ballyhoo
Noisy fuss or publicity.
Updated September 21, 2026
ballyhoo pronunciation
/BALLYHOO/
Meaning
Means noisy fuss or publicity. Southern and Appalachian speakers still use "ballyhoo" in ordinary talk. The examples keep the spoken shape instead of polishing it into classroom English.
How folks use it
- “They meant noisy fuss or publicity, plain and simple: ballyhoo.”
- “If somebody says ballyhoo, they mean noisy fuss or publicity.”
Origin and etymology
Alive in Southern and Appalachian English with the sense "noisy fuss or publicity." Print history is uneven for some oral forms, so this entry sticks to how people use it now rather than guessing a folk story.