glitz
/ɡlɪts
/informal
noun [mass noun]
Extravagant but superficial display: the glitz and sophisticated night life of Ibiza...
- Sandra is briefly seduced by superficial glitz before rediscovering friendship, real values and the need to take down some bad guys.
- Chicago is an opulent display of glitz and glamour.
- The Great Commission sometimes gets buried beneath the superficial glitz.
verb [with object] North American
Make (something) glamorous or showy: he wanted to know who we could get to glitz up the programme...
- These teams are proof that there's no use glitzing up an offense with passes when a good punch in the nose will suffice.
- For the first few months of the year, Tinseltown glitzes up for one awards show after another, culminating in the queen mother of awards shows, the Academy Awards.
- This might seem like a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised how many people spend big bucks trying to glitz up this holiday.
Origin
1970s (originally a North American usage): back-formation from glitzy.