hullabaloo
noun

- a loud noise made by people who are angry or annoyed; a lot of angry comments made in public about someone or something

- an uproar or a noisy commotion, especially the sound of a bunch of people shouting in protest about something

- a loud, continued noise or mixture of noises

The Cambridge Dictionary / Dictionary dot com / Merriam-Webster

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WORD ORIGIN

The late 19th century Scottish lexicographer James A. H. Murray wrote to friends asking for help in locating a quotation from Scottish poet Tobias Smollett. The quotation, which was traced back to 1762, contained the word “hullabaloo” for the first time in print.

As print usually follows spoken usage, etymologists have put forward diverse origin theories:

- From hallelujah, the Christian expression of worship.

- From hurly-burly or hubbub, the latter of which allegedly evolved from a Celtic war cry.

- From the Latin ululates, which means howling.

- From the French hunting cry bas le loup (bring down the wolf).

- From the Irish place name Ballahooly.

- From the Turkish kalabalik, which has the same sense as hullabaloo.

While dictionary definitions refer to the literal sense of loud noises created by angry people, “hullabaloo” is more often used figuratively these days, such as when people respond angrily to a situation via print or social media.

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SYNONYMS

- heated and prolonged public dissension over an issue

ado, agitation, altercation, apple of discord, argy-bargy, back-and-forth, barney, battle royal, bickering, big scene, blow-up, bedlam, brouhaha, bunfight, bust-up, carry-on, catfight, cause célèbre, clamour, commotion, confrontation, controversy, cross fire, ding-dong, disturbance, donnybrook, dust-up, embroilment, face-off, falling-out, fireworks, flap, flare-up, fracas, free-for-all, furore, hoo-ha, hubbub, hue and cry, HULLABALOO, kerfuffle, kickup, knock down and drag out, ruckus, rumpus, scene, set-to, shindig, shindy, shouting/slanging match, song and dance, to-do, uproar

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