Word Woman

Welcome to another brain-stimulating installment of Word Woman's Weekly Workout! Lifelong learning is the best way to fight memory loss associated with aging, so let's work some flab off that vocab with the word of the week:

Bloviate: [verb] to talk loudly or aggressively. A term with its origins in mid-nineteenth century US slang, possibly related to railroading culture. Literally, it means "to blow off steam". -- "Cassell's Dictionary of Slang", Jonathon Green, Cassell & Co., 1998


Example: Some people feel the need to bloviate, particularly when confronted by telemarketing calls during the dinner hour.


Extra Credit: Many people over the years have questioned the use of the term "macaroni" in that quintessential American song "Yankee Doodle". According to the source referenced above, the term originates in the late 18th-early 19th century and refers to a fop or a dandy whose travels are evidenced by his taste for foreign foods (thus the word "macaroni").