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Hoopla

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 9:53 am
by scw1217
I'm surprised this word wasn't in the Goodword dictionary already.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hoopla
hoopla
hoop·la
noun Informal .
1. bustling excitement or activity; commotion; hullabaloo; to-do.
2. sensational publicity; ballyhoo.
3. speech or writing intended to mislead or to obscure an issue

Origin:
1865–70; < French houp-là! command (as to a child) to move, take a step

Online Etymology Dictionary:
hoopla
1877, hoop la, Amer.Eng., earlier houp-la, exclamation accompanying quick movement (1870), of unknown origin, perhaps borrowed from Fr. houp-là "upsy-daisy," also a cry to dogs, horses, etc.

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 11:09 am
by Slava
I'm surprised the definition doesn't include the favorite of crossword puzzles: Much Hoopla About Nothing.

Re: Hoopla

Posted: Sun Apr 07, 2013 6:51 pm
by Audiendus
The Collins English Dictionary gives the following additional meaning:
(British) A fairground game in which a player tries to throw a hoop over an object and so win it.
It is often used in that sense in the UK.