razzmatazz

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɹæz.mə.tæz/^[1]

Etymology

It is perhaps an alteration of razzle-dazzle.^[2][3][4][5] Barnhart suggests a varied reduplication of jazz,^[6][3] but Etymonline notes that George Ade used the word in 1899, too early for that derivation.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Noisy, showy display or publicity (1899).^[6][7][3]

Semantic evolution

The word was used in vaudeville by 1908 and of jazz music by 1917.^[3] By the 1930s it was disparaging jazz slang for old-fashioned or corny jazz, especially as against swing.^[3][7] It also came to mean double-talk or evasive language,^[2][4][1] and lively energy or vim.^[2][4][1]

Timeline

• 1899 – George Ade's use; showy display.^[6][3][7]
• 1908 – in vaudeville.^[3]
• 1917 – of jazz music.^[3]
• 1930s – old-fashioned jazz.^[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. Flashy action or display intended to impress or confuse; razzle-dazzle.
2. Evasive or meaningless language; double-talk.
3. Lively energy; vim.

Related words

• razzle-dazzle
• jazz

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
7. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press