It seems like everyone knows what it means; it even shows up in Samuel Moore's English English translation of The Communist Manifesto:
"[...] in ordinary life, despite their high falutin' phrases, they stoop to pick up the golden apples dropped from the tree of industry, and to barter truth, love, and honor, for traffic in wool, beetroot-sugar, and potato spirits."
But the etymology is elusive... maybe I just don't see the obvious origin?
falutin'
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It's always missing the 'g' on the end, as well...
Here's what Etymonline.com has to say about it:
Here's what Etymonline.com has to say about it:
-Timhigh-falutin'
1848, U.S. slang, possibly from high-flying, or flown, or even flute.
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I just checked etymonline earlier and didn't see any results, I must have mistyped something... Thanks Tim!
It looks like "falute" is used rarely... what's interesting is the context: "falute too highly", "falute about myself", "...polite to falute in the first place", "something to falute towards". They seem to use both possible origins ("flying" and "fluting").
It looks like "falute" is used rarely... what's interesting is the context: "falute too highly", "falute about myself", "...polite to falute in the first place", "something to falute towards". They seem to use both possible origins ("flying" and "fluting").
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A Baltimore native son strikes again:
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
highfalutin
SYLLABICATION: high·fa·lu·tin
PRONUNCIATION: hī ' fə-lōōt ' n
VARIANT FORMS: or hi·fa·lu·tin also high·fa·lu·ting (-lōōt'n, -lōōt'ĭng)
ADJECTIVE: Informal Pompous or pretentious: “highfalutin reasons for denying direct federal assistance to the unemployed” (Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.).
ETYMOLOGY: Origin unknown.
REGIONAL NOTE: H.L. Mencken, in his famous book The American Language, mentions highfalutin as an example of the many native U.S. words coined during the 19th-century period of vigorous growth. Although highfalutin is characteristic of American folk speech, it is not a true regionalism because it has always occurred in all regions of the country, with its use and popularity spurred by its appearance in print. The origin of highfalutin, like that of many folk expressions, is obscure. It has been suggested that the second element, –falutin, comes from the verb flute—hence high-fluting, a comical indictment of people who think too highly of themselves.
Regards//Larry
"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Attributed to Richard Henry Lee
"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Attributed to Richard Henry Lee
Intrigued by the possibilities of low falutin' I found this: The Falutin' Index
-gailr
-gailr
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