chichi1
/ˈʃiːʃiː
/adjective
Attempting stylish elegance but achieving only an over-elaborate pretentiousness: the tiny chichi dining room...
- He abhors ‘extremely clever chichi writing’; language needs to be ‘clear and specific’, ‘with the punctuation in the right places’.
- Whereas other top hotels err on the chichi side, this one, opened in November 1998, is more pared-down, using natural materials with a flow of water, space and light, and an earthy colour scheme inspired by spices.
- I have 6 or 7 books to read, a shady tree to sit under, great company, and it turns out that Saint-Remy is like the Hampstead of Provence; more chichi shops and restaurants than we'll get through in a week.
noun [mass noun]
Pretentious and over-elaborate refinement: a good restaurant without the chichi traditionally associated with French food...
- Their new credo: you can be first class and cook with a highly personal style even ‘without chichi and tralala’.
- ‘In the eyes of the world, Paris is a very beautiful city, a romantic, sexy city, but when you come here now it is still romantic and still very beautiful, but it has lost some of its chichi with women,’ he said.
Origin
Early 20th century (in the sense 'showiness or pretentious object'): from French, of imitative origin.
chichi2
/ˈʃiːʃiː/noun US informal
A woman’s breast.
Origin
Late 20th century: military slang, of Japanese origin.