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Merriam-Webster OnLine Unabridged Learner’s Dictionary Word Central Encyclopædia Britannica |
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| | | | | | | Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day May 8 hoity-toity \hoy-tee-TOY-tee\  adjective Meaning 1: thoughtlessly silly or frivolous : flighty *2: marked by an air of assumed importance : highfalutin Example Sentence "I’m a simple man with down-home values," said Ray. "You won’t catch me hanging out with the hoity-toity crowd at trendy art galleries or chichi nightclubs." Did you know? Today we most often use "hoity-toity" as an adjective, but before it was an adjective it was a noun meaning "thoughtless giddy behavior." The noun, which first appeared in print in 1668, was probably created as a singsongy rhyme based on the dialectal English word "hoit," meaning "to play the fool." The adjective "hoity-toity" can stay close to its roots and mean "foolish" (". . . as though it were very hoity-toity of me not to know that royal personage." — W. Somerset Maugham, The Razor’s Edge), but in current use it more often means "pretentious." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. Share this Word of the Day: Sponsored Links You are subscribed as: dummyposting@gmail.com Merriam-Webster, Inc. 47 Federal Street P.O. Box 281 Springfield, MA 01102 Web site: Merriam-Webster.com Privacy Policy © 2010 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated | | | | | | | | | | | |
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