blowhard
noun

- a boastful or pompous person

- a person who likes to talk about how important they are

The Cambridge Dictionary / Merriam-Webster  

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WORD ORIGIN

The earliest recorded use of the word "blowhard" is in a 1638 book by Thomas Fuller. In the book, Fuller uses the word to describe someone who "talks much and to no purpose."

Over time, the meaning of the word "blowhard" has expanded to include anyone who talks excessively or boastsfully. The word is often used to describe someone who is full of hot air and has nothing of substance to say.

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THE PUFFING BLOWHARD

In August 2017 The New Yorker printed an iconic cover showing Donald Trump sitting on a small boat and puffing into a sail — the cover story was titled "Blowhard!"

APROPOS PUFFING

- The average person breathes in the equivalent of 13 pints of air every minute and takes 17,000 breaths per day. This equals to around 725 million breaths over a lifetime.

- Most people can hold their breath for a maximum of 1-2 minutes, but on 27 March 2021, Budimir Šobat broke the record for the longest time breath-hold with a staggering time of 24 minutes 37.36 seconds.

- If your lungs were unfolded and expanded out to their fullest size, they would be roughly the size of a tennis court. They contain around 2,400 kilometers (1,500 miles) of airways.

- Psychologists have found that different breathing practices are effective in reducing anxiety, depression, and stress.

BOX BREATHING

1. Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose to the count of 4. Feel your abdomen expand as your lungs fill with air.

2. Hold your breath to the count of 4.

3. Exhale slowly through your mouth to the count of 4. Purse your lips slightly to control the exhale. Feel your abdomen contract.

4. Hold your breath again to the count of 4 before inhaling again.

5. Repeat for several breath cycles.

Perform box breathing whenever you need calmness. It can be done unobtrusively anywhere, anytime... and works wonders when facing blowhards.

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

“It’s small wonder that the empty rhetoric of many politicians earns them the title BLOWHARDS.”

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