publicityn.
/pʌbˈlɪsᵻti/, U.S. /pəˈblɪsᵻdi/ΘΚΠ
society > communication > information > publishing or spreading abroad > [noun] > publicity
word of mouth1578
publicity1609
agitation1829
limelight1877
play1912
pre-publicity1959
1609 R. Parsons Quiet Reckoning v. 370 The thing might haue bin passed ouer with silence, or at least with lesse publicity, if himself had not prouoked the contrary.
a1643 Visct. Falkland Reply in Disc. Infallibility (1651) 168 Concerning the publicitie of it, and the number and authoritie of the deliverers, they must of necessitie have been the best Judges who then lived.
1676 J. Tillotson Rule of Faith (ed. 2) iii. §9. 252 This Cabala was a Doctrine delivered to few, and that with strict charge to keep it from Publicity.
a1790 B. Franklin Autobiogr. (1981) 55 Keimer being in the Street look'd up & saw me, call'd out to me in a loud Voice and angry Tone to mind my Business, adding some reproachful Words, that nettled me the more for their Publicity.
1791 W. Hamilton tr. C.-L. Berthollet Elements Art of Dyeing I. Introd. 4 The sacrifices it makes by this publicity, are amply compensated by the advantages it derives from it.
a1832 J. Bentham Draught of Code iv, in Wks. (1843) IV. 316 Publicity is the very soul of justice.
1869 J. E. T. Rogers Hist. Gleanings I. 89 The only guarantee of public honour is publicity, for the only protection rogues have is secrecy.
2. Public notice or attention given to someone or something; the action or process of making someone or something publicly known; the publicizing or promotion of a product, person, concept, etc.; the giving out of information for advertising or promotional purposes. Also: material or information used for such purposes.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > information > publishing or spreading abroad > [noun] > publicizing
publicity1809
publicizing1906
limelighting1927
publicization1934
1809 Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 25 Feb. 315 It is to shield his fair fame from the possibility of censure, that I thus address you, Sir, requesting you to give the utmost publicity, to the declaration, ‘that the introduction of Dr. Glasse's name into these miserable discussions is totally and altogether founded in error’.
1842 C. Dickens Let. 30 Apr. (1974) III. 222 I found the documents of which the inclosed are copies... You will see that they are signed by the first writers in England; and that their object..is Publicity.
1847 A. Brontë Agnes Grey xiv. 222 If you add to it by giving publicity to this unfortunate affair, or naming it at all, you will find that I too can speak.
1874 A. Trollope Phineas Redux I. xxviii. 228 If you could bring yourself to face the publicity, you could, I imagine, obtain a legal separation.
1886 J. R. Lowell Democracy (1887) 11 This age of publicity, where the newspapers offer a rostrum to whoever has a grievance, or fancies that he has.
1897 M. R. Audubon Audubon & his Jrnls. I. 186 Mrs. Rathbone, Senior, refused me the pleasure of naming a bird after her, on account of the publicity, she said.
1901 W. D. Howells in Harper's Mag. Apr. 353 Books..have been lately filling the world with the noise of their publicity. It used to be called advertising.
1917 A. Cahan Rise of David Levinsky (1993) v. ii. 100 I was thrilled to find myself in the lime-light of world-wide publicity.
1946 E. O'Neill Iceman Cometh i. 38 At Harvard I discovered my father was well known by reputation, although that was some time before the District Attorney gave him so much unwelcome publicity.
1953 A. Huxley Let. 21 Dec. (1969) 692 I have taken the liberty of forwarding it to Cass Canfield of Harpers, who may like to quote from it in his publicity.
1993 Self Dec. 129/2 She'd never been averse to a kitschy production, a scandal with good publicity or a skimpy costume.
2004 I. Calder Untold Story x. 194 Most of these stars were happy only when they could control their own publicity.
Phrases
Originally U.S. In phrases indicating that publicity is desirable regardless of whether it is favourable, as any publicity is good publicity, no such thing as bad publicity.
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1925 Fresno (Calif.) Bee 1 Aug. The prevailing psychology of Hollywood is that any publicity is good publicity.
1941 C. Fadiman Reading I've Liked p. l There is no such thing as bad publicity for books.
1975 Times 18 Dec. 10 For the worldly it may be claimed that there is no such thing as bad publicity. But for a man who has given the world the spiritual fruits of long years as a Trappist monk this is more than doubtful.
2002 Toronto Sun (Nexis) 9 Aug. 82 The axiom that any publicity is good publicity—even if it is bad publicity—does not hold true when it comes to a barn fire at a race track.
Compounds
C1.
a. General attributive.† publicity omnibus n. Obsolete
publicity agent n.
