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foofaraw
[ foo-fuh-raw ]
noun
- a great fuss or disturbance about something very insignificant.
- an excessive amount of decoration or ornamentation, as on a piece of clothing, a building, etc.
Word History and Origins
Origin of foofaraw1
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More About Foofaraw
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.”
Did you know … ?
Foofaraw’s notion of making a big deal out of something insignificant is similar to the expression make a mountain out of a molehill. And foofaraw’s sense of excessive decoration can be conveyed using the noun forms of such adjectives as garish, gaudy, or ostentatious.
And if you’re looking for more synonyms for foofaraw, make some commotion or fuss on Thesaurus.com. Flaunt your vocab; we don’t think it’s showy. (See what we did there?)
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