lollapalooza
Americannoun
noun
Usage
Where does lollapalooza come from? Lollapalooza is an Americanism dating to the early 1900s (and name of a rock music festival starting in the 1990s). Its spelling has changed over time, so you might encounter such forms as lallapaloosa, lolapaloosa, and lallapalooza, in older written works. Where does it come from? That’s unknown, but it is probably just a whimsical formation—perfect for referring to something extraordinary. Many more amusing Americanisms await in our slideshow "These Wacky Words Originated In The USA."
Etymology
Origin of lollapalooza
An Americanism dating back to 1900–05; origin uncertain
Explanation
A lollapalooza is anything that's a really awesome member of the category it's in. If you went to a great party, with marvelous music and fantastic food, you could describe it as a lollapalooza. This word has been around since at least the late 1800s, and it's been spelled many different ways. "Lallapalootza," "lallapaloosa," "lallapaloozer," "lollapaloosa," and "lalapalooza" are just some of the versions you might see in older texts. The word's way of being pronounced has also been different, with the first "a" sound sometimes being pronounced like "cat" and sometimes being pronounced like "car," and with the "z" sometimes being pronounced as z and sometimes as s. Its origin is unknown — a real lollapalooza of a mystery.
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.
This riotous lollapalooza, which also took its beginnings from an L.A. remembrance, namely a party in Venice Beach 40 years earlier, opens with the Carl Sandburg line “The past is a bucket of ashes.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2022
At Amazon’s yearly lollapalooza of gadget announcements, the company typically announces literally dozens of new Alexa-connected devices.
From The Verge • Sep. 28, 2021
Midway through Spike Lee’s delightful documentary of the David Byrne lollapalooza that opened on Broadway in 2019, I found myself swaying in my living room.
From New York Times • Sep. 17, 2020
Raksany agrees that the goal of the climate lollapalooza was to get people hooked on Antarctica and the wonders of exploration.
From Science Magazine • Jun. 30, 2015
You get lollapalooza effects when two, three or four forces are all operating in the same direction.
From Time • Feb. 25, 2015
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.
