo for the trivial fuss. Anything of real importance — a war, a murder, for example — merits a more serious term like "disturbance" or "outcry." Hullabaloo allegedly comes from the sound of lots of people saying "Hullo!" Hullo!" In other words, it's an onomatopoeic word, that is to say it sounds like its meaning, like hiss or tick tock or oink. Curious fact: there's no plural to hullabaloo: hullabaloos is not a word.

Example Sentences

The production values are hilarious, particularly the atomic age Hullabaloo set where Strong and her backup dancers perform.

From Slate • Dec. 15, 2019

I mention the literary scene, the Franklin Park Reading Series, Hullabaloo Books and a series I run for emerging writers.

From New York Times • Feb. 21, 2014

This show was about Nazis and aliens and that time Jessica Lange briefly turned her brain into a mental hospital version of Hullabaloo.

From Slate • Jan. 24, 2013

"The internal integrity of those mythologies should be acknowledged and respected," he writes in a Jan. 25 blog post titled "The Heimdall Hullabaloo."

From Salon • Apr. 20, 2011

The Daily Hullabaloo says—Shine, boss?—But she wouldn't cut it on the bias, because she thought—Read the Evening Slop-Bucket!

From The Journal of Arthur Stirling : the Valley of the Shadow by Sinclair, Upton