You don’t hear the word fantoosh all that often nowadays but I think it is a great word and I use it whenever I can.
If something or someone is being described as being fantoosh it means that they, or it, is overdressed, ultra fashionable, over-ornamented, too fancy. Just downright over the top.
I always think that this word should be of French derivation as quite a lot of Scottish words are, due to the influence of the French people who came to Edinburgh when Mary, Queen of Scots came back from France as a young widow. There is a part of Edinburgh which is still called Little France, however I can’t find any evidence that it derives from French.
I do think that fantoosh is quite presbyterian though as I’ve always heard it used in a slightly disapproving way. It’s the feeling that anything too fancy must be sinful. It’s the influence of Calvinism I suppose.
Anyway, I really like fantoosh and I’d hate it to die out, although I suppose if you were in America it might sound a bit rude to some people as it’s almost like two words for bum (butt) spliced together.
That might make it all the more desirable to use though, just for a laugh.
what is the word recently used for saying something about great taste in whisky as well as classic whisky
chanel,
I’ve been trying to think of the word which you mean but haven’t come up with anything yet, sorry. The best whisky is usually single malt.
I know this word as farantoosh so has that extra syllable in the middle.
It’s a family word from East Sutherland and I’d love to know the derivation.
The implication is that folk are getting above their station in some way, not limited to their dress though that’s a big part of it.
I’ve seen the French fantoche suggestion. Do you have a particular reason for rejecting that derivation?
Anna Gillies,
That extra syllable is interesting, I’ve never heard that before. No I suspect that the derivation is French, quite a lot of Scots words are I think, such as the Scots pan loaf, but I haven’t heard anyone using that ‘pan’ for years.
Katrina
It’s from the French fantouche, an imaginary or fanciful character. That meaning evolved from ‘puppet’ or ‘puppet-like.’