ballyhoo
noun/verb

- sensational or clamorous advertising or publicity

- noisy shouting or uproar

(American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

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WORD ORIGIN

The origin of ballyhoo has been the subject of much speculation. This spelling has actually been used for four different words:

- ballyhoo, sensational advertising
- ballyhoo, a spelling of balao, a Caribbean garfish (the halfbeak)
- ballyhoo, an imaginary comic bird (more on this later)
- ballyhoo, a derogatory term used by sailors to describe an unpopular ship

This last ballyhoo (first recorded in 1836) was thought to be related to, or the same as, the word ballahou, from Spanish balahú, a type of schooner common in the Antilles. First recorded in 1867, ballahou, besides being a term for a specific kind of ship, was also used contemptuously of inferior ships. But the connection between these sailing terms or the name of the fish and our word ballyhoo, first recorded in 1901, has not been established. The only connection is that both of these definitions have their roots in the Caribbean region.

There may, however, be a tie between ballyhoo and the creature called a ballyhoo bird. According to a July 1880 article in Harper's magazine, the bird had four wings and two heads and could whistle through one beak while singing through the other. Back then, people were sometimes sent out to hunt for the ballyhoo bird. There is unfortunately no evidence that a specimen was ever found.

(adapted from the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

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SYNONYMS

(as in hype)
advertisement, build-up, fuss, hoopla, hype, plug, promotion, propaganda, publicity, touting

(as in noise)
babel, clamour, din, hubbub, hullabaloo, pandemonium, racket, rumpus, tumult, uproar

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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:

"What do you think about all the ballyhoo concerning the new product launch?"