hoity toity, hoity-toity (pronounced hoi-ty toi-ty)
adjective

- Pretentiously self-important; pompous.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

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ORIGIN

"Hoity-toity" is a good example of how English words can dramatically change their meanings over time. Although today we use it to mean "stuck up or snobbish, self-important, pretentious and disapproving," the original meaning was almost exactly the opposite.

When "hoity-toity" appeared as an adjective in English in the late 17th century it meant acting in a silly, childish, impulsive manner, as if always on the verge of starting a pillow-fight.

The root of "hoity-toity" seems to be the obsolete verb "hoit," meaning "to indulge in mirth, to romp inelegantly," apparently related to the term "hoyden," meaning "boisterous or rude girl or woman."  ("Hoyden" originally applied to both men and women, and was probably derived from the Dutch "heiden," meaning "heathen.")

It was apparently not uncommon for upper class folks in the 18th and 19th centuries to look down their noses at "foolish" or rowdy behavior and exclaim "Hoity-toity!" with a snort of derision, much as you or I might mutter "Nitwits!" at skateboarders on a crowded sidewalk. 

But in a surprising reversal of meaning in the 1800s, the targets of such derision gradually began to use "hoity-toity" as shorthand for the "disapprovers" themselves (mocking their constant use of the phrase), and "hoity-toity" gradually took on its modern meaning of "haughty, huffy and pretentious."

FYI "Hoity Toity" is also a classic bluffing game by Klaus Teuber, originally published in 1990 in Germany as "Adel Verpflichtet". It's now back in print in the United States thanks to Uberplay.

Adapted from "The Word Detective".

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SYNONYMS

Arrogance seems to be quite nuanced in the English-speaking world, check out these synonyms:

aloof, antipathetic, arrogant, cavalier, conceited, contemptuous, cool, derisive, disdainful, haughty, high hat, highfalutin (US), hoity-toity UK), imperious, insolent, la-di-da, lofty, lordly, pompous, repudiating, scornful, sneering, sniffy, snobbish, snooty, snotty, supercilious, superior, stuck-up, toplofty, uppity

Practice OWAD in a conversation today, say something like:

"His HOITY-TOITY manner is not good at the front desk. Try and keep him in the back office"