razzmatazz

noun

razz·​ma·​tazz ˌraz-mə-ˈtaz 

1

: razzle-dazzle sense 3

2

: double-talk sense 2

3

: vim, zing

Did you know?

English speakers are fond of forming new words through reduplication of a base word, usually with just a slight change of sound. Think of okeydoke, fuddy-duddy, super-duper, roly-poly, fiddle-faddle, and dillydally. Another word is razzle-dazzle, formed by the reduplication of dazzle (itself a frequentative of daze). In the late-19th century, the spirit that prompted razzle-dazzle (one early meaning of which is "a state of confusion or hilarity") seems to have also inspired razzmatazz. The coiners of razzmatazz may also have had jazz in mind. Some of the earliest turn-of-the century uses of razzmatazz refer to rag-time or early jazz styles. By the mid-20th century, we'd come round to the "razzle-dazzle" sense, though we still haven't completely settled on the spelling. You might, for example, see razzamatazz.

Examples of razzmatazz in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Boca foodie fans of Il Mulino also wanted some of that Broadway razzmatazz. —Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 26 June 2024

The follies’ ensemble dance scenes with the whole cast intermittently provides the show with period fun and plenty of costuming razzmatazz. —Christopher Smith, Orange County Register, 30 May 2024

The whole matter unraveled soon after the Bears concluded their hourlong dog-and-pony show filled with more razzmatazz than a Blue Man Group performance. —David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 10 May 2024

Some seventy per cent of the company’s business was partnering with real-estate developers, equipping units with its electromechanical razzmatazz. —Patricia Marx, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023

Word History

Etymology

probably alteration of razzle-dazzle

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined at sense 3

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