foofaraw

American  

[foo-fuh-raw] / ˈfu fəˌrɔ /

noun

1. a great fuss or disturbance about something very insignificant.

2. an excessive amount of decoration or ornamentation, as on a piece of clothing, a building, etc.

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Usage

Where does foofaraw come from? A foofaraw is either "a great fuss about something insignificant" or "an excessive amount of decoration."Etymologists think the word, which evidence now suggests is recorded in the American West in the mid-1800s, is based on the French fanfaron, "boastful," and Spanish fanfarrón, "vain, arrogant." These words are apparently meant to sound "showy," like a fanfare. Many more amusing Americanisms await in our slideshow "These Wacky Words Originated In The USA."

Etymology

Origin of foofaraw

First recorded in 1845–50; originally a regional word on the western frontier of the U.S.; further etymology uncertain; possibly from Spanish fanfarrón, a noun and adjective meaning “braggart, boaster” (perhaps from Arabic farfār “talkative”); perhaps also from French fanfaron, a noun and adjective with the same meanings as the Spanish, the French dialect form fanfarou perhaps also having contributed

Explanation

A foofaraw is a big fuss over something trivial, like a heated argument about which way to hang the toilet paper, or an overly fancy decoration that doesn't suit the scenery. The word foofaraw likely originated in the American West in the 19th century. It may have evolved from the Spanish fanfarria, meaning "fanfare," or the French froufrou, an originally onomatopoeic word for the rustling of women's fancy skirts, now used to describe very fancy or showy things. Similarly, foofaraw is often used to describe an excessive amount of ornate decoration or anything that’s all flash and little substance. By extension, it also refers to a big fuss created by blowing minor details out of proportion.

Example Sentences

We hate to report it, but report it we must: There was some procedural foofaraw in the Senate Judiciary Committee this week.

From Slate • Jan. 15, 2022

Jemisin’s successes were caught up in the foofaraw, too.

From The New Yorker • Jan. 20, 2020

I assumed it was there as a response to all of this foofaraw, but it’s not that at all.

From The Verge • Aug. 8, 2019

But it’s so dense with serious world literature of every stripe, and so absent trinkets and elaborate bookmarks and candles and other foofaraw, that it’s a Platonic ideal.

From New York Times • Mar. 11, 2019

All the fuss and feathers and foofaraw were over.

From Anything You Can Do ... by Garrett, Randall