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1877 Edwardsville (Illinois) Intelligencer 16 May What used to be the ‘bill sticker’ is now the ‘publicity agent’.
1999 Financial Times 9 Oct. (Weekend Mag.) 22/1 A burgeoning breed of New York ‘power dentists’ who command seven-figure incomes, hobnob with their celebrity patients, and even hire their own publicity agents.
publicity boy n.
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1929 G. Ade Let. 8 Dec. (1973) 142 The publicity boys seemed to think it was a great joke to float these wild-eyed stories about my pursuing Dorothy Tennant.
2003 Western Daily Press (Bristol) (Nexis) 15 Mar. (Features section) 1 Teenage girls loved him..and the Rank publicity boys began making up stories of reinforced fly-buttons.
publicity bureau n.
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1901 Hawaiian Gaz. 18 June 8/5 The formal announcement of their intended visit was made late yesterday afternoon by the publicity bureau.
1996 Lloyd's List (Nexis) 17 Sept. 3 It..plans to reduce its seven bureaux to six by merging the current policy and education and publicity bureaux into one.
publicity campaign n.
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1904 Newark (Ohio) Advocate 9 Sept. 4/2 The publicity campaign undertaken last year was discussed.
2000 P. McLynn in J. Adams et al. Girls' Night In 379 We'll be running our own aggressive publicity campaign over the coming weeks.
publicity department n.
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1891 Chicago Tribune 23 Apr. 2/7 There is a mailing-room devoted exclusively to the Publicity Department.
1999 T. Etchells Endland Stories 128 The riots..could easily have been orchestrated by a decadent and cynical publicity department eager for press and attention.
publicity drive n.
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1917 Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald 21 Oct. 27/6 (headline) State commission arranges big publicity drive.
2003 Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 26 Nov. d6/4 He aims to use the 30-million-euros publicity drive ahead of Germany's 2006 World Cup to portray it as a modern and open-minded nation.
publicity expert n.
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1905 Trenton (New Jersey) Times 31 July 9/3 A great mistake is being made..in turning out cars that lack distinctiveness, according to the publicity expert of a big concern.
1998 N.Y. Times 4 Jan. 27/1 Susann and Mansfield carefully orchestrated a legendary campaign: they hired Hollywood publicity experts, made hundreds of radio, television and bookstore appearances, [etc.].
publicity film n.
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1916 V. Lindsay Art of Moving Picture xviii. 247 The Architects would send forth publicity films which are..delineations of a future Cincinnati, Cleveland, or St. Louis.
2002 Jrnl. Contemp. Hist. 37 606 The Foreign Office's acute sensitivity..was illustrated in its response to a private proposal that the News Department sponsor an advance publicity film about the monarchs.
publicity handout n.
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1927 S. Bent Ballyhoo iii. 86 Washington is this country's premier city of publicity hand-outs.
1997 Sight & Sound Jan. 61/1 In order to get his publicity handouts into J.J.'s column, Falco become Hunsecker's whipping boy.
publicity hound n.
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1920 Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald 7 May 3/3 The publicity hound at the Bronx 200, was a piker compared to P. J.
2003 Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 29 Nov. 15 If he really is shy, he is also a crafty publicity hound, as a former colleague said, who exercises influence by putting the word about.
publicity man n.
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1903 Chattanooga (Tennessee) Sunday Times 15 Nov. 17/4 The publishers' publicity men are sometimes better paid than any but the top stars among the writers.
1957 Times Lit. Suppl. 25 Oct. 638/2 No one, not even a modern film star hounded by his publicity man, has ever courted popular favour more devotedly.
2005 Yorks. Post (Nexis) 3 Aug. George Stephenson..may just have been a better publicity man than his fellow Victorian innovators.
publicity manager n.
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1907 Fort Wayne (Indiana) Daily News 2 Feb. 7/2 A letter from the ‘publicity’ managers of the company.
2001 Times 24 Apr. i. 9/1 The musician was accompanied in court by..his lawyer, his publicity manager, his road manager and two people from Warner Brothers Records.
publicity monger n.
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1915 Indianapolis Star 5 Sept. 28/3 They..nurse grievances..against publicity mongers.
2005 Daily Tel. (Sydney) (Nexis) 31 Mar. 7 The mindset of a publicity-monger—who wanted to be charged with terrorism so he could express his extremist views—was exposed in court yesterday.
publicity officer n.
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1910 Manitoba Morning Free Press 26 Jan. 1/4 (headline) Refused permission to join the Fair Board, publicity officer quits.
1994 W. Shaw Spying in Guru Land (1995) v. 141 I call up the school's publicity officer, to check a few facts about the school.
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1846 in Daily Chron. 19 Feb. (1903) 5/1 [Marriott..in the year 1846 registered as an article of utility an] improved publicity omnibus.
publicity person n.
