a bit of oomph
extra power or energy
TRANSLATION
a bit of oomph = ein bisschen Schwung (woerterbuch.info) --- GOOGLE INDEX a bit of oomph: approximately 24,000 hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
The accompanying torque and power boost should give the Aston Martin Vantage that BIT OF OOMPH it was missing.
(www.motorauthority.com)
---
And so, once you make that decision, then you have to rely upon an international organisation like the United Nations to provide the OOMPH...
- U.S. President George W. Bush in a BBC interview
(www.motorauthority.com)
---
And so, once you make that decision, then you have to rely upon an international organisation like the United Nations to provide the OOMPH...
- U.S. President George W. Bush in a BBC interview
Did you
know?
a bit of oomph
noun phrase
- extra power, strength or energetic activity
(Compact Oxford English Dictionary)
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WORD ORIGIN
Oomph is an example of what are referred to as imitative words. The Oxford Dictionary says imitative words " reproduce a natural sound or are pronounced in a way thought to correspond to the appearance or character of the object or action described."
Oomph is thought to come from the forceful sound of being hit in the belly. Imagine a boxer who takes a punch to the midsection and you can almost hear him/her say something like "oomph!" Thus oomph is synonymous with power and strength.
Imitative words are also described as "onomatopoetic," a term of Greek origin used by experts that literally means to make (poiein) a name (onoma). This is why we have words such as buzz (like a bee) and pop (like a champagne cork for instance). A fun and interesting exercise is to listen to the sound an animal makes and then determine the corresponding word in different languages.
The sound of a small bird
English = cheep/chirp
German = piep piep
French = ciu ciu
Greek = tsiou tsiou
Italian = chip
Spanish = pío pío
Dutch = tjiep
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SYNONYMS
animation, ardour, drive, effectiveness, endurance, exertion, fire, force, fortitude, get-up-and-go, initiative, intensity, juice, life, liveliness, might, moxie, muscle, pep, pizzazz, pluck, power, punch, spirit, stamina, steam, strength, vigour, vim, vitality, zeal, zest, zing, zip
(Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus)
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ANTONYMS
inertia, lethargy, sluggishness
(Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus)
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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"Presentations need to have a bit of oomph to be effective."
noun phrase
- extra power, strength or energetic activity
(Compact Oxford English Dictionary)
---
WORD ORIGIN
Oomph is an example of what are referred to as imitative words. The Oxford Dictionary says imitative words " reproduce a natural sound or are pronounced in a way thought to correspond to the appearance or character of the object or action described."
Oomph is thought to come from the forceful sound of being hit in the belly. Imagine a boxer who takes a punch to the midsection and you can almost hear him/her say something like "oomph!" Thus oomph is synonymous with power and strength.
Imitative words are also described as "onomatopoetic," a term of Greek origin used by experts that literally means to make (poiein) a name (onoma). This is why we have words such as buzz (like a bee) and pop (like a champagne cork for instance). A fun and interesting exercise is to listen to the sound an animal makes and then determine the corresponding word in different languages.
The sound of a small bird
English = cheep/chirp
German = piep piep
French = ciu ciu
Greek = tsiou tsiou
Italian = chip
Spanish = pío pío
Dutch = tjiep
---
SYNONYMS
animation, ardour, drive, effectiveness, endurance, exertion, fire, force, fortitude, get-up-and-go, initiative, intensity, juice, life, liveliness, might, moxie, muscle, pep, pizzazz, pluck, power, punch, spirit, stamina, steam, strength, vigour, vim, vitality, zeal, zest, zing, zip
(Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus)
---
ANTONYMS
inertia, lethargy, sluggishness
(Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus)
---
SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"Presentations need to have a bit of oomph to be effective."
