glitz
Other forms: glitzes
Glitz is a cheap or gaudy flashiness. A sparkly, sequined dress that's really shiny but not very well made has glitz, but it may not be the most tasteful outfit for your grandparents' anniversary party.
The decorating committee for a high school prom might be aiming for sophistication and end up with glitz, with spangles and glitter that's all a bit too much. If someone talks about the "glitz and glamour" of a party, the guests' clothes were probably pretty flashy. In Yiddish, glitz means "glitter," from the German root glitzern, "sparkle" or "glittering." In English, glitzy came first, probably influenced by the word ritzy.
-
tasteless showinesssynonyms: brashness, flashiness, garishness, gaudiness, loudness, meretriciousness, tawdrinesstype of:tastelessnessinelegance indicated by a lack of good taste
- MLA
- APA
- Chicago
Vocabulary lists containing glitz
Portmanteaus are pieced together from the body parts of other words. And while these creative compounds aren’t as frightening as Frankenstein’s monster, you can still see the stitching. Check out the full article on Frankenwords: The Mashed-Up Madness of Portmenteaus
Yiddish is an amalgam of German, Russian, Hebrew and many other languages that has persevered even though the fate of the people who speak it has been consistently in danger for centuries. The fact that English, the most popular language on the planet, contains words that are recognizably derived from Yiddish is something of a linguistic miracle, considering many of the 13 million native speakers of Yiddish were wiped out during World War II. Many of these 15 words may be familiar, but the routes they took to get to English, and the literal meanings of many of them, are surprising. Here are 15 common English words derived from Yiddish.
French for "Fat Tuesday," Mardi Gras originated as a celebration of spring and evolved into an indulgent period often followed by fasting and sacrifice. It is an opportunity to have some Fun, Food, and Faith.