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Jan 2, 2020
This week’s theme
Americanisms

This week’s words
humdinger
ripsnorter
ballyhoo
foofaraw
lollapalooza

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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

foofaraw

PRONUNCIATION:
(FOO-fuh-raw)

MEANING:
noun:
1. Excessive or unnecessary ornamentation.
2. Fuss; commotion.

ETYMOLOGY:
Foofaraw is a word from the American West, but how was it formed? Nobody knows. Perhaps from French fanfaron or Spanish fanfarrón. Earliest documented use: 1848.

USAGE:
“The foofaraw included a fake grass skirt undulating from the rear bumper.”
Kelly O’Dell Stanley; Praying Upside Down; Tyndale; 2015.

Sometimes, even unicorns don’t care for the foofaraw. Check out this cartoon from The New Yorker.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right. -Isaac Asimov, scientist and writer (2 Jan 1920-1992)

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