ballyhoo
[noun bal-ee-hoo; verb bal-ee-hoo, bal-ee-hoo]
- a clamorous and vigorous attempt to win customers or advance any cause; blatant advertising or publicity.
- clamor or outcry.
- a halfbeak, Hemiramphus brasiliensis, inhabiting both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
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- to advertise or push by ballyhoo.
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Origin of ballyhoo
An Americanism dating back to 1830–40; of uncertain origin
Synonyms
See more synonyms for ballyhoo on Thesaurus.com1. buildup, hoopla, fanfare; hype.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for ballyhooed
Contemporary Examples
None of the candidates in the ballyhooed “commander-in-chief debate” in South Carolina offered a very commanding performance.
The truth of the matter is that England, for all its ballyhooed history, is a minor traditional power.
Historical Examples
The show was ballyhooed the whole week while the work went on.
Prologue to an AnalogueLeigh Richmond
I confessed how I ballyhooed at the door of an embroidery shop whenever a ship loosed English passengers for a two-hour visit.
Where the Pavement EndsJohn Russell
Jim was stupefied to find himself once more pilloried and portraited and ballyhooed in the newspapers.
We Can't Have EverythingRupert Hughes
ballyhoo
- a noisy, confused, or nonsensical situation or uproar
- sensational or blatant advertising or publicity
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- (tr) mainly US to advertise or publicize by sensational or blatant methods
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Word Origin
C19: of uncertain origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for ballyhooed
ballyhoo
n.
"publicity, hype," 1908, from circus slang, "a short sample of a sideshow" (1901), of unknown origin. There is a village of Ballyhooly in County Cork, Ireland. In nautical lingo, ballahou or ballahoo (1867, perhaps 1836) meant "an ungainly vessel," from Spanish balahu "schooner."
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper