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Sep 20, 2007
This week's theme
Fabric words used metaphorically

This week's words
linsey-woolsey
buckram
grog
bombast
fustian

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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

bombast

(BOM-bast) Pronunciation Sound Clip RealAudio

noun: Pompous speech or writing.

From Old French bombace (cotton padding), from Latin bombax (cotton). Also see bombastic.

"The much-unloved advertising slogan proclaiming Scotland as 'The Best Small Country in the World' is ... seen to combine the worst of both bombast and cringe."
Robbie Dinwoodie; Best Small Country in the World; The Herald (Glasgow, Scotland); Sep 10, 2007.

See more usage examples of bombast in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

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