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1924 Oxnard (Calif.) Daily Courier 3 May She'd make a lovely secretary and publicity person.
2000 Mirror (Nexis) 24 June 22 She bounces down to the interview on her own without a manager or a publicity person by her side.
publicity scheme n.
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1906 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 15 Dec. 12/1 The publicity scheme adopted..is a facsimile of a baggage check which is affixed to envelopes, which bear letters near and far.
2006 Washington Times (Nexis) 8 Jan. His wild publicity schemes, unpredictability, and flamboyant Bad Boy behaviour irritated many fellow actors.
publicity screen n.
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1911 R. D. Saunders Col. Todhunter ix. 128 This amazing projection of himself..on the publicity ‘screen’ of a newspaper's front page appalled Colonel Todhunter.
2005 Evening Times (Glasgow) (Nexis) 25 Mar. 25 The comedy star from Ayrshire refuses to hide behind the showbiz publicity screen, editing her own comments until there's little of value left.
publicity section n.
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1905 Arizona Republican 11 Oct. 1/6 A publicity section was organized and various committee meetings held.
1927 F. L. C. Floud Ministry of Agric. ii. 25 There is also a small publicity section for the issue of information to the Press.
2004 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 13 June i. 43 He came to New York after high school and worked in the publicity section of CBS.
publicity stunt n.
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1908 Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald 13 Aug. 8/4 T'aint right for [them] t'be getting all the advertising out of this publicity stunt.
1926 ‘Sapper’ Final Count vii. 195 It was just an advertisement—an elaborate publicity stunt.
2003 S. Brown Free Gift Inside! 116 Most media coverage focused on the fact that it was ‘obviously’ a publicity stunt, the latest in a long line of headline-grabbing antics.
publicity value n.
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1910 Post Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.) 2 Feb. 5/1 It may be that they have enough publicity value for certain products to justify the expense involved.
1993 Dog World Oct. 28/1 The publicity value..in the photos of sled dog training in the White Mountains was an undeniable asset to the war effort.
publicity woman n.
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1916 Reno (Nevada) Evening Gaz. 11 Dec. 3/3 ‘There are waiters and waiters,’ said [the] publicity woman for the production.
2002 Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 6 Sept. 24 One of the imprint's young publicity women was on hand to bid farewell to the assembled guests.
publicity worker n.
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1922 Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald 22 Jan. And then she drifted into theatricals, her activities ranging from actress to booking-agent, to producer, to publicity worker.
2004 Bristol Evening Post (Nexis) 20 Sept. 42 Publicity workers are infamous for over-doing the superlatives.
b. Objective.
(a)
publicity-hunting n. and adj.
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1895 19th Cent. June 975 The advertisers themselves have no strong inducement to persist in this peculiar form of publicity hunting.
1908 Nebraska State Jrnl. 27 Sept. 25/3 He does not belong to the ranks of the publicity-hunting alienist, that dangerous..creature whose mission in life is to poison justice.
1996 Times (Nexis) 31 Dec. Harold Wilson was accused of publicity-hunting for recommending MBEs for The Beatles.
2000 Belfast Tel. (Nexis) 20 Mar. That delicate work had to be performed well away from publicity-hunting, posturing politicians.
publicity-loving adj.
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1858 Atlantic Monthly Aug. 349/1 Now this publicity-loving nature was, as we repeat, as much served by Art and artists as by politicians.
1996 Guardian (Nexis) 9 July 13 The publicity-loving former public works minister..gave a wide-ranging interview to the left-leaning daily El Pais at the weekend.
publicity-seeking n. and adj.
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1905 News (Frederick, Maryland) 19 Sept. Their simple, dignified conduct..their entire freedom from publicity seeking..have made an intensely favorable impression.
1907 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 10 Mar. 30/7 In deprecating publicity-seeking woman the kaiserin shares the views of her imperial husband.
1939 ‘N. Blake’ Smiler with Knife v. 90 Charges of publicity-seeking.
2003 S. Brown Free Gift Inside! 208 Lockhart is a self-centered, publicity-seeking celebrity author.
(b)
publicity-conscious adj.
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1930 Ann. Amer. Acad. 151 295 The management was enlightened enough (and publicity conscious enough) to permit investigators to view their operations.
1977 H. Innes Big Footprints iii. i. 217 He had agreed to our taking a camera... Extraordinary how publicity-conscious these men were.
2004 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) Apr. 333/1 We're more list-minded these days than before, certainly more celebrity- and publicity-conscious.
publicity seeker n.
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1906 Fort Wayne (Indiana) Jrnl.-Gaz. 21 Oct. 17/1 Neither Uncle Sam nor Secretary Taft would be influenced by the oratorial outbreaks of..publicity seekers.
1999 EuroBusiness Sept. 140/1 A few years ago they went through a metamorphosis—from being recluses they became publicity seekers.
publicity-shy adj.
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1924 Bridgeport (Connecticut) Telegram 2 Feb. 24/1 Miss Wills is too bashful and publicity shy to make good on the being interviewed proposition.
2001 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) May 184/2 For many of the mourners, it was the first time they had seen so many of the publicity-shy clan in public.
c. Instrumental.
publicity-driven adj.
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1925 Eng. Jrnl. 14 674 No decent son or daughter will need the annual stimulus of a publicity-driven Mother's Day.
2000 Guardian 8 Jan. (Saturday section) 1/1 All sorts of New Age mysticisms..thrive in spurts of publicity-driven fad.
publicity-minded adj.
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1929 Kansas City (Missouri) Star 7 Jan. The severest blow that can be handed a publicity-minded man is to have his picture appear on the first page of a newspaper and then have the demon mailer slap the address label squarely over his phiz.
1960 E. Wilson Jrnl. 27 Feb. in Sixties: Last Jrnl. (1993) 21 Arthur Schlesinger began with Leonov in his relentlessly publicity-minded way by asking what had surprised him most in America.
2005 N.Y. Sun (Nexis) 12 July 6 Industrious and publicity-minded from an early age, [he] made pocket change with an egg delivery route.
publicity-ridden adj.
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1932 Dothan (Alabama) Eagle 8 Apr. 4/4 Another horde of beardless reformers..decided to come over and aid and abet their Eastern colleagues in restoring order and tranquility in the publicity-ridden mining community.
1996 Daily Mail 10 Aug. The [low-key] departure of the ginger haired BBC Radio 1 presenter was in contrast to his publicity-ridden arrival in the Highlands.
C2.
publicity machine n. a group or department with responsibility for public relations, esp. one characterized as very efficient and well organized.
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1912 Perry (Iowa) Daily Chief 6 July 2/1 His personality and experience gave him control of the publicity machine, which he used against the conservatives with deadly effect.
1969 P. White Let. 5 Oct. (1994) x. 348 I am neither new nor sensational, and I won't get with the publicity machine.
2001 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) Mar. 142/3 The palace publicity machine seems to be off message in a most deplorable way.
publicity-manage v. transitive to organize the publicity for (an event); to seek to bring about by the aid of publicity.
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1952 L. Durrell Let. 14 Nov. in Spirit of Place (1969) 114 My boss Eden whose much advertised tour was publicity-managed by little me.
2004 Re: New Labour I: Blunkett Goes in uk.media.radio.bbc-r4 (Usenet newsgroup) 17 Dec. He's a town hall marxist trying to publicity manage the demoralization of society after forty years of left-leaning social policies.
publicity ramp n. colloquial a misleading or unjustified use of publicity.
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1934 D. Thomas Let. Jan. (1987) 31 Patriotism is a publicity ramp organised by holders of excess armament shares.
1994 Observer (Nexis) 7 Aug. 12 The film's publicity ramp at the Cannes Film Festival did not beat about the bush.
publicity release n. a press release issued for publicity purposes; cf. press release n. at press n.1 Compounds 2b.
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1923 R. McElroy Grover Cleveland, Man & Statesman I. xiii. 329 Mr. Cleveland's friends..planned the publicity releases.
2001 Afr. Amer. Rev. 35 162/2 A publicity release for this book may sound hyperbolic, but it is quite accurate.
publicity shot n. colloquial a photograph taken for publicity purposes.
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1929 Los Angeles Times 4 Aug. e12 They had me stripped to the waist, shoeing a horse: this for a publicity shot.
1997 Touch May 22/1 Her publicity shots do her no justice at all.
publicity-wise adj. that is aware of the need for publicity, or of the most effective means of gaining publicity.
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1927 Zanesville (Ohio) Signal 26 June ii. 9/2 Although they earn less money in their bathing suits, they are more frequently photographed for publicity purposes... So the slogan of the publicity-wise extra has become ‘I will work for less in less’.
1988 ‘Ultra Violet’ Famous for 15 Minutes xv. 141 The Peppermint Lounge, run by the genial and publicity-wise rock-and-roll singer Chubby Checker is the birthplace of the Twist.
Derivatives
pubˈlicity-wise adv. with regard to publicity.
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1958 Punch 1 Jan. 50/1 Publicitywise, Sabrina and the Duke of Bedford consolidated their respective resources.
2005 Belfast Tel. (Nexis) 30 July The police come off badly here publicity-wise but it's their own fault—they didn't do a thing before all this happened.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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