Dictionary

foofaraw en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈfu.fəˌɹɔ/

Etymology

First attested in the 1930s, of uncertain origin. Perhaps related to French fanfaron (“boasting”).

Meanings

1. (countable, informal, uncountable) Overly excessive or flashy ornamentation or decoration.
   • Yes, there’s a romance at the center of the episode, though it’s just as much of a red herring as the layers of futuristic foofaraw. 2013 October 13, Erik Adams, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Lisa’s Wedding” (season six, episode 19; originally aired 3/19/1995)”, in The Onion AV Club:
   • The thumping bands, the badges, the pretty girls and all the time-honored foofaraw failed to charge up the Republican batteries to the sparking point. The great engine just would not turn over — at the start. 1944, Time, volume 44, page 15:
2. (countable, informal, uncountable) Fuss over something of little importance.
   • Lillian was therefore determined to keep dancing for as long as humanly possible. When Ngo fell into step beside her, she turned a corner hard enough to cut the lockstep short. When Ngo re-emerged to the fore, Lillian swung back aft. Once, she opened a door in the psychiatrist's face. Twice she walked directly into a crowd — into them, not among them, momentarily losing her pursuer in the resultant foofarah. 2022 September 22, HarryBlank, “Mind Over Matter”, in SCP Foundation, archived from the original on 23 May 2024:
   • In the whole foofaraw around Napster, what mostly got lost was the artists. They are the Belgians of this controversy, trampled by armies heading someplace else. 2001 February 23, Paulina Borsook, “Art's Cold Welcome on the Web”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

Forms

Synonyms

hullabaloo · bust-up · tumult · argy-bargy · pandemonium · bangarang · shemozzle · outcry · unrest · splatterdash · bunfight · turmoil · palaver · pother · uproar · rumpus · to-do · clamour · mayhem · fuss · hubbub · rowdydow · stooshie · shindy · trouble · kerfuffle · flap · disturbance · hurly-burly · chaos · hobbleshaw · ado · furor · hoo-hah · upstir · fracas · merry hell · clatter · hoo-ha · ruckus · tomfoolery · three-ring circus · quarrel · stir · riot · bobbery · disruption · foofaraw · ferment · flutter · commotion · brouhaha · bustle