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fuss and feathers

American  

noun

  1. an excessively elaborate or pretentious display; ostentation.

fuss and feathers Idioms  

  1. Needless commotion and display, as in There was so much fuss and feathers over the award ceremony that I decided not to attend. This expression probably survives because of its appealing alliteration. [Mid-1800s]

Etymology

Origin of fuss and feathers

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The beauty of this sweeping movie lies not only in the acting, though we could save fuss and feathers and give Cumberbatch the Oscar right now.

From US News • Dec. 2, 2014

As for the purpose of the President's stop-and-go entrance into New York, the official explanation was that he wanted no "fuss and feathers."

From Time Magazine Archive

He lived simply and hated fuss and feathers.

From Time Magazine Archive

More of Mae Murray's fuss and feathers thinly disguised as acting.

From Time Magazine Archive

Leaning head to head, speaking low, men grumbled at all this fuss and feathers and Army stuff.

From The Covered Wagon by Hough, Emerson